Day 18: Surround Yourself with Good People
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More than anybody else, my mental illness affects my wife.
Sure, she’s there for the good times — but she also sees the worst of me.
She’s there when I’m manic. She’s there when I’m depressed.
She has to put up with my crazy ideas and nightmares and wacky situations.She deals with the good and the hard of being married to someone with bipolar.
One thing we don’t take for granted is that Jess actually has great support.
She has an amazing family full of prayer warriors.
She has strong friendships — people she can catch up with and vent to.
I assume she talks about my handsomeness for the first half hour before venting, but I’m thankful she has her friends.If you’re supporting someone in their mental well-being, make sure you’ve got support too.
It’s not holy or noble to carry it alone.
Surround yourself with good people.
Let’s Talk
Sometimes the strongest people are the ones you never see struggling — because they’re too busy holding everyone else together.
They’re the ones checking meds, scheduling appointments, calming storms, and covering for chaos.
They smile when they’d rather cry. They pray prayers no one hears.
They aren’t just part of the support system — they are the support system.
That might be you.
If it is, I want you to know this: you don’t have to be okay all the time.
You’re not failing if you’re worn out.
You’re not selfish if you need space.
And you’re not weak for wanting someone to ask you how you’re doing for once.
Here is the truth: the strength you give to others, you need some of it for yourself too.
Even Jesus got away to pray. Even Jesus had people who held Him up when He was weak.
It’s not more spiritual to burn out for someone you love.
It’s not more godly to suffer in silence.
You are allowed to be a person too — not just a caregiver.
And you’re not abandoning someone by letting others care for you as well.
Scripture
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
— Galatians 6:2 (NIV)
Mental Health Moment
Supporters are often invisible in the mental health story — but they’re carrying some of the heaviest weight.
If you’re holding space for someone else’s anxiety, depression, trauma, or illness, it can feel like your own emotions no longer matter. You’re the one remembering appointments, keeping the house steady, praying hard, and pushing through — often without anyone asking how you’re doing.
But your heart matters too.
Tyler Staton writes, “We do not pray to get God’s attention. We pray to give Him ours.”
In the same way, rest, reflection, and asking for support aren’t signs of weakness — they’re ways we give our attention back to God. They’re reminders that you are not the Saviour. And you don’t have to be.
Even Jesus withdrew. Even Jesus let others carry Him — whether it was Simon of Cyrene helping bear His cross, or Mary anointing Him before suffering. If He didn’t do it all alone and neither should you.
Practice for Today
If you’re a supporter:
Write down three names — people you can talk to when life gets too much.
If no names come to mind, make it your goal this week to start building that list.
If you love a supporter:
Send them a message. Say:
“I see what you’re carrying. You don’t have to carry it alone. How can I show up for you this week?”
A Prayer for the Carers
Jesus,
You see the ones holding the weight no one talks about.
The ones who love deeply, serve quietly, and carry burdens behind the scenes.
Give them strength when they feel depleted.
Give them peace in the chaos.
Give them people who make space for them to be human too.
And help us remember that loving well doesn’t mean breaking ourselves to do it.
Amen.
