Coping with Mental Chaos and Confusion

When we are cooperating with our doctor and taking our medication, but an unstable mindset persists, we need to adopt coping strategies. The voices should not run our lives or control us. Doing so keeps us distracted, so the battle is for refocusing.  Instead of listening to the mental chaos and confusion, I resist and try to focus on something that preoccupies my mind, so I am not made vulnerable to suggestions or to confusion. It is a tactic of the devil to try to break us down to a complete mental collapse by providing his own source of voices, which are evil spirits, in addition to the voices that arise from having a split and damaged mind.

 Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

I have learned to recognize when my mind has taken a turn for the worse, and I take action. I listen to or watch peaceful, worshipful, or encouraging music or nature sounds/videos. Or I watch Christian or enriching TV programs. Then my disturbed mind gives way to serenity. I can grow and force my mind to think as I learn new knowledge. All the mental chaos and confusion lose their power to distract my mind and slowly clear up. The worst times for me are when I remain inactive. That’s when I am overpowered and defeated in my fight to wrestle against schizoaffective mental turmoil. So, I take charge by working on goals I have made or housework.

I Will Not Allow Mental Chaos to Reign

When I go to appointments, I read a book; otherwise, my mind will create paranoid and suspicious thoughts about all the other patients in the room. Whenever I am feeling fearful and anxious, I get out of my environment and go someplace where I feel safe and secure, away from the place where I am most susceptible to stressful thoughts.

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

If I catch myself in the process of breaking down mentally, reaching out to and visiting people who care about me or calling someone helps me regain more stability. I find that being alone only makes me more vulnerable, and fighting the battle alone without help leads to defeat. Crying out to God for help to stabilize me gives me hope, but long prayers are virtually impossible during those times and only lead to further mental breakdowns. I then turn to prayer from a prayer counselor, and God works to clear up my mind through his or her intercession.

I Have Found a Friend in God

We do not need to let the illness take over; rather, we should manage the symptoms and fight back. Without God, this is very difficult, because it is His Spirit that helps alert us to our own confusion and it is He who teaches us how to cope with and wrestle against mental disarray. He also is our greatest cheerleader; He never gives up on us and keeps restoring us when we lose our mental stability. Although He may never actually heal us, He sustains us and fights to overturn our mental struggles.

 Jeremiah 32:17 Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:

 God knows every part of your brain and mind, and He cares. He knows how it hurts when you can’t focus because of peppering disturbed though; He understands how difficult it is to win the battle against mental clutter. The Almighty is an ever-present help and Friend.

 Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.