Articles
Feeling Depressed: Signs, Symptoms, and Strategies to Find Freedom
Depression is one of the most common mental health struggles facing the world today. Most people know someone, or have struggled with depression at some point in their lives, themselves. There are several different mood disorders where “dressed mood” is a large component. The most prevalent is Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Statistics of Major Depression Disorder in the U.S. The National Institute of Mental Health reported that the percentage range of people over the age of 18 who struggled with MDD in 2020 was 8%. This may not sound like a large number, but that roughly translates to about fifteen million [...]
Procrastination and Mental Illness
Procrastination is not a mental illness. However, it could be a symptom of many different mental health struggles. Procrastination can look like this: staring at the to-do list and deciding to do absolutely nothing on it. Facing a deadline at work and deciding it’s the perfect time to reorganize your desktop. Having a difficult phone call to make and then doing anything and everything to avoid making it. If you find that you are consistently procrastinating, talking to a counselor may help you discern the root cause of your procrastination problem. The effects of procrastination. While occasional procrastinating may not have serious [...]
Life After Christian Divorce
God, the Creator of marriage, the first institution, has laid out His plan for marriage as a lifelong union. What happens when we stray from His intention? The Bible addresses marriage and divorce. God’s design for marriage never included abuse, violence, or coercive control. Emotional abuse can bruise or severely harm a person’s heart, mind, and soul. The apostle Paul further taught that the marital relationship is an ongoing demonstration of the sacrificial love that Christ showed His church. (See Ephesians 5:21-33.) What happens when the sacrificial love fades or is fractured? What does the Bible tell us about divorce? Let’s [...]
Finding and Maintaining Fulfilling Female Friendships
The thought of female friendships can be thought of as an oxymoron for some. The world would have us believe that this cannot coexist - women forming loving, reliable, and supportive relationships. The prevalent belief out there is that female friendships are marked by jealousy, competition, strife, and toxicity only to name a few. Though this is true for some friendships, it is not the only experience there is. When done right the bond of female friendships can build, encourage, challenge and support. Those who have built and maintained good and strong friendships will attest to how those relationships have held [...]
8 Types of Deep Breathing for Anxiety
Breathing is a unique process that is both automatic and controllable. Even though it is something you usually do subconsciously and tend to take for granted, the way you breathe can be adjusted and manipulated. Studies indicate that paying attention to how you are breathing can have a major impact on your stress levels. They have shown that a state of anxiety or panic can be induced just by purposefully hyperventilating, which is taking short, shallow breaths from your chest. Deep breathing, on the other hand, has been found to have a calming effect. Shallow breathing versus deep breathing. There are [...]
Understanding Attachment Disorder in Adults
The ability to form attachments with other human beings is an essential skill that typically begins early in life. The parent/caregiver-child relationship is the first crucial relationship that an infant forms. The health of this relationship has a profound effect on the child’s social and emotional development. Attachment disorder is a term that is typically used to describe problems with the emotional attachment that occurs in early childhood. While attachment disorder can occur in adults, it is typically seen in young children and is typically treated by mental health professionals with experience in working with children and families. Types of attachment [...]
Stress Eating: Why We Do It and How We Can Stop
Have you ever caught yourself eating a bag of your favorite sweet or salty snack only to realize you ate way more than you intended to? I think many of us can relate to this unfortunate experience. Consequently, this is often quickly followed by a rush of self-directed negative emotions: frustration, guilt, regret, and even disgust. Then the next day, next week, or next month we find ourselves repeating the cycle. What is going on here and how can we break the cycle? The above scenario describes a situation often associated with emotion-based eating. Research shows that 35-50% of people report [...]
Codependency Recovery: Tips from a Christian Counselor
Codependency refers to pain caused by the sufferings we encounter during childhood but becomes expressed in adulthood, leading to a higher chance of compulsive/addictive behavior and relationship problems. Codependency can be attributed to specific feelings and behaviors, resulting in an aversive relationship full of self-loathing and self-sacrificial behaviors. Codependency is a pattern of sacrificing your needs, well-being, and self-care and putting much of your energy into enabling or supporting the people in your life. If you have been unable to change your situation for a while, codependent thoughts and behaviors require mindful self-care and self-love. Codependent behaviors. You find yourself depending [...]
Family Members and Substance Abuse
One of the hardest problems you can face is being among family members and substance abuse. The reasons someone gets caught up in the lifestyle of drugs or alcohol aren’t always evident. Most of the time it is because they are trying to self-medicate due to some internal pain. Learning to help your loved one overcome addiction and find a workable substance abuse treatment can be difficult. If you are needing help in this area reach out to a Christian counselor near you. What is substance abuse? In today’s terms substance has become the umbrella term for any type of chemical [...]