We all feel sad, sometimes deeply sad at times, especially when facing losses.  That’s normal, and everyone grieves differently.  Sometimes, heavy external stress, one’s personality, thought patterns, and circumstances might combine to result in a person developing “depression”, which is marked by deep sadness, a sense of worthlessness, hopelessness, loss of motivation, and social isolation, among some other things. This condition can eventually affect physical health as well.
THE GOOD NEWS:  Depression is VERY treatable!  One of the most important things to do is to get help before it gets to where you can hardly function or make it through the day.  A health professional, a counselor, or trusted pastor with training in mental health, might all be able to help.  While you might feel ashamed, like being depressed is a “weakness” or is “your fault,” please know that we see many examples of the heroes of Scripture struggling with symptoms of depression–Elijah, David, the psalmists, Jeremiah, Job, etc.  Even Jesus grieved and mourned deeply! 

We all also worry about things–it’s even in Matt. 6:34, “Today has enough worries of its own!”  Anxiety is essentially worry about things that haven’t happened yet, and is one of the ways humans react to uncertainty–and we can’t avoid uncertainty in life!  When unmanaged or untreated, anxiety can put a huge roadblock in our path to peace and joy in our relationships and our work. Constantly worrying about the things we’re uncertain about can tie up our brains in so many knots, resulting in nervousness, lack of concentration, procrastination, extreme efforts to control, avoidance, panic and sometimes even physical illness.

MORE GOOD NEWS:  This is also VERY treatable!  While it’s impossible to get rid of uncertainty in our world and in our lives, we can learn the skills that help us manage our thoughts and beliefs to better ride the waves of uncertainty.  Yes, it’s challenging. But it’s do-able, and, like with depression, it is  neither shameful nor a weakness.  Read the Psalms!

Rigidity and perfectionism are personality traits that can deeply impact not only one's own mental health, but also that of one’s colleagues, family and friends.  

Perfectionism might seem like a positive trait in the work of Bible translation and language development–we want this work to be excellent and worthy of the Gospel message of Christ! Of course. But rigidity and perfectionism often insist on only ONE way to do something–usually “my way”. This has a big impact on colleagues who may feel criticized for not doing the work in “the right way.” This can also block creativity, innovation, and helpful change. Interpersonal conflict and tension can develop that stalls the work and damages relationships. Rigidity and perfectionism impact domains from finance, to communications, to project management, to consulting–etc.  

This too is treatable--if people are willing to learn new ways of thinking and new skills.  Dealing with perfectionism on a team might require calling for a team-building coach or consultant.