MAPS

Spiritual Wisdom from Islam
2026-05-13
“
Islamic tradition doesn’t frame “mental health” in modern clinical language, but it does offer rich metaphors about inner struggle, emotional pain, and resilience. A few stand out because they map surprisingly well onto how we think about psychological states today:

The Story of Prophet Ayyub (Job) – Endurance Without Bitterness

The story of Ayyub is one of prolonged suffering—loss of health, wealth, and family. Yet the key detail often emphasized is not just patience, but how he endured:
He expressed pain honestly, but without despair or resentment toward God.
Mental health parallel:
This distinguishes suppression from healthy expression. Ayyub does not deny suffering—he names it. That’s closer to modern therapeutic advice: acknowledging distress while maintaining a framework of meaning.

“Tie Your Camel”

A famous saying attributed to Muhammad:
A man asked whether he should trust in God or tie his camel. The Prophet replied: “Tie it and trust.”
Mental health parallel:
This is essentially a model of dual responsibility:

Take practical steps (seek therapy, medication, lifestyle changes)
Maintain spiritual trust (reduce excessive worry about outcomes)

It pushes back against both fatalism (“nothing I do matters”) and total self-reliance (“everything depends on me”).

“Lower Self” (Nafs) as an Inner Adversary

Islamic teachings often describe the nafs (ego/self) as something that can:

distort thinking
amplify fear or desire
pull a person away from balance

Mental health parallel:
This resembles the idea of intrusive thoughts, maladaptive patterns, or internal conflict. The goal isn’t to eliminate the self—but to train and regulate it, much like emotional regulation in psychology.
“
Thanks,
Mohammad Saleh
Keene, NH

Journal and Drawing Prompts
2026-05-14
Journal Prompts
For Children:
Make a list of “feel-good” things you can do when you’re having a tough day.
For Teens and Adults:
How do you respond to stress, and how would you like to respond?

Drawing Prompts
For Children:
My Calm Down Toolbox
Draw five things that help you feel better when you’re upset. Put them in a “toolbox” on your page.
For Teens and Adults:
Create a Visual “Stress Map”
Where do you feel stress in your body? Draw an outline of your body and use colors, textures, or symbols to show where stress lives.

Please consider making a donation to Maps Hope & Healing Fund at Online Donation Form – MAPS!

Friday Fun on Purpose: Micro-Moments of Joy
2026-05-15
Not every fun moment has to be big. Tiny sparks of joy — even just for a few seconds — can brighten your day and lift your spirit. If finding joy feels hard today, that’s not a personal failure — that’s important information. It’s a sign your heart might be carrying a heavy load, not that you’re doing anything wrong. It’s okay to ask for support. You deserve to feel moments of lightness again.
Today, we invite you to gently open the door to small joys — no pressure, no expectations.
Ideas to Explore:
• Try a new kind of tea, coffee, or treat — something comforting or exciting to your senses.
• Watch a funny animal video — dogs in snow, cats causing chaos, birds dancing.
• Call, text, or voice message someone who makes you smile — even a short hello can lift you both.
• Light a candle or diffuse a favorite scent and sit quietly for a moment, soaking it in.
• Step outside and feel the sun or breeze on your skin — even for just one deep breath.
• Play a favorite song and move to it — whether it’s a full dance or just a sway in your chair.
• Wrap yourself in a cozy blanket and sip something warm.
• Give yourself permission to pause — set a timer for two minutes and simply be without doing.
• Doodle something silly without any goal of making it “good.”
• Look around and find one beautiful thing you hadn’t noticed before.
• Smile — even if you don’t feel like it at first. Sometimes the motion invites the emotion.
• Watch the clouds drift by or the trees sway — let yourself be quietly amazed.
• Flip through an old photo album or your camera roll and find a happy memory.
• Wear your favorite comfy socks, sweater, or cozy item — comfort is a form of care.
• Try a tiny “gratitude scavenger hunt” — find three small things you’re glad exist right now (a favorite mug, a comfy chair, a bird singing outside).
Small moments of joy are seeds. Over time, they can grow into a garden of hope.

Please make a donation to the Hope and Healing Fund at Online Donation Form – MAPS!

Inspirational Quote
2026-05-16
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” – Viktor Frank

Please make a donation to the Hope and Healing Fund at Online Donation Form – MAPS!

Nature and Mental Health
2026-05-17
Listen for Layers
Step outside or open a window and listen for the layers of the natural world — birdsong, wind through leaves, water moving, insects, rain, or branches shifting. Notice how listening closely can quiet the urge to do, fix, or figure out, and help you return to the present moment.

Please make a donation to the Hope and Healing Fund at Online Donation Form – MAPS!

Mindful Minute Monday
2026-05-18, 2026-05-25
Donations to support our Hope and Healing Fund are welcome at Online Donation Form – MAPS.

