Articles
Depression Symptoms: Do These Common Signs Describe Your Life?
Do you ever feel like you are wading through a thick sludge, but happiness gets farther away with each step? Do you feel like this tired balloon, where it feels impossible to lift off the ground, even though you want to fly? Yet you likely keep a smile on your face for the world. Depression – it’s a word we are all familiar with. In popular culture today, we use the word depression in a variety of ways. We may call something “depressing” if a heavy topic interrupts an otherwise pleasant afternoon. We say we are depressed when we are feeling [...]
Identifying Symptoms of Depression in Children and Ways You Can Help
Depression is not just an adult concern. Children can struggle with it often when they are too young to understand or express what they are feeling. It may sometimes be tricky to detect it because symptoms of depression in children tend to manifest differently than they do in adults. Children, for instance, may act irritable or grumpy, more so than sad, as an adult would. Identifying Symptoms of Depression in Children Because children often express their depression differently than do adults, it can be difficult to recognize and easy to miss. Kids sometimes do not know how to communicate what they [...]
Facing and Finding Healing from Family Rifts
Family is a word that might conjure pleasant memories of connection and laughter, or perhaps it brings to mind feelings of sadness, grief, and loss. Families experience many things together. This can include going through experiences like family rifts. These can be challenging moments and seasons for a family. For many, family functions as a source and foundation of much-needed support, bringing a sense of belonging, love, and connection. Family should be where you’re known, loved, and accepted. It’s where you first learn what to make of God’s world and your place in it. Even in the healthiest situations and where a [...]
Red Flags that Could Indicate an Affair
Relationships are complicated, to say the least. You might have entered into your marriage with confidence and optimism about the life of love and loyalty that you’d be sharing with your significant other for a lifetime. And at first, everything may seem wonderful, like a dream come true. Everything just seems to work in the beginning. You respect each other’s boundaries, work hard to show your undying mutual love, and though not perfect, nevertheless, you both really try to communicate well and seek to understand one another. But after a while, when the honeymoon period starts to fade and the mundaneness [...]
What is an Anxiety Attack and What Should I Do if I Have One?
Have you ever felt a moment of intense panic, fear, or dread over which you had little or no control? Did you experience racing thoughts and unsettling experiences in your body? These are some of the ways an anxiety attack can manifest, causing significant distress. Anxiety attacks may come on suddenly without any seeming cause or may be induced by stressful circumstances overwhelming the nervous system. This article will look at anxiety attacks and their definition, along with the varying ways that symptoms may present, and offer empowering tools to help with the future management of anxiety. Anxiety Attacks vs. Panic [...]
How to Control Your Anger: Tips from a Christian Counselor
If I were to ask you to recall a time that you were furious, what would come to mind? I’m sure that every single person living today would have a few moments that stand out from the rest, in which we were furious to the point that we could hardly control ourselves. Even as a therapist, I am guilty of the sin as well. Understanding How to Control Your Anger I would love to take a journey with you on understanding what is truly happening to us when we start to have these feelings of anger and frustration and explore the [...]
15 Strategies for PTSD Therapy
PTSD therapy consists of various treatments, including clinical mental health techniques, grounding techniques you can do in between sessions, and long-term lifestyle changes. PTSD Therapy and Techniques PTSD therapy encompasses every aspect of your life, including your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. To manage traumatic memories, you need to look at your full holistic self, including but not limited to: a healthier lifestyle, psychological methods, individually curated tools and techniques, and social and spiritual support. PTSD treatment includes techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Somatic Experiencing (SE), and/or Internal Family Systems (IFS). These [...]
The Path to Mental Wellness
Mental wellness refers to intentionally caring for one’s mental and emotional well-being by taking an active role in one’s health. Many people only focus on physical health and ignore their mental health, yet physical illness can often begin with mental distress. For example, if you care for an aging parent or have recently experienced financial strain, the chronic stress will affect your nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system triggers the fight-or-flight response, as adrenaline and cortisol flood the system. You begin to suffer from brain fog, panic attacks, and insomnia. Eventually, this can lead to physical illnesses. Boosting mental wellness can keep [...]
Recognizing and Understanding Hoarding Disorder
Hoarding disorder is a mental health condition that goes beyond just having too much clutter. It is characterized by an uncontrollable need to continually accumulate things to the point where they invade your living space and make it cramped and unusable. A hoarder finds safety in the hoard, in the stacks and piles, and he or she will grieve over the loss of those items when they are gone. – Matt Paxton In extreme cases, items may be piled floor to ceiling, making it difficult to move through rooms, prepare food, or even take a shower. Yet even just the thought [...]