Articles
Red Flags in a Relationship: Toxic Traits to Avoid
Let’s be real with each other for a minute – we’re all a little messy. Even the best of us is not consistently loving, understanding, empathetic, or completely mature. We look out for our interests, often at the expense of others, and the people who are closest to us often experience both the best and the worst of who we are. Scripture affirms this view of things, labeling that messiness as sin. Sin is about missing the mark, not meeting a particular standard, or deviating from the good that we ought to pursue wholeheartedly. People are beings created by God in [...]
Autism Spectrum Disorder: Symptoms and Effective Treatment Options
According to the Mayo Clinic, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) describes a neurodevelopmental disorder which affects how a person perceives and responds to others in social situations. People with ASD often have problems with social communication and interaction with others, which can cause issues in forming and maintaining relationships with others. ASD is often accompanied by repetitive and limited patterns of behavior, and people with ASD will also often have different ways of moving, paying attention and learning. The term “spectrum” in Autism Spectrum Disorder refers to the wide range of symptoms that individuals experience and the disparity in the severity of [...]
Grief: The Ripple Effect of Miscarriage and Infertility
Perhaps you have been faced with a difficult season of trying to get pregnant, have had a miscarriage, or have been told that you have infertility issues. Your grief is valid, and we are so deeply sorry for the pain you have experienced and might be experiencing right now. Since grief is the ripple effect of miscarriage and infertility, you need to address it before it overwhelms you. A caring Christian counselor can help you heal from the hurt and receive God’s comfort and care for the ache you have experienced. Miscarriage and infertility: three scenarios. Perhaps one of these scenarios [...]
Practical Steps for Adult Children Whose Parents Are Aging
Getting older can be a very difficult process for your parents and comes with inevitable changes in their minds and their bodies. Forgetfulness, repeating the same questions, getting regularly lost while driving, keeping up with housework, and remembering to pay bills are common signs of aging. Aging can also make some people more withdrawn, suspicious, or paranoid. When these situations surface adult children are increasingly confronted with questions of whether it is safe for their parent to continue driving or living alone. This transition stage of aging is a time that many adult children will not have prepared for and is [...]
19 Natural Remedies for Anxiety
If you are searching for natural remedies for anxiety, you have come to the right place. Anxiety is a common response to stress or danger. Almost everyone experiences it at one time or another. However, when it becomes excessive or disproportionate to the circumstances, it can harm your physical and mental well-being, sap your energy, and turn into an anxiety disorder that interferes with your ability to cope with day-to-day life. Different people experience anxiety in different ways. Symptoms can range anywhere from butterflies in your stomach before giving a speech, to constant dread about the future that turns into a [...]
Navigating Conflict in the Workplace
Conflict in the workplace is something that 85% of the adult population deals with now or has dealt with in the past. The workplace blends people with different opinions, life experiences, cultures, and sometimes clashing personalities. They spend most of their day together, sometimes relying on each other for productivity purposes, and often with high stakes and pressures. It is little wonder that conflict happens. Conflict in the workplace is inevitable and can be frustrating, but it isn’t impossible to navigate. You might be a person who is conflict-avoidant, freezing or fleeing at the sound of raised voices, and desperate to [...]
When Depression Robs Your Creativity: What to Do When You Feel Depressed
Depression can be a fog. At times it sneaks in and changes your whole day. You go from feeling ready to take on the world to feeling like you can’t take a step. Depression lurks before you get out of bed telling you this is how today is going to be. If you are a creative person, depression can zap you dry. You can go from being on a creative high to having nothing to say (or paint, draw, move to). It can bring on feelings of failure or imposture syndrome. Depression steals what we love. It puts an invisible layer [...]
A Christian Perspective On Anxiety: What to Do When You’re Feeling Anxious
Katie is a mother of two beautiful children, happily married, and with an enjoyable career. Her life seemed perfect. However, if you were to ask Katie, she would tell you she’s anxious. She doesn’t know when exactly the anxiety started. She remembers being an anxious child. Sometimes her anxiety gets the best of her, and she begins to worry aloud in front of her husband Kevin. He tries to listen sympathetically but often feels overwhelmed by the barrage of anxiety coming from Katie. Katie has tried a lot of different things for her anxiety, including medication, mindfulness training, prayer, and reading [...]
On Becoming: Self-Growth Through Struggle
Viktor Frankl (1905-1997), the Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist, represents the epitome of overcoming tragedy and making it meaningful. A Holocaust survivor imprisoned in the infamous concentration camp Auschwitz, Frankl lost nearly all of his family save one sister to genocide, including his unborn child. How do you make sense of that or find meaning in the loss? How do you keep going when all you knew, loved, and believed in is gone, and living in the world feels like a nightmare from which you can’t wake? Frankl made it his life’s work to find purpose in this struggle we call life. [...]