Health
Alabama pastor shares journey of depression, urges others to seek help: ‘Don’t hesitate’
Pastors and other clergy members often serve as pillars of support in times of crisis. Yet what happens when they’re the ones who need to be lifted up?
Mark Dance, a former pastor who lives in Alabama, knows firsthand that mental health struggles can impact those in church leadership.
During his three decades of leading various churches, Dance, now 59, experienced a three-year bout of clinical depression — and now, as a pastor advocate for GuideStone, he helps support other pastors who are struggling.
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He revealed the details of his story to Fox News Digital.
The ‘three-year fog’
Dance’s mental health challenge began about 15 years ago, when he was in his third pastoral position, he said.
Mark Dance, pictured with his wife, Janet Dance, said he suffered through a three-year period of depression while serving as a pastor. (Dr. Mark Dance)
He and his wife, Janet Dance, were busy navigating life in ministry while raising teenagers — and they were also in the middle of a major move from one church campus to another.
“I noticed that I had become different,” he told Fox News Digital. “I was avoiding people, where I used to love being with people. And it became difficult to sleep, eat and make decisions.”
“I was working way too much, and using ‘the God card’ as an excuse.”
Dance also noticed that he’d lost a significant amount of weight. It was a period that he now refers to as a “three-year fog.”
“I was working way too much, and using ‘the God card’ as an excuse,” he said.
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“I was a ‘churchaholic’ who refused to receive the gift of a day off and did not honor the Sabbath. I was neglecting myself, and it just all caught up with me.”
Dance had been down before, he said, but usually he was able to shake it off within a week or two. “But this time, I was stuck for a long time,” he said.
Mark Dance is pictured with his family in 2002. He and his wife, Janet Dance, were busy navigating a life in the ministry while raising their teenagers when his depression journey began, he said. (Dr. Mark Dance)
Although it was “out of character” for him to ask for help, Dance reached out to his family physician — who diagnosed him with clinical depression, prescribed medication and told him to “throttle down.”
By slowing down and focusing on his own needs, Dance was eventually able to “get healthy again.”
A few years later, he transitioned into a new role of helping other pastors overcome their own mental health struggles.
Those in church leadership are just as vulnerable to mental health struggles as the people they serve, Dance said.
“My clinical depression was equivalent to a common cold compared to some other types,” he told Fox News Digital.
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“Depression is kind of like cancer in that regard — there are different levels. In my case, it was diagnosed early and was treatable.”
Learning to practice self-compassion
While it might seem that those in church leadership are perpetually strong, they are just as vulnerable to mental health struggles as the people they serve, Dance said.
“We deal with the same issues — health problems, marriage challenges, problems with kids or money,” he said. “But it is more difficult for us to ask for help because it’s counterintuitive for us as caregivers.”
“My wife is my biggest fan and advocate,” Dance said. “Janet stepped up and became the leader of our home and our marriage for about three years, when I couldn’t lead anything.” (Dr. Mark Dance)
A pastor feels compelled to succeed both at work and at home, Dance noted — “because our spouse and kids are in our job description in the Bible.”
That can lead to unrealistic expectations and added pressure, he said.
“About one out of four pastors will experience a mental health challenge,” he told Fox News Digital. “And I just happened to be one of those.”
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Dr. Norman Blumenthal, director of the Ohel Zachter Family National Trauma Center in New York, noted that members of the clergy are often “benevolent and idealistic individuals” who extend themselves to others, even at the expense of their own well-being.
“It’s essential to remember that charity and care entail giving generously, but not excessively,” Blumenthal, who is not associated with GuideStone, told Fox News Digital.
“We can give a piece of ourselves, but not ourselves in entirety. When setting limits and triaging those we help, clergy often provide more effectively and abundantly than less.”
While it might seem that those in church leadership are perpetually strong, they are just as vulnerable to mental health struggles as the people they serve, Dance pointed out. (Dr. Mark Dance)
While pastoring requires compassion for others, exercising self-compassion is just as important, according to Yale University’s Dr. Emma Seppälä, author of “Sovereign: Reclaim your Freedom, Energy and Power in a Time of Distraction, Uncertainty, and Chaos.”
“Often, people in service-oriented professions give a lot to others without taking into account that they need to give to themselves as well,” Connecticut-based Seppälä, who is also not associated with GuideStone, told Fox News Digital.
“As I tell pastors, the only thing between you and help is your pride.”
“You can’t easily give from an empty cup. Self-compassion is the ability to treat oneself as one would treat a loved one — with kindness, consideration, respect and nurturing.”
