“strengths & Strengths”

There are “strengths” & then there are “Strengths”. They are important for a number of reasons. I am aware of the “Strengths Model” that has been around for over ten years, & has been used by mental health practitioners using a Recovery approach. I see out human ultimate Strength as our Divinity, or our connection with The Divinity. In mental health psychiatry we traditionally have a pathology based system. Strengths-based approach moves the focus away from deficits of people with mental illnesses and focuses on their strengths and resources. When we focus on our strengths we move away from our weaknesses, which is often a good thing. By all means understand & treat or mange problems of the mind & behavior. Then it’s time to move on. We seek the Higher Rooms in our journey we move upward & onward & in doing so automatically leave behind the darkness. Or we spend less time marginalizing our discomforts & cravings, & thus can be more focused on a healthy lifestyle.

Where there is light there is a lack of darkness. Hence seek the Divine Light as this will change everything that is human ego driven. All, (Life & the Universe), wont disappear. It’s still there waiting in the background, waiting for a “fall from grace”, or a relapse. Here is a quick fix actually & that is about accessing our Strength, We have also strengths, (human type), even if we think of ourselves as mentally lacking, without motivation, or have poor self-esteem. A mental health diagnosis doesn’t remove our strengths, but if we get sucked into our despair & disorder we can have a hard time finding our strengths’, & the light of our Strength.

First identify your strengths. Write them down. If difficult think of your values or abilities, or what you are good at. They can be things like, “I am a kind person”, or I” carry through with what I started”. Then how will you do more, & develop your strengths into skills that can then be applied to actions that give better life outcomes. Then there is the question of resilience & coping skills. These may be innate, a personal attribute, & thus can be seen as a strength. However they are strengths when applied to a set of circumstances. Thus resilience & coping skills need generally to be “found elsewhere”. They come from somewhere, perhaps genetic, perhaps learn over time. They are however part of Strength, which is the innate Divinity of all, or as the Strength inherent in the Deity chosen, if you prefer a personal God. In the latter case then receiving individualized strength is a Grace process. It “descends”. Thus to make the strengths model work for management or recovery intentions it is still necessary to develop the underlying resilience or motivation. In circumstance where a person is severely unwell or not functioning otherwise, then all therapeutic activities may have little effect. (This goes for physical ailments also). Then the person is dependent on medical interventions solely. Unless!

Unless there is Strength. Anyone, at any time, can turn to God, or Higher Power, or do some spiritual practice. Getting the focus may be harder. This is where mantras are so valuable. They “connect” with The Strength & they require no particular circumstance. You don’t have to be well, sane, or functional otherwise! Just repeat the mantra given, or found, or revealed by Grace. No motivation or strength to do anything? Rest then in the Eternal State. You are in connection with your Divinity & that is it! There is no other step. You then don’t need to cope, you just need to witness, your life & emotions/thoughts. Just being free from the need to fix things will add to your sanity. Especially where relationships are concerned. Most human relationships are often not fixable, because to goal of each party is usually irreverent. This is when the Serenity prayer is need. (With or without the word ”God” added at the beginning).

Grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, & the wisdom to know the difference.