Jamie Grace was diagnosed with anxiety at 11 years old, as well as Tourette Syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In her new book, Finding Quiet: My Journey to Peace in an Anxious World (Bethany House, October 13, 2020) the Grammy-nominated recording artist opens up about her lifelong struggles with mental illness, and her dependence on Christ to help her discover moments of silence in an otherwise noisy world.
Over the years Jamie has turned to medication, counseling and prayer, and found that through a combination of purposeful habits and her faith in Jesus, she is able to manage her thoughts and find rest and quiet in order to hear the Lord’s voice louder than others.
In today’s episode we discuss:
- Living with mental illness – where is God in this diagnosis?
- How to find quiet even when it’s noisy
- God is always speaking, it’s up to us to be “quiet” enough to hear/listen
- How being thrust into fame at a young age complicated her mental health diagnosis
- Navigating friendships/relationships and the role of boundaries in mental health
- What do we do when we can’t pray away a diagnosis? Where and how does faith come into play?
- Asking for help – why is this so hard, and how can we overcome the stigma?
Join us for a conversation about practical life lessons that will help you learn to let go, release from comparison, navigate relationships, find purpose, and peace in an anxious world.
Quotes:
“Being in a community of people like me was one of the best things for my mental health.”
“Success was how loud you could be. Success is not always measured by the right things. I couldn’t deal with the pressure.”
“We aren’t spending a lot of time in the quiet to hear what God says.”
“Whatever you are feeling, God wants to be your Father in this. He wants to know what you are feeling.”
“I don’t always understand why God makes certain decisions, but at the same time I trust I have a heavenly Father that will not fail me and that He knows what is best for me.”
“If I ask for help then it must mean I’m not good enough. We were not made to live alone.”
“I am not available to every single person at every single hour of the day.”
“Life is so loud. There is a constant need to make noise. It’s almost impossible to find quiet. Even figurative noise, measuring by volume. I try to embrace the opposite of volume as much as I can and embrace quiet instead.”
“God can move in the noise and in the quiet.”
“The quiet can be an open floor for anxiety and fear to enter in. Whatever thoughts I am having I let in. But I am not my thoughts. As these thoughts pass through I will vocalize the truth much louder than these thoughts could ever scream.”
“I celebrate every moment.”
“I’m grateful for the patience of my family. I don’t need a pep talk, I just need you to sit with me.”