This might include the ability to set boundaries so that there is enough time in the day to get exercise or proper nutrition, Seppälä added.
“Ideally, pastors should include themselves in their ministry.”
Having the courage to ask for help
Clergy members who experience depression or other mental health conditions need just as much help as the general population, Dance said.
While counseling others dealing with depression, he often hears the common sentiment that depression “sneaks up on you.”
Mark Dance (far right) is pictured in a recent photo with his wife, Janet Dance, and the couple’s children, Brad and Holly. (Dr. Mark Dance)
“It’s usually not a big freight train that runs you over,” he said. “It can start with lack of sleep, or a dramatically increased or decreased appetite. It can be very subtle.”
Reaching out for help takes courage and humility, Dance pointed out.
“As I tell pastors, the only thing between you and help is your pride,” he said.
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In his role, Dance often tells preachers, “Don’t self-diagnose and don’t hesitate to ask for help.”
“God has not called us to be competent in everybody else’s profession — if you’re a pastor, it’s OK not to be a mental, physical or financial health professional. Just be a pastor and let other people help you.”
Dance’s wife, Janet, encouraged him to seek help during his struggles. Clergy members who experience depression or other mental health conditions need just as much help as the general population, Dance said. (Dr. Mark Dance)
At GuideStone, Dance said, the focus is on helping pastors and ministers to “stay well and finish well.”
“I help people think about what a strong finish would look like at the end of their ministry, and it’s very fulfilling.”
Supported by faith
During Dance’s depression journey, he relied on his church and his faith to get him through.
“Church is a place where you can grow in all areas — not just one,” he said. “For me, church became a place where I could receive help from my own members.”
“And that’s the experience I’ve had for the last 36 years of industry — if the pastors ask for help, the church members will reciprocate.”
“I learned to become more physically, mentally and spiritually healthy, through the process of my mind being renewed by the Lord and His people.”
The pastor also drew strength from the Bible — particularly his favorite verse, below.
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).
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Listening to God is an important part of self-care, according to Dance.
“He’s the one who designed us — He knows how to help us stay well,” he said. “I learned to become more physically, mentally and spiritually healthy, through the process of my mind being renewed by the Lord and His people.”
Pastors and others can visit www.GuideStone.org/mentalhealth to see Dance’s video testimony and to get support from a pastoral counselor, Dance told Fox News Digital. (Dr. Mark Dance)
Dance also draws support from his wife of 36 years and their two children.
“My wife is my biggest fan and advocate,” he said. “Janet stepped up and became the leader of our home and our marriage for about three years, when I couldn’t lead anything.”
“She’s a big part of how I got healthy and how I’m staying healthy.”
Pastors and others can visit www.GuideStone.org/mentalhealth to see Dance’s video testimony and to get support from a pastoral counselor.
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FDA fast-tracks pancreatic cancer drug daraxonrasib
Family and emergency medicine physician Dr. Janette Nesheiwat discusses how artificial intelligence could help detect pancreatic cancer earlier and the FDA fast-tracking the drug daraxonrasib on ‘Fox Report.’
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A new drug for pancreatic cancer is showing promise in early testing.
Daraxonrasib is a daily pill designed to block cancer signals linked to the RAS gene. It has now finished an early-stage clinical trial — the first time it was tested in people — to evaluate both its safety and effectiveness.
The clinical trial, led by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and published in The New England Journal of Medicine, tested the drug in 168 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer whose tumors had mutations in the RAS gene. All study participants had previously received at least one chemotherapy treatment.
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The drug is designed to block multiple active cancer signals that help tumor cells grow. This is especially important because more than 90% of pancreatic cancers carry these harmful mutations, researchers said.
Existing and older drugs that target RAS mutations only work on certain types that are uncommon in pancreatic cancer, such as KRAS mutations.
Daraxonrasib is a daily pill designed to block cancer signals linked to the RAS gene. It has now finished an early-stage clinical trial to evaluate its safety and effectiveness. (iStock)
At the 300-milligram dose — the amount that will be used in larger phase 3 trials — about 30% of patients saw a positive response, researchers noted. Overall, about 90% of patients had their cancer either shrink or stop getting worse.
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There were some side effects reported — most commonly rash, mouth inflammation, nausea and diarrhea.
Lead investigator Dr. Brian Wolpin, director of the Hale Family Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research at Dana-Farber, commented in a press release statement that this development could change the future of cancer care.
About 90% of patients treated with the drug experienced disease control, meaning their cancer was reduced or stabilized. (iStock)
“If supported by data from future clinical trials, daraxonrasib would be a targeted therapy relevant to nearly all patients with advanced pancreatic cancer,” he said.
