Ryan Casey Waller - Depression, Anxiety, and Other Things We Dont Want to Talk About

I work with Christian leaders from all over the country and have seen firsthand how desperately we need to be talking about depression and anxiety. What prior generations considered taboo, the leaders of today and tomorrow consider essential. If the church is going to be the hands and feet of Christ, we have to ensure were caring for the minds of those who serve. Whether youre new to the conversation of mental health or intimately familiar with its complexities, Wallers book has something for you. As long as Ive known Ryan its been pretty clear that this topic and this book has been his life mission. I cant wait for you to read this. A must-read.

Grant Skeldon, author of The Passion Generation and Next Gen Director at Q

Having personally suffered from a very public mental breakdown, this book speaks directly to my heart. Christians are often hesitant to say, Im not okay, but this book speaks directly to the courage we must have to bring our collective anxiety, depression, and mental health to the light. God made us all imperfect, but what will we do with it all? Here, Waller shares his very personal journey, and shows that it is possible to healif we face our truths. Our very lives depend on it.

Jason Russell, filmmaker and activist

You are not alone. Ryan hits the nail on the head. As someone who struggles with major depressive episodes, I found Ryans book both enlightening and practical in how I can better manage my depression with the help of my compassionate community.

Brian Cuban, author of The Addicted Lawyer

This book is a wonderful and sensitive encouragement for anyone whose life has become unbearably dark and for those who seek to help them. This book vulnerably and compassionately addresses the conversations we have run from for far too long. This book offers a reliable resource to understanding mental illness from a biblical perspective. Ryan Casey Waller has a way of spreading grace and hope while bearing the burdens of the afflicted.

Rashawn Copeland, author and founder of Im So Blessed Daily

Depression, Anxiety, and Other Things We Dont Want to Talk About is a compassionate playbook for people struggling with their mental health, and for friends and family members searching for effective ways to give support. Through scripture, science, and practical tipspaired with Wallers own powerful storywe are compelled to think beyond our perceptions and act beyond our comfort zones to create new opportunities for healing.

Shelby Abeyta, campaign director of Okay to Say

Thank God someone has expanded the conversation on mental health and faith. Ryan Casey Waller, in Depression, Anxiety, and Other Things We Dont Want to Talk About, has exposed some very important pain points in our field and opened them up for further discussion with our patients, colleagues, and the public. He is not only an excellent therapist to whom I regularly refer my patients, but a consummate thinker and organizer of thoughts. We all need this book to help mental health move forward.

Lee Spencer MD, board certified addiction psychiatrist

Ive been convinced for a long time that churches tend to be the scariest places, rather than the safest places, for fallen and broken people. That is sad and maddening to me and my hope is that this exceptional book will be used by God to help turn that tide. What I love about this book is its sober realismits willingness to acknowledge that we are all broken people, living in a broken world with other broken people. There is no spiritualized fluff here. And because of its raw honesty in describing things as they are, rather than as we would like them to be, there is hope. Thank you, Ryan, for reminding us that its okay to not be okay.

Tullian Tchividjian, pastor of The Sanctuary in Jupiter, Florida, and author of Jesus + Nothing = Everything

The first author since Bren Brown to touch me so deeply and teach me so profoundly. In this book Waller reminds us that mental health is fluid, lifelong, and often very messy. Fortunately, Waller tells us we have a God who inhabits our illness and will not abandon us to it. To know this truth, however, we must talk about it. And talk about it Waller does. With wit and sincerity, Waller is honest about the fact that mental illness does not discriminate, meaning it can happen to anyone at any given time. No one is immune. Consequently, Waller encourages us to delve into understanding mental illness before we find ourselves plunging into its abyss. In this heartfelt book that combines psychology and the Christian faith in a way Ive never before seen, Waller offers a way forward that is not only full of hope but also chock-full of practical takeaways from one who has not only studied this subject but also lived it.

Susan Hawk, fellow co-sufferer, youngest elected district court judge in Texas, and first female district attorney in Dallas county history

Broken

Depression, Anxiety, and Other Things We Dont Want to Talk About

2021 by Ryan Casey Waller

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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Waller, Ryan Casey, author.

Title: Depression, anxiety, and other things we dont want to talk about / Ryan Casey Waller.

Description: Nashville, Tennessee : Nelson Books, [2020] | Includes bibliographical references. | Summary: A pastor and licensed psychotherapist himself suffering from depression and anxiety takes on the relationship of mental health and faith while addressing the role of self-care, compassion, and restoration-- Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020028545 (print) | LCCN 2020028546 (ebook) | ISBN 9781400221325 (paperback) | ISBN 9781400221332 (epub)

Epub Edition October 2020 9781400221332

Subjects: LCSH: Mental health--Religious aspects--Christianity. | Christianity--Psychology. | Psychology, Religious.