Tuesday Mental Health Info
2026-05-19
How to Support a Friend or Loved One Who’s Struggling
It can be hard to know what to say or do when someone you care about is struggling with their mental health. You might worry about saying the wrong thing, or feel unsure of how to help. The truth is, you don’t have to have perfect words or solutions — small, compassionate actions can make a powerful difference.
Ways to Show Support:
• Listen more than you talk. Sometimes the greatest gift you can offer is a listening ear. Allow your friend or loved one to share their feelings without immediately trying to fix, solve, or give advice. Phrases like “I’m here with you” or “That sounds really hard” can be more powerful than any solution.
• Offer specific help. Instead of saying “Let me know if you need anything,” offer something concrete: “I’m going to the store — can I grab you anything?” “I’m free on Sunday if you’d like company on a walk.” Specific offers can feel more manageable and less overwhelming.
• Normalize reaching out for professional help. Seeking therapy, medication support, or other professional services is a brave and healthy step — not a sign of failure. You might say, “A lot of people find it really helpful to talk to a therapist — I can help you find someone if you want.” Let them know they’re not alone.
• Respect their pace. Everyone moves through challenges differently. Be patient if they need time to open up or to take next steps. Avoid pushing or setting expectations for how fast healing “should” happen.
• Check in without pressure. A simple text like “Thinking of you — no need to respond” can be incredibly comforting. It reminds them they’re not forgotten, even if they’re not ready to talk.
• Take care of yourself too. Supporting someone else can be emotionally demanding. Make sure you’re setting boundaries, seeking support when needed, and tending to your own wellbeing alongside theirs. You can’t pour from an empty cup.
• Accept that you won’t have all the answers. You don’t need to have the perfect thing to say. Simply being present — being someone who sees them, believes them, and stays kind — can be a deeply healing experience.
Remember: You don’t have to fix someone’s pain to be part of their healing. Your care, presence, and steady support matter more than you know.

Please make a donation to the Hope and Healing Fund at Online Donation Form – MAPS!

Spiritual Wisdom From The Book of Common Prayer
2026-05-20
…. based on a passage from Isaiah. I have found this prayer to be very helpful in remembering that God is in charge not me and I pray it whenever I feel like a to-do list is ruling over me.

O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray, to your presence, where we may be still and know that you art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Rev. Elsa Worth
St. James Episcopal Church

Journal and Drawing Prompts
2026-05-21
Journal Prompts
For Children:
What is something kind you’ve done for someone else? What is something kind someone has done for you?
For Teens and Adults:
Describe a small moment of joy from today. What made it meaningful?

Drawing Prompts
For Children:
Draw Your Heart
What’s inside your heart today? Draw and color things, people, and animals you love.
For Teens and Adults:
A Garden of Kindness
Draw flowers in a garden. Each flower represents a kind action, word, or thought. Fill the garden with kindness you’ve shared or received.

Please consider making a donation to Maps Hope & Healing Fund at Online Donation Form – MAPS!

Friday Fun on Purpose: Reconnect with What Used to Be Fun
2026-05-22
When life feels heavy, it can be easy to lose touch with the activities that once sparked joy. Sometimes, what used to feel effortless now feels far away — and that’s okay. Today, we invite you to gently reconnect with a piece of that former fun, without pressure or expectations. It’s not about recapturing the past perfectly — it’s about giving yourself permission to experience a moment of play, however small. Remember: It’s not about doing it “right” or “perfectly.” It’s about inviting a little playfulness back into your day — even just for a few minutes. If the idea of play feels far away, you’re not alone. Sometimes mental health struggles take the color out of life. It’s okay to ask for help. Playfulness doesn’t erase our struggles — but even a small spark of it can help light the way forward.
Ideas to explore:
• Color with crayons, markers, or sidewalk chalk.
• Build a pillow or blanket fort — and sit inside with a book, a snack, or simply your own breath.
• Blow bubbles.
• Skip stones across a pond or throw pebbles into a river just to watch the ripples.
• Play a simple childhood game — hopscotch, hide and seek, catch.
• Play a video game you loved as a child.
• Make paper airplanes and see how far they fly.
• Swing on a swing set and feel the air move around you.
• Watch a favorite cartoon from your childhood.
• Finger paint — no “good” or “bad,” just color and motion.
• Press flowers between the pages of an old book.
• Try “cloud spotting” and find shapes and stories in the sky.
• Play with modeling clay, Play-Doh, or kinetic sand — let your hands lead, not your mind.
• Make friendship bracelets or a simple craft with beads or string.
• Put on music you loved as a teenager and let yourself sing along (off-key is welcome).
• Try jumping rope — even if you laugh and miss every third jump.
• Plant a seed in a small pot and watch it grow day by day.
• Build a tiny “fairy house” out of natural materials like sticks, moss, and stones.
• Relearn a childhood magic trick, joke, or riddle — and share it with someone.
• Have an old-fashioned “picnic” indoors with a blanket and your favorite snack foods.
• Play with water — fill a bowl and float small objects, splash your hands, feel the coolness.
• Blow up a balloon and see how long you can keep it in the air.
• Do cartwheels, somersaults, or spin in a circle — only if your body feels good doing it!
• Create a mini scavenger hunt for yourself or someone you love — even with tiny, silly clues.
• Make up a secret handshake — even if it’s just with yourself.
• Fold origami animals or simple shapes.
• Try making “nature art” with found items like leaves, twigs, or petals.
• Draw a treasure map for an imaginary adventure.
• Pretend you’re a “tourist” in your own town — what small things would you notice with fresh eyes?
• Watch fireflies or listen for frogs at dusk if you can access an outdoor space.
• Wear something that feels playful — bright socks, silly earrings, a favorite old T-shirt.