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“This trial provides the first published data showing the safety and broad activity of a RAS(ON) multi-selective inhibitor in pancreatic cancer,” Wolpin went on. “If it proves effective in larger clinical trials, it would signify a substantial shift in how this disease is treated.”
In an interview with Fox News Digital, the researcher claimed that daraxonrasib represents “one of the most promising therapy advances we’ve seen in pancreatic cancer.”
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This is especially significant since pancreatic cancer has had “very few effective therapies” in the past, Wolpin noted.
“The study also showed disease control in approximately 90% of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer, which is extremely exciting,” he added.
The study does not prove daraxonrasib is superior to standard treatment of chemotherapy, researchers noted. (iStock)
Wolpin noted that while side effects were common, most patients were able to tolerate treatment with “supportive care measures, and very few patients needed to stop therapy due to side effects.”
As this was a phase 1/2 study, it does not “definitively prove” the superiority of daraxonrasib compared to chemotherapy, Wolpin added.
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“The study did not include a randomized control arm that directly compared daraxonrasib with chemotherapy,” he said. “That being said, the results for daraxonrasib looked substantially better than what we have seen in prior clinical trials of chemotherapy in patients with previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer.”
It also remains unclear how the drug may perform earlier in the disease, as the trial included patients who had already received prior treatments.
“Additional research is needed to determine how best to sequence or combine therapies to provide the most durable responses and cures,” the lead investigaror sid. (iStock)
For patients and families affected by pancreatic cancer, Wolpin noted that daraxonrasib signals “real momentum” toward effective treatments, but it is still investigational and is not a cure.
“Pancreatic cancer remains a challenging disease, and additional research is needed to determine how best to sequence or combine therapies to provide the most durable responses and cures,” he said.
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Brian Slomovitz, director of gynecologic oncology and co-chair of the Cancer Research Committee at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, applauded this development in a separate interview with Fox News Digital.
“We are anxiously awaiting the upcoming plenary presentation of RASolute 302 at the ASCO meeting later this month,” said the expert, who was not involved in the study. “Greater than 90% of pancreatic cancers have activation of kRAS, which is a major factor in the development and progression of these cancers.”
“Doubling the survival time in pretreated patients is unprecedented.”
“If the full dataset results that will be reported later this month confirm what was earlier released, I believe this will be one of the most important breakthroughs in all solid tumors,” Slomovitz went on. “Doubling the survival time in pretreated patients is unprecedented.”
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The doctor added that the “magnitude of benefit” could “reshape the treatment landscape” and “establish a new standard of care.”
“We will need to evaluate the full dataset for efficacy and safety,” Slomovitz added. “I am more than cautiously optimistic, and I am truly excited for our patients and their families that suffer from this dreadful disease.”
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People who regularly visit museums or participate in creative activities may be aging more slowly on a biological level, according to a new study from the United Kingdom.
Researchers from University College London analyzed data from more than 3,500 adults and found that people who frequently engaged in arts and cultural activities showed signs of slower biological aging in several DNA-based measurements.
The findings were published in the journal Innovation in Aging.
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The study examined activities including painting, photography, dancing, singing, visiting museums and attending cultural events or historic sites.
People who frequently visit museums or engage in artistic activities may experience slower biological aging. (iStock)
Researchers compared participation in those activities with “epigenetic clocks,” scientific tools that examine chemical changes in DNA over time.
Adults who participated more often, and in a wider variety of activities, tended to show slower aging scores compared to people who rarely engaged in arts or cultural experiences.
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The association appeared even stronger among adults over age 40.
Researchers also noted that the effect sizes were comparable to those linked to physical activity, one of the most widely studied behaviors associated with healthy aging.
The study found that adults who engaged more often in arts and cultural activities showed slower biological aging. (iStock)
Jessica Mack, a health and wellness expert and founder of The Functional Consulting Group who was not involved in the study, said the findings reflect a growing understanding that health is influenced by more than exercise and nutrition alone.
“Arts and cultural engagement may be associated with slower epigenetic aging, with effects comparable in some measures to physical activity,” Mack told Fox News Digital.
She said activities such as visiting museums and engaging with music or art may help reduce stress, improve emotional regulation and increase social connection.
Experts say these activities may reduce stress, improve emotional regulation, and strengthen social connections. (iStock)
“These are not ‘extra’ lifestyle activities,” Mack said. “They may be deeply connected to how the body manages inflammation, stress hormones, mood and overall resilience.”
