Some of my “heroes” of the silver screen and music industry have shown to have had personal battles that I may never know. Robin Williams and Chris Farley were comedy gold — but their death revealed that there was deep darkness that they struggled to overcome. Recently, the death of Naomi Judd—another celebrity that had impressed me with her abilities and her focus on family in song and personal life — has once again opened the discussion of depression.

While there are certainly many factors to depression and anxiety, trauma is certainly a major contributor to many mental health concerns. So much so that there has been a significant amount of attention given towards Adverse Childhood Experiences and how these early negative events and trauma in the lives of children have resulted in major struggles later in life.

So here is the point today: don’t let the traumas you have faced—whether early in life or late—fester into larger problems. Address those traumatic events with friends, ministers, counselors, or doctors. Don’t let those unresolved traumas eat away at your mental health. There are people who would absolutely love to help you.

We love you… and there is an incredible God that made you in His image that loves you.