How to Manage Mental Health After a Mission Trips: 10 Effective Tips to Stay Mentally Strong After Mission Trips. 

As a Christian in Texas, mission trips are a part of our church culture. Many are life-transforming, but at times, we aren’t prepared to deal with the trip’s aftermath. Many times, we aren’t ready for the after-the-trip, when some trips can cause mental health issues. This part of mission trips rarely makes it to the brochure. 

It can, as Christians say, “wreck you.” But there is Grace as you walk back into your life in the United States or the Western World. 

After 20 years in missions and taking all types of mission trips, I have learned that returning home can be challenging. From South Africa slums to refugee camps in Europe to the Indian reservation in the United States, I have been on every kind of trip and have lived for years in missions internationally in several countries. 

Mission trips that “wreck you.”

But I want to talk about the spiritual and mental struggle once you return from one of those trips that “wrecked you!” And if you are returning from a challenging trip, here are some mental health tips to get you through after mission trips. 

How to manage mental health after a mission trip is not always talked about in pre-trip planning, but for many, it is a reality. 

Importance of Mental Health After Mission Trip

It needs to be discussed not just for long-term missions but also for short-term mission trips. 

Here is my story and a tangible example of when I returned from a long-term mission trip from Eastern Europe. 

One particular time, it was clear I needed to work on mental health after the mission trip. 

I cared for orphans and prayed on my knees at times because we needed food. Then, return home every six months to a year to raise support.  

My supporters loved to take me out to restaurants. Some supporters were wealthy and lived in one of the most affluent parts of my city, Fort Worth, Texas. These supporters took me to a nice restaurant with big portions. They had a lot of food left on their plates and wanted to avoid taking it home with them. 

Now, at that time, no one talked about PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Honestly, I knew very little about it. 

So what did I do at that dinner? You might think I asked for to-go boxes. Nope, I asked for their plates and ate everyone’s leftovers. 

There were five people.

Goodness, I know I looked crazy, and I was not at my best then. These donors helped support the mission and provide for kids who had no one else. They were gracious and looked at me like I must be hungry.

I hadn’t adequately dealt with my life in Eastern Europe and was trying to find my footing in America after all I had experienced there. 

The next day, during my prayer time, I started thinking about that evening and praying through some things. 

I realized I had to live in two worlds and let them coexist without comparing or even having to know why it was that way and I also had to work on my mental health to be able to live fully in my calling as a missionary.

So here are some things I want to pass on to you as you face challenges returning home. And to help you stay mentally strong after mission work. Also, it might help you not to eat the leftovers from others’ plates without guilt or shame.

The first tip to stay mentally strong after mission trips is to,

Give yourself Grace 

This is me processing the pain I saw on the trip and balancing the blessings of living in America. When people on the prayer team come and ask if I am okay or need salvation? I reassure them I believe in Jesus and am okay. I need to cry it out. 

To be mentally strong after after mission trips it will be

Patient while you work through the process.

Letting yourself feel the emotions you are having.

That doesn’t mean taking out any PTSD on anyone else because you are processing what you saw, experienced, or felt. But start to identify your feelings and why you might be feeling them. 

Process your emotions.

Don’t push them down. 

I know that when I go on a challenging trip, return home, and go to church, I will cry through Worship. 

That’s right, ugly, red-faced, blotchy Irish American decent snot, nosed running hideous crying. 

If I don’t feel a little better from crying, I will get prayer. 

This is the first step in the process for my mental health after a mission trip. 

I am giving myself Grace to cry in church and going to get prayer without the guilt and shame of not being strong enough or positive enough to get through the emotions. 

The next in 

Now if you are like me and don’t know about PTSD, the effects, and symptoms, here is a good resource to see if you are having some symptoms. 

Know PTSD signs and trauma

PTSD signs from the Mayo Clinic.

On most mission trips, you will probably not experience a traumatic event. But many times, you will see and hear stories that could create secondhand trauma. 

Here are just a few signs of secondhand trauma to be aware of for your Christian mental health recovery post-mission.

Signs of secondhand trauma:

Cognitive

• Lowered Concentration
• Apathy
• Preoccupation with trauma

Emotional

• Guilt
• Sadness
• Helplessness

Behavioral

• Withdrawal
• Sleep disturbance
• Appetite change
• Elevated startle response

Physical

• Increased heart rate
• Difficulty breathing
• Muscle and joint pain

Check out the full list here from Health and Human Services Children and Families.

The next mental health tip after mission trips is to

Be Self-aware

So many challenges in life happen because we are not self-aware, so practice it. Understand how to identify your feelings.

One way to be self-aware is to ask a trusted person how they see you and if they noticed anything after the trip. 

As I mentioned, I used to live in Eastern Europe. When I paid my bills, I would need to go to the courthouse. To form a line, a mass of people shoved to the front. There was no line; if you were not touching at least three other people, you were not in line.

But here in the line at Target was different. Yet in my mind I was still in Eastern Europe. So I would stand so close to the person in front of me, until a family member said “What are you doing?” I stood so close to them they could probably feel my breath-cringe. Yet, I didn’t realize what I was doing was not normal.

