Articles
Can Anxiety and Depression Be Aggravated By Social Media and Texting?
When social media was born, it seemed harmless, as most babies do. Decorating a MySpace wall was basically an art form back in the day. You could let your creativity go wild with custom backgrounds and carefully chosen music. Glitter text added a little pizzazz, and GIFs ruled. “Tom,” one of the MySpace founders, seen smiling in his profile, wearing a white t-shirt, was automatically added to your friends list upon signing up. Social interaction beyond that was highly encouraged and even praised, as your profile would automatically display who your “Top 8” friends were. And the biggest stressor was trying [...]
4 Things Parents May Do that Perpetuate Emotional Trauma
Though most parents do their best to parent well, some may get it wrong sometimes. Even the best parent may treat a child in ways that cause damage unintentionally. If you have reached adulthood and begun to wonder why you struggle with a certain aspect of life, you might find some answers if you evaluate your relationship with your parents as a child. Some parent-child relationship dynamics don’t change in adulthood even when they should. There is a chance that your parents may be perpetuating emotional trauma without either of you realizing it. Hurt People Whilst parenthood is fulfilling in the [...]
Avoiding Toxic Positivity in Grief
The death of a loved one is a significant, emotional event. No matter how much someone might try to prepare for it, it still hits people hard. Death is a reality for us all, yet being able to process the death of a loved one is difficult. Though some close friends or family members mean well, their efforts to cheer a grieving person can at times cause more harm than good. It’s okay to be unsure of how to support a grieving friend, because nothing truly prepares us to deal with death and loss. There are times when we wish we [...]
Depression After a Breakup: How to Heal
Ending a relationship can be challenging. Life becomes different and sometimes difficult when a person experiences a break-up. There are times when a breakup can lead to depression. This may not always be the case, but the risk of depression is genuine. Why are you in despair, my soul? And why are you restless within me? Wait for God, for I will again praise Him for the help of His presence, my God. – Psalm 42:11, NASB The emotions that follow a breakup are natural. Long relationships that come to an end affect many areas of life. Finances, home life, social [...]
Understanding and Overcoming Nighttime Anxiety
You may often hear people comment on whether they are (or aren’t) morning or evening people. Some people function better, and they are more creative and personable at certain times of the day. To handle the rigors of operating at a time that isn’t ideal for them, some people drink coffee to rouse themselves, others exercise, and others meditate over Scripture and pray to feel energized and in the right frame of mind. There’s another sense in which times of the day can affect a person. For some people, the approach of a new day feels overwhelming, while other people can [...]
Working Through the Grief Process: Tips from a Christian Counselor
If you get turned around while in the woods or a strange part of the city, one of your top priorities is to find the quickest way home. You want to know and have the safety of knowing that there is a clear path to get where you need to be. Not all of life works like this, even when we want it to. There are many situations where the way home, so to speak, is along a winding road with many unknown twists and turns. When you lose a loved one, that can be one of the most disorienting experiences [...]
5 Places to Get the Support You Need
Every person needs support in life. Even the most independent, strong person needs support occasionally. This may be financial support when a job has been lost, emotional support during a health crisis, prayer support when families are struggling, or food and shelter if finances are in dire need. Sometimes, if people are struggling with an issue that they can’t resolve, they may need mental health support. Whatever the type of support, a person must have resources at their fingertips to access the resources they need when they need them. In the United States, we live in a highly individualized culture. During [...]
Understanding Mindful Self-Compassion
Mindfulness is about intentionally and purposefully centering your attention on whatever is happening in the present moment and accepting your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations without judging yourself for characteristics you dislike or for not meeting your expectations. It is related to self-compassion. The way you treat your own heart is the way you will end up treating everyone else’s. – John Eldredge What is self-compassion? Self-compassion is about being less critical and more accepting of yourself and your imperfections. It is about treating yourself kindly instead of harshly in moments of perceived failure, recognizing that messing up or making mistakes [...]
Losing Yourself: What Does It Mean to Be Codependent?
The word codependency has had many definitions throughout the years. The term was coined in the 1970s to describe a person whose life was directly affected by someone who struggled with chemical dependency; it described a person who had an unhealthy way of coping with life in response to someone else’s use of alcohol or drugs (Beattie, 2022). Yet, the most recent definition encompasses a broader range of characteristics and behaviors. Today, codependency can be defined as a relationship dynamic in which a person becomes overly reliant on another for their emotional and psychological well-being, and it may manifest itself as [...]