How God and My Therapist Saved Me: A 40 Day Fast by Dana Bell
Hey KayeBaes! This week’s post was written by my girl Miss Dana Bell! I had been having writers block lately and posted on Facebook for some post ideas. Dana reached out to me and told me that she wrote a post about her journey and she was just going to post it on Facebook but thought maybe posting on the blog would be more useful and reach more people and I am sooooo very glad she did!! I identified soooo much with this post and I am so happy she trusted me to post it! I’ll let yall get to it! ENJOY!
With Love,
Jasmine Kaye
By: Dana Bell
If I had to name, the last four months of life it would probably be "Lost but Found" I know it sounds cliché but that's just IT. Let's back up to the beginning of September, my friends had a hurricane game night and a mutual friend of our was there. She’d been off the grid for months, no partying, drinking or social media. We spoke that night and to not go into full detail she was telling me how she just needed to spend time with God and getting her relationship back with him right because she’d stray away from him. I looked at her and said oh I couldn't do that (more so of being off social media, no partying and ESPECIALLY DRINKING) and then I laughed.
Now fast forward to October 29th, I woke in one of the darkest places of my LIFE, this was a day after spending the weekend with my friends at our university’s homecoming. I couldn't understand why I felt the way I felt because I’d just had a great weekend. I told my Mom, Sister and close friends that I was taking a break from everything; partying, drinking and social media because I was lost and couldn't understand why (Now isn't that crazy almost two months later and I literally ate my own words of saying, "I couldn't do that" and here I was in need of this).
My mom knew something was up but I couldn’t tell her because she had just moved to Virginia with my sister and I didn’t want her to worry. So I dumped everything on my friends; as far as what I was experience and how I couldn’t understand this phase (Shout out to my girls: Shanice, Nilja, Juicy, MJ, Nada, Danielle and Lericia). I was so vulnerable to them and I appreciate how they stayed true without judging me but praying for me. I know it was hard for them to see me so uneased because I’m always happy and the life of the party but God sparked something in each of them that helped me daily to get to where I am now and I’m forever grateful for them.
So I started a 40 day fast of just me God and my Therapist. Five days into the Fast, I ended up in the hospital the SAME day I met with my therapist for the first time. I was in the hospital TWICE for a total of 7 days and out of work for Two weeks (This has NEVER happen to me, and how ironic that it happened during my fast). The devil thought he knew that this would break me and my FAST but it brought me even more peace in my life. While being in the hospital, I had time to focus on me: no social media or nothing. I prayed, read my bible plans and watched TV and that was the BEST 7 days of my life. If this had happened while I wasn't on my fast, I don't know what the outcome of me mental health would be. I’ve learned so much about myself and how to look at different situations that have happened to me that are out of my control. God revealed things to me weekly and sometimes daily.
I've learned so much from fully connecting to God these last 5 weeks that I’m honestly not the same person. I didn't like the Dana I was becoming and God had to break me down mentally. I felt like I was having a nervous and mental breakdown and no one close to me could help. I prayed to God for complete understanding but I also sought out a therapist and this journey has been remarkable. I'm not perfect and definitely don't have it all together and I never want people to think that. Mental Health is extremely important and I urge anyone reading this to seek out help if you ever feeling like you're battling yourself. Before meeting with my therapist, I couldn't put a name on the anxiety attacks I was having. They just happened when I was stressed and I had become stressed all the time. I haven't had an anxiety attacks in WEEKS yall. I've literally learned through God and my therapist how to suppress the anxiety feeling and to not worry about things out of my control.
God & Mental Health help me heal from something I couldn't understand. Prayer is GREAT but going the extra mile and seeking out help from a licenses therapist is like adding the cherry on top of Ice Cream. We go out and buy things to make our outer appearance look great so why not do the same with our soul? God wants our heart and mind to be clear to serve him and we can’t fully commit to serving him if we aren’t whole; so getting help is a must. Don’t ever think you’re crazy or you’re the only one going through something because you aren’t. Opening up to my friends about my struggles allowed me to see a whole side of them I didn’t know existed. No one is perfect and if someone says they are tell them to see a therapist LOL.
Remember people, seeking God’s understanding is GREAT but your mental health is important too. Look to God’s for guidance but talk to a therapist as well. Look at it as becoming completely WHOLE as a person. I’m so happy about the relationship I recreated with God and the new one I found with my therapist.
Shout out to all the people that reached out to me during my fast and the people who reached out to my friends asking about me. It really made me feel special and loved because it seemed like my friends told me someone asked about you today every other day. Thanks to Mom and Sister who called and check on me daily to see how I’m doing. I’ve never told them what was really going on but they continued to keep me in their prayers. Lastly I want to thank my friend Jas for allowing me to share my experience. She could’ve easily said no but her response was “OMG YESSSSSSSSS Dana” Love ya Girl. I pray that whoever is reading this finds peace and I hope that this encourages you to look for a therapist. Love yall and be blessed.
Oh and below is the Link I used for my 40 day fast.
https://www.wendyspeake.com/blog/social-media-fast