So if you are like me, make sure to have people in your life to tell you the truth when needed. Like being a space invader at Target. When you look back on it you will be grateful.

Then I realized, oh yes, this is different. And took a step back.

Let change happen.

It’s okay if you change because you went on a trip. Think about how many times you have heard a Christian that went on a mission trip and came back and said it changed their lives. 

I believe experiencing other cultures and connecting to others to share the gospel brings change to our lives. 

That doesn’t mean you should try to change those around you to your revelation. 

Let the change that God did in you be yours, and don’t try to change others by judging them or putting them down. Share what God did in your life or what God is doing in your life. Share your testimony. 

Take time to process

I like to write in a journal, draw, or do some art. I also spend time with God and ask for wisdom about why I might be struggling. It’s okay if I am struggling with questions about what I saw or something that happened. 

Push through and seek God, don’t stuff that crap down. This will only increase your frustration somewhere else in your life and relationships. 

If it turns to depression, seek help.

If what you experienced on your trip caused you to spiral into depression, seek professional help. No one but you and your counselor needs to know. Don’t let others shame you into not getting help. Here are some examples of shaming,” justpray more,” “Maybe you shouldn’t have gone,” “What sin is in your life that you would feel this way?” or “You just need to trust God more.”

Some parts of those statements might have a glimpse of truth, but don’t let those words stop you from getting help. 

If you have been diagnosed with something psychological, then be proactive and set up appointments for when you get back. If you are going on a trip and you are bi-polar or have depression, then make sure you have your appointments set up and go to them. Before and after the trp. 

Know your triggers

For some reason, mail would trigger me. The problem was that comes everyday. I am still not sure why bulk mail would set me off, but it would. I would start yelling at the mail in Romanian. Weird. 

But that is how PTSD works sometimes, you get really angry at something totally non-related. 

What did I do to stop? I would recognize the absurdity and try to identify the real reason that I was so upset. You might not fully identify it, but starting to identify it will help. 

The next mental health tips after mission trip are too, 

Time in Worship.

Fill up your mind with worship songs. If you need to cry, then cry it out in Worship. Worship can help us heal and draw us closer to God. Set aside time to worship or if you are in an area that has nights of worship that will help.

Time for reflection.

If you need some space, then take that space. I’m not saying don’t go to work, but don’t fill up your social calendar when you know you need time to reflect and process. 

Ask God the questions you need to find peace in your heart and be comfortable in the struggle. Just don’t stay in the battle or trauma. If you feel stuck, talk it out with someone. 

If you don’t know why suffering exists seek God and ask the questions. 

In one year, I went to two different countries. One trip was longer, the other shorter. But the 6-day trip wrecked me; I had worked in human trafficking for years, but the stories I heard that happened to little children we were working with made me physically sick and emotionally traumatized. 

When I sought God about it, I had to continually go back to now, when the child was in a safe place. My focus had to shift to where she was now and not on where she had been. The negative had to be changed, not necessarily positive, but to the Grace given by Jesus and to the fact that all things are made new in Christ Jesus. 

The next step to stay mentally strong after mission trips is get,

Get exercise and go outdoors

Recent studies found that being outside and going outdoors has a three-day effect. The three day effect is something that happens when you are in nature for three days. It can change your outlook and perspective on life and problems.

So go outside. If you’re not an outdoorsy person, go for walks, museums, or something else. 

Also, exercise creates endorphins that can help your body. Do physical exercise; if you are frustrated, go to kickboxing, play pickle ball, go for walks.

Journal through it

I have kept a journal for years. It helps so much to write out what I am going through and been through then to be able to go back over it and read about it has helped my mental health after a mission trip. And now there is a lot of research about journalling and mental health.

Talkspace has a great article about journalling benefits for mental health.

One of the many benefits is it reduces stress and anxiety. Now I know not all people like to journal, but now there are so many ways to keep one, verbally (via apps), written, many smart phones have preinstalled apps that you can use to journal.

Gratitude daily

Make a daily list of things you are grateful for and if you need to do it twice a day. Focus on being grateful and moving forward; getting stuck in a negative mental cycle can keep that going, but being thankful daily can push you forward. To stay mentally strong after your mission trip being grateful for the change that has happened. Not focusing on the past but moving forward to the future, and what God has done.

Recap of post

1. Give yourself Grace
2. Process your emotions
3. Know PTSD signs
4. Be self-aware
5. Recognize triggers
6. Spend time in Worship
7. Have time for reflection
8. Get Physical Exercise
9. Journal what you’re going through
10. Write out daily what you are grateful for

If you still aren’t feeling better mentally, then you need to go seek professional help. If you feel as if you are stuck and can’t move forward it’s a good idea to find someone to talk to as well.

I hope this article helps you process all that you have been through. I would like to leave you with this verse,

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ,so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

I pray this article helps you through and if you have anything to add please leave a comment I would enjoy hearing from you.

Other articles to check out as well.

Am I called to missions?

How to prepare spiritually for your mission trip

How to keep your faith when you have doubts