Articles
Dealing with Anxiety: What to Do When You’re Feeling Anxious
Life presents us with many situations in which future outcomes matter but are unknown, or where it’s likely that things won’t go your way. Where uncertainty reigns, or in situations where you or your loved ones might be at risk in one way or another, it can make us worried and anxious. Anxiety isn’t a bad thing; in fact, anxiety can be a good thing. However, anxiety can become an obstacle to your well-being and sense of flourishing. Anxiety Gets Us All In The End Some people seem to have nerves of steel. Nothing seems to faze them, and they can operate [...]
Anxiety Reduction: What You Can Do
Most of us deal with anxiety on some level during our lives. In the past, anxiety helped with the fight-or-flight response to keep our ancestors safe during perilous times. It is ingrained in us. Fast forward to today, and we face anxious thoughts and situations instead of dangerous life-and-death circumstances. Still, our minds work the same way, flooding our bloodstream with cortisol and adrenaline and revving up anxiety. The symptoms of anxiety can be scary and interfere with daily life: Worrying excessively about things outside your control. Experiencing mood swings and irritability. Tossing and turning at night, unable to sleep. Waking [...]
Understanding Psychological Trauma and Anxiety
In the modern world, processing and understanding trauma can be daunting. Anxiety and trauma are often linked inextricably, and healing both can take time and support. What is trauma? What is anxiety? Trauma is, at its most basic level, a psychological response to distressing events. Trauma is linked to emotional disturbances, physical symptoms, and psychological manifestations. Trauma is an individualistic response and can play out differently for each of us. Anxiety is a persistent feeling of worry, fear, or unease that can interfere with our functioning at work, school, home, and in relationships. It can involve feelings of impending doom, concern about [...]
The Different Categories of Trauma
In this article, we’ll consider the different categories of trauma. After all, not all “hurt” is created equal. Most of the hurt of living in this world is temporary, passing without any lasting impact. We don’t remember every stubbed toe, every harsh word spoken to us, and the like. We do tend to remember those times of hurt that rise to the level when some actual damage occurs, an injury from which it takes a bit longer to recover and more resources and resilience to address. This is what we would call “harm,” and yet not even all harm is created [...]
The Heart of Stone: Jesus’s Gift of New Beginnings
Sometimes it’s easy to be critical of ourselves. This criticism can often spill over into our spiritual and mental health, as well. We might compare ourselves to our role models or become fixated on certain habitual sins. At times, we may get so obsessed with our imperfections that we start to lose sight of the amazing gift of salvation that Jesus Christ has given us through His death on the cross. My prayer is that through this article, you will come to understand the gift of new beginnings given to us through the blood of Jesus Christ. New Beginnings in Psalm 51 [...]
Left Behind: 8 Signs of Abandonment Issues in Relationships
“Because separation is a clearcut and undeniable event, its effects on the child and the parent-child relationship were easier to document than more subtle influences of parental and familial interaction.” – Inge Bretherton reporting on John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth’s work with Attachment Theory As the quote above suggests, to experience abandonment implies a separation, specifically in the parent-child relationship, that is clear-cut and undeniable. To be abandoned leaves a specific kind of mark on the soul which points to a particular, distinguishable moment. More simply, if you have experienced abandonment, you will know it. To discuss the reality of [...]
4 Therapy Strategies for Adults with ADHD
Attention deficit disorder hyperactivity (ADHD) is a disorder that affects the person’s brain, affecting their ability to concentrate and keep focused for long periods. This lack of focus can intrude on every area of a person’s life and is not only difficult for children but also for adults. Because it’s not as widely known in adults as it is in children, there can be a stigma attached to adults who believe they have the disorder but have not been officially diagnosed. For an adult who has trouble getting a diagnosis, there may still be strategies available to help them cope. If you [...]
How Intimacy With God Affects Your Relationships Positively
In our relationships with others, a lot of give and take is required. We make ourselves present and available for others, listening to and supporting them. In healthy relationships, others reciprocate and do the same things for us. Being in healthy relationships with others requires that each individual is healthy; otherwise, the relationship can turn toxic and undermine their well-being. There is a saying that we can only give to others what we have. There’s a lot of truth in that because we can only share from our store of wisdom, experience, compassion, and understanding. When we lack these things, or [...]
In Your Weeping: How to Cope With Grief
The death of a loved one or a person who is significant to you in some way can be difficult to process and come to terms with. Unfortunately, at one time or another in our lives, death or loss of some kind will find its way into our lives, and it affects people in different ways. Grief can incapacitate you, and make it hard to carry on. This makes being able to handle grief and knowing how to cope with it an important life skill to possess. What is grief? Grief can wear many masks, and it shows up in a [...]