“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

We all want to be heard, understood, and validated. But when that doesn’t happen, it can wreak havoc on our emotions.

Invalidation is a serious blow to someone who is struggling with a mental health issue because it compounds the pain they’re already experiencing.

I remember visiting an author’s convention at the library once and a young author took the stage to share how he copes with intrusive thoughts and how he uses his experiences to craft his characters. He revealed that when he realized something wasn’t right in his mind, he built up the courage to disclose to his partner that he thought he was OCD.

On hearing this, his partner casually brushed it off by saying, “I don’t think you have that disorder.” And in that very instant, the young man felt completely invalidated and sunk even further with his disorder because he felt he didn’t have support.

The trouble with sharing intimate secrets and feelings with other human beings sometimes is that they don’t know exactly what you’ve been through or how those things have affected you. We humans are faulty creatures, and we often judge (incorrectly) things we don’t fully understand. It’s just the nature of the life game.

So don’t get bent out of shape if you feel someone is judging you, isn’t listening to you, or they’re trivializing you. Just pray for them and know that they aren’t the person to go to with your problems. There are others who will validate you and give you the emotional safety you need and desire.

The main one being Jesus…

Go to Him FIRST. He’s the way. He’s the truth. He’s the life. He’s gentle. He’s lowly. And He promised to give you rest.

Go to Him knowing that your feelings are FULLY understood. Go to Him knowing that He’s listening with a compassionate heart. And know that He knows and sees some things about you that you don’t even realize yourself! Jesus is a GREAT validator!

And once you’ve told Him how to you feel, ask Him what you should do. Ask Him to order your steps so that you can find a resolution to your problem.

He won’t steer you in the wrong direction…

And if no other human being has told you this recently, I’m telling you now: Your feelings are VALID!

Sincerely,

Alexia