Articles
How to Pray to God and Improve Your Prayer Life
Are there some people in your life that you find hard to talk to, for whatever reason? Perhaps it’s because they are far away, and you prefer talking face to face with them than over the phone. Perhaps it’s because you’ve had a fractious relationship with them, or maybe even because you never developed what felt like the right language with which to address them and connect with them. Sometimes, our prayer life can feel like talking with a distant relative we struggle to connect with meaningfully. You can feel like you’re meant to talk to them, but you can never [...]
Embracing the Mess of ADHD
If you’re living with ADHD, you already know it can make life messy. Likewise, some people in your life may not be familiar with ADHD symptoms and may not be understanding when symptoms feel inconvenient or difficult. However, there is also something special about this messy chaos. Strengths of People with ADHD ADHD can actually give you some pretty awesome traits and skills that are significant strengths. Remarkably, people rely on you for these same strengths, and they benefit you and those around you. Spontaneity With ADHD you’re pretty much an expert at thinking on your feet. While others are busy [...]
The Reluctant Gratitude Journal
Some people are reluctant to journal. It sounds to Pinterest-perfect. Can writing things down change anything? For those who finally do it, they can speak to its help. Believe it or not, keeping a journal, specifically a gratitude journal, can even halt an emotional or mental spiral. It can retrain brain pathways of negative and overwhelming thoughts. In a nutshell, it can bring hope. When you get started, it can seem like the things that come to mind seem silly, trite, and not worth writing down. It’s worth persevering, though. You can write that you are thankful for the coffee that [...]
Recipe for Recovery: Practical Strategies to Reset After an Emotional Affair
When we make our marital vows and declare that we will forsake all others, we tend to view it as a nod to the threats that infidelity poses. What we assume is that an affair is physical. However, Jesus revealed that what happens in the body first occurs in the mind (Matthew 5:27-28). It's the same with an emotional affair.It may seem intense, but we commit adultery, stepping outside of our marriage, when we share a part of ourselves and our affections with someone who isn’t our spouse. An emotional affair can happen subtly, and we don’t always realize that we have [...]
Understanding the Relationship Between Anxiety and Intrusive Thoughts
Have you ever just been enjoying time with loved ones or watching a game, and intrusive thoughts make their way into your mind? Perhaps the thought was disturbing, emotionally painful, or even provoked anxious thoughts inside of you. This can happen to anyone from time to time, but, for some, this is a daily struggle. There is a relationship between intrusive thoughts and feelings of anxiety. Being able to understand this relationship and knowing how to handle both can make the difference between being constantly on edge or being at peace. Intrusive Thoughts Explained If you use the word “intrusive” to [...]
What is a Mental Health Therapist and How Should I Choose One?
Therapy is for the treatment of mental wellness disorders and to deal with concerns such as life adjustments, life transitions, communication, and more. In therapy, clients work to address emotional distress and mental health concerns. It is also known as psychotherapy and counseling. Therapy provides a relationship-driven treatment environment to address concerns and improve lives through the client-therapist relationship. The therapeutic relationship is paired with individual modalities and techniques used by the mental health therapist. It’s less about just talking, and more about how the relationship between therapist and client evolves, leading therapists to find the right interventions for each client. [...]
Toxic Traits in a Relationship to Look Out For
Relationships of all kinds bring together people who may have various similarities and differences that make their dynamic interesting. These differences may be in temperament, personality, life experiences, culture, or outlook. Unlikely friendships and connections can happen, and it’s such a joy when you find someone that you have a kinship with. Not all kinds of dynamics in relationships are happy ones, though. It could be a romantic relationship, a friendship, a parent-child situation, or a relationship between colleagues. In these relationships, there may be some ways of addressing each other or ways of dealing (or not dealing) with issues, that [...]
Does Passivity Make Us Good Christians?
The topic of passivity has often been a misunderstood and confusing one, especially for Christians. Many of us have been guilty of confusing humility and servitude with being passive, but the Bible has many good examples of how we should behave. Understanding and addressing this rarely discussed topic can help us find that important balance in engaging with others in a healthy and appropriately assertive manner. How to Recognize Passivity in Ourselves A good way to understand whether you are prone to passivity is to evaluate your common reactions to normal, mundane interactions with others. You might be described as passive [...]
Anxiety Relief Through Art
Can you find anxiety relief through art? Megan’s anxiety used to feel trapped within her own body. Anxiety would close in on her causing a racing heartbeat and brain that wouldn’t stop thinking of worst-case scenarios for all the important parts of her life. She had tried all the usual advice for anxiety relief. Ocean sounds playing in her earbuds only reminded her that she couldn’t afford a vacation, and those lavender essential oils made her sneeze. And that idea of journaling her way to peace ended up being a notebook filled with “things to do” lists and a few rants [...]