“Our life is frittered away by detail,” wrote Thoreau. “Simplify, simplify, simplify! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand.” This quote is a solid reminder to not let ourselves get bogged down by attempting to tackle too many things. When we bring complexity into our lives we make it harder for ourselves to find the time to enjoy life.

There’s just one little problem with this idea of simplifying: How?

We can’t all go and spend two years living by a pond like Thoreau did. We have responsibilities and obligations and bills and jobs and… Yeah, there’s the stress that comes from complexity rearing its head again. How can we in the 21st century follow the advice of a 19th century writer in order to minimize the complexities of modern life?

Fortunately there are things that we can do to aid in this; habits and practices we can cultivate to keep our minds calm, are souls at peace, and our lives running as smoothly as possible. You can check out the entire list of small ways to do this HERE, at The Positivity Blog. And don’t forget that the greatest source of peace is our God, so be sure to make spending time with Him and in His word a priority to keep His calming presence in your life.

To clarify- we are not asking you to celebrate this delicious holiday by bringing us baked goods! We are encouraging you to celebrate it by trying one of these 40 recipes from around the world, compiled by Taste of Home. Now you may be like me where you enjoy baking but aren’t particularly strong at it. If that’s the case, I still encourage you to check out the list because you can still be inspired to find a delicious treat to buy from a professional. After all, if you’re going to celebrate the holiday with an international baked treat, you might as well guarantee its authenticity and deliciousness!

You can find the entire list HERE. Step out of your comfort zone and try bringing another culture into your kitchen!

Let’s start with a disclaimer: We firmly believe in helping others. As Christians, we are called to leave our comfort zones and do things we might not feel like doing. That’s a big part of what being a Christian is all about. However, saying “yes” to everything we are asked to do is not healthy or practical. Sometimes people are just trying to take advantage of us and guilt us into helping them, other times a genuinely well-meaning individual might be asking us to do something that is good in and of itself, but doing so would negatively impact something important.

Saying no often means saying yes to something else, and vice versa. If you say yes to the n^th request of the week, then you very likely are saying no to time with your family and with God. Saying no sometimes allows you to say yes to your marriage, your relationship with God, your mental health, etc.

If you need more convincing that it is alright to say no, take a look at Jesus. Luke 5:15-16 says “the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed (NIV).” That’s right, Jesus himself said no to people wanting to be healed, an arguably important and noble thing to help with, and often took time for Himself to rest and refresh His relationship with His Father.

So how do we say no? If you are a people pleaser and/or already established as someone who says yes to everything, it can be hard to start standing up for yourself and saying no. Never fear, today on The Morning Thing we shared 10 tips from The Positivity Blog on how to say no. You can find them all HERE.

Lastly, we want to reiterate that sometimes we do need to say yes, even if we are hoping to rest. Let’s take a look at another example from Jesus. In Mark 6, the apostles return from the service work they had been sent on by Jesus. He knows they need rest so He tells them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest (v. 31, NIV).” However, the crowds spot them, take a shortcut, and are waiting when they arrive on the opposite shore. “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things (v.34, NIV).” In this instance Jesus forgoes rest for Himself and His disciples because the people were lost and on their own in a fashion. Sometimes people ask for help with something that is genuinely a good thing, but they’ll really be okay if you specifically aren’t helping them. The world will go on and you can say no. Other times, someone will be lost and genuinely need help and will not get by without you. In those times, say yes, make the sacrifice, and help them. And always, always, pray for God to grant you wisdom and discernment to know when to make the sacrifices and when to take care of your mental health.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, but today also kicks off Mental Health Awareness Week. We would be remiss if we didn’t take these double-observed days to share information and resources. To learn more about Mental Health Awareness week, why it’s important, and how to observe it, click HERE.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is doing great work both to help individuals improve their mental health and combat the stigmas about mental health. You can find their resources for Mental Health Awareness Month HERE. You can also get connected with NAMI’s local branch HERE.

Since this is also National Women’s Health Week, we decided to combine the topics by sharing mental health tips for women. Of course, these tips are good for both men and women, so everyone can learn from them. You can find the complete list HERE. It also includes additional resources to help with some of these tips!

Regardless of your situation, we encourage you be aware of your own mental health, be compassionate regarding others, and communicate clearly with those in your life- both for your mental health and theirs. This is an important topic and we want to make sure that anyone struggling with their mental health has access to the resources that they need!