Please make a donation to the Hope and Healing Fund at Online Donation Form – MAPS!

Inspirational Quote
2026-05-23
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” – Maya Angelou

Please make a donation to the Hope and Healing Fund at Online Donation Form – MAPS!

Nature and Mental Health
2026-05-24
Notice Something Growing
Spend a few minutes looking for signs of growth today — a bud, a new leaf, moss, grass, seedlings, or even a houseplant. Let it be a reminder that growth is often quiet, slow, and still real.

Please make a donation to the Hope and Healing Fund at Online Donation Form – MAPS!

Tuesday Mental Health Info
2026-05-26
Social Media & Mental Health: Finding Your Balance
Social media is part of modern life, and it can offer real benefits: connection, community, education, humor, advocacy, and support. At the same time, research shows that how we use it matters. Social media can become stressful when it disrupts sleep, increases comparison, exposes us to harmful content, or leaves us feeling more disconnected. The goal does not have to be quitting altogether. Instead, consider using social media with intention: notice how you feel before and after scrolling, follow accounts that support your well-being, take breaks when needed, and protect time for sleep, movement, creativity, and in-person connection. A healthier relationship with social media starts with asking: Is this helping me feel more connected, informed, and grounded — or is it time to step away for a bit?
The balanced framing is consistent with APA and U.S. Surgeon General guidance: social media can have benefits and risks, and healthy use depends on content, timing, personal vulnerability, sleep disruption, and whether online time replaces meaningful offline connection.
Please make a donation to the Hope and Healing Fund at Online Donation Form – MAPS!

Spiritual Wisdom
2026-05-27
In spite of betrayal and pain, mistreatment and cruelty, and bearing all the accumulated sins and sorrows of the human family, the Son of the living God looked down the long path of mortality, saw us, and said:
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)
-Jeffrey R. Holland, Apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Journal and Drawing Prompts
2026-05-28
Nature’s Small Invitations
Journal Prompt for Children:Think about something small in nature that you noticed recently — a bird, a bug, a flower, a cloud, a leaf, or even the sound of rain. What did you notice? How did it make you feel?
Journal Prompt for Teens & Adults:Nature often invites us to slow down and pay attention. Reflect on a small moment in nature that brought you calm, curiosity, comfort, or wonder. What did you notice, and what did it offer you?
Drawing Prompt for Children:Draw a tiny nature treasure you might find outside. Make it big on your page so everyone can see its colors, shapes, and details.
Drawing Prompt for Teens & Adults:Create a close-up drawing of something small from the natural world — a seed, feather, shell, stone, leaf, bud, or insect. Add words around it that describe what it evokes in you.

Please make a donation to the Hope and Healing Fund at Online Donation Form – MAPS!

Friday Fun on Purpose
2026-05-29
Friday Fun on Purpose: Try a Tiny First
Trying something new does not have to mean making a big commitment, buying special equipment, or being “good” at it. This Friday, give yourself permission to try a tiny first: listen to a new kind of music, sketch with your non-dominant hand, learn one dance step, cook with an unfamiliar spice, try a simple nature craft, take a different walking route, play a game you’ve never played, or ask someone to teach you something they enjoy.
Novelty can wake up curiosity, playfulness, and connection. The goal is not mastery — it is simply to give your brain and spirit a fresh little spark.
Try this: Choose one small, low-pressure thing you’ve never done before. Keep it short. Let it be imperfect. Notice how it feels to be a beginner on purpose

Please make a donation to the Hope and Healing Fund at Online Donation Form – MAPS!

Inspirational Quote
2026-05-30
“Clinging to the past is the problem. Embracing change is the answer.” – Gloria Steinem

Please make a donation to the Hope and Healing Fund at Online Donation Form – MAPS!

The Path Forward Podcast with Maps: Season 2, Episode 1
2026-05-31
Please make a donation to the Hope and Healing Fund at Online Donation Form – MAPS!
