Articles
Understanding How to Manage Anger
In looking at how to manage anger, it is helpful to better understand the three primary emotions. Psychologists normally agree that we all experience three basic emotions: love, anger, and fear. It is helpful to compare these to the three primary colors of red, yellow, and blue. Every color, shade, and hue we see is one of these three primary colors or some combination of them. In the same way, every feeling we experience in life is one of the primary emotions, or more likely, some combination of them. It helps to see that each emotion has movement and direction. Love [...]
Attachment-Based Therapy for Adults
Attachment-Based Therapy (ABT) is a form of psychotherapy that aims to address the issues people face as a result of their attachment styles. It is drawn from the influential work of British Psychologist, Psychiatrist, and Psychoanalyst John Bowlby’s attachment theory. We're only as needy as our unmet needs. – John Bowlby Attachment theory aims at explaining and predicting relational behaviors that people exhibit as a result of first relational encounters with caregivers. Bowlby argues that the closer and more stable relationships we have as infants, the greater the possibility for us to form long-lasting and fulfilling relationships with others when we [...]
Deconstructing People-Pleasing for Your Good: Relationship Advice for Women
There are very few people in the world, if any, who are happy being disliked by other people. We are deeply social beings, and being disliked, whether in reality, or in our own minds, feels like forced isolation from others; who wants that? We all engage in people-pleasing at times. Relationships with other people are a key part of what makes our lives feel like they’re flourishing. That makes sense, because at the heart of the universe is love. The whole of the Bible can be summed up in the twin commands to love God with everything we are and have, [...]
Signs of Anger Issues in Your Life: A Checklist for Angry People
Anger is one of many emotions that can and will be felt and experienced throughout life. Anger is what is called a primary emotion. A primary emotion is an emotion that is typically universally recognized and is displayed in the person’s body language and facial expressions and can be a result of anger issues. The other primary emotions are: sadness, disgust, surprise, joy, and fear. Despite what many people say, or even teach to their children, anger is not always bad or wrong. We even see Jesus display anger when He flips the tables in the temple. We are often taught [...]
Depression After a Breakup: Tips for Finding Yourself Again
Feeling down after a breakup is a typical emotion. You invested time and energy into a relationship that did not work out. But some breakups hit harder than others. After a breakup, you may go through the stages of grief: shock (denial), anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Many of us get stuck in the depression stage of the process. This pervasive sadness steals our motivation and stops us from living life. However, depression after a breakup is not the end, only another phase in the journey to finding yourself again. Why do breakups hit so hard? A breakup is a loss, [...]
Moods and Mindfulness: Managing Depression with Tools You Can Use
Depression is one of several mental health diagnoses that build momentum from the sadness, anger, and hopelessness that it deposits in those who experience it. Its symptoms influence our moods, behaviors, and bodies, leaving us as an exhausted, irritable shell of ourselves. It persuades us to trade our status as beloved sons and daughters for diminished esteem and enhanced distrust of God, ourselves, and others. As a result, we experience fragmented thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that isolate us from life-giving connections and activities. Furthermore, depression’s tentacles clutch and suffocate, squeezing out our vigor and zest, while convincing us that we are [...]
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 [...]