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Mack added that people experiencing stress, social isolation, retirement or caregiving responsibilities may especially benefit from meaningful cultural engagement.
Experts cautioned, however, that the study does not prove arts engagement directly slows aging.
“This is an observational study, not an experiment,” Professor Steve Horvath of UCLA, a longevity researcher and pioneer in epigenetic aging research who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
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“So when researchers find that the people who go to museums have younger epigenetic age, we cannot tell whether the museum visits slowed their aging, or whether their slower aging is what allowed them to keep visiting museums,” he said.
While the findings suggest a link, experts caution that the study cannot prove arts and cultural activities directly slow aging. (iStock)
Horvath said both explanations may be true to some degree, though he described the research as “methodologically careful” and worthy of further study.
The findings remained consistent even after accounting for factors such as smoking, income, body weight and other lifestyle habits.
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He added that regardless of whether arts engagement is directly slowing biological aging, staying socially and mentally active is still associated with healthier aging overall.
“The prescription is the same,” he said. “Keep going.”
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Fitness influencer and trainer Mark Langowski, known on social media as @bodybymark, hosted a pushup and plank competition in New York City this week, where he urged the public to get up and get moving.
On his platform of nearly two million Instagram followers, Langowski asks fit people to share their workout routines. He was able to meet more in-shape New Yorkers at his Washington Square Park meet-up, in partnership with Oikos yogurt on May 12.
A male and a female winner who achieved the most pushups or held a plank the longest were gifted $500 each.
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Besides the cash prize, the inspiration was to get more people moving, Langowski shared during an interview with Fox News Digital.
Fitness influencer and trainer Mark Langowski, known on social media as @bodybymark, hosted a pushup and plank competition in New York City this week, where he urged the public to get up and get moving. (Kelly McGreal/Fox News Digital)
“[It’s] a way to encourage strength and overall fitness in New York City and all around the country,” he said.
“We got together and we’re doing a plank competition, pushup competition. We had a guy just do 111 pushups. We’re just getting people moving.”
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Langowski said the attributes of a great competitor include strength, humility and confidence.
“The people who … did the most, they didn’t say they were going to do the most,” he said. “And there were other people who said they could do 150, and they did 70.”
Having a bit of humility helps make a good competitor, the trainer added.
@BodybyMark films the pushup competition’s male winner during a meet-up in Washington Square Park in New York City on May 12, 2026. (Kelly McGreal/Fox News Digital)
Pushups and planks mark a “good general baseline” for measuring fitness level, according to Langowski. Some other basics include pull-ups, squats and endurance challenges, like running a mile — the kind of basics included in an elementary school fitness assessment.
For those who haven’t yet mastered these basics but want to get in better shape, Langowski shared some advice on how to get started.
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“Get with a trainer or someone who knows how to progress you,” he advised. “A lot of people are like, ‘I can’t do a pushup, so I’m never going to do one.’ That’s not the way.”
Langowski recommends starting with pushups on your knees or against a wall, then gradually progressing to standard pushups by moving onto your toes and lowering yourself fully to the ground before pushing back up.
The trainer recommends starting with pushups on your knees or against a wall, then gradually progressing to standard pushups by moving onto your toes and lowering yourself fully to the ground before pushing back up. (Milan Markovic/iStock)
“You’ll be surprised after you do that for a couple weeks, a couple months, a couple years – you’re going to be able to do a lot,” he said. “Nobody was born being able to do 111 pushups. They put in the work and they started somewhere.”
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The trainer noted that in addition to practicing, it’s just as important to give the body rest and to support muscle growth with proper protein intake and an overall healthy diet.
But perhaps the most crucial step toward getting in shape, according to Langowski, is having the motivation to get started
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“I know that’s easy for me to say – I’ve been in fitness and been relatively fit most of my life,” he said. “And I know a lot of people are sitting on the couch and they either feel sorry for themselves or they’re going through a tough time … You’ve just got to get out there.”
The trainer noted that in addition to practicing, it’s just as important to give the body rest and to support muscle growth with proper protein intake and an overall healthy diet. (iStock)
The trainer suggested starting with a simple walk — even just around the block — with no gym equipment required.
“You don’t need an expensive gym membership to get in good shape,” he said. “Most of the people that I stop on the street, they don’t have a gym membership at all. They do it in their living room.”
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“And that’s where you can do the exercises I mentioned – the squats, the lunges, the pushups,” Langowski went on.
“So, I would encourage people just to start, but also to get some friends or get a trainer, someone to support you and do it safely.”
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