Articles
How To Move Forward and Overcome the Grieving Process
When you love someone or something, experiencing the loss of that thing or person can be nearly unbearable. Grieving is how we work through the various emotions we experience in the wake of that loss. Grief can be challenging and uncomfortable, especially as it brings up feelings we’d rather not experience. If we understand the grieving process, we can prepare ourselves somewhat to go through it and emerge on the other side. When we experience loss, that means that our lives will not be the same again – the role that person played in our lives, and the memories attached to [...]
Examples of Passive Aggressive Behavior and What to Do About It
Passive-aggressive behavior is a common form of anger. The three different types of anger are outward, inward, and passive-aggressive expressions of anger. We’ll look at these types of anger and what to do about them from a biblical perspective. The Problem of Anger Anger is a common human emotion we encounter daily. There are plenty of possible triggers for an angry reaction from someone – if they feel belittled, a goal of theirs is thwarted, or they feel threatened because their beliefs and views are challenged. All that can result in a person feeling angry and expressing that anger. Because anger [...]
Money, Work, and God
We don’t say, “I’m gonna turn stuff into my idol.” No one intentionally does that, but we can tell by our behaviors that that’s actually what we’ve done. – Dave Ramsey I sit quietly this Labor Day – asking God to show me something more in all this laboring. It seems I’ve gotten lost in the technological portholes of all things secular. I sit in silence to locate my spirit amidst the world of work, technology, and money. Before 24/7 access to consumerism, intellectualism, and all things I don’t need, nor need to know, I had more discernment about meeting human [...]
Understanding Anger: 5 Tips for Anger Management
Do you find yourself struggling against frequent, overwhelming feelings of rage? Do you often exhibit aggressive behavior when you feel upset or provoked? Are your relationships sometimes hindered by your inability to control your anger? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you most likely struggle with anger management. Anger is defined as a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility. It’s a normal, healthy feeling that God created us with. But when it becomes frequently uncontrollable and all-consuming, that’s when it may be time to seek outside help. In this article, we’re going to unpack what the Bible [...]
The Most Important Step in Dealing with Anger
It's amazing to think about how many different ways one emotion can manifest itself. Anger can show up in so many ways in our lives. For some, dealing with anger looks like screaming and ranting, while for others anger is a quiet seething that they keep hidden beneath the surface. No matter how It appears, anger is an emotion that many of us feel. Often, we see the symptoms or the consequences of our anger without ever dealing with the problem that exists in our hearts. If we take some time to look at and address the anger in our lives, [...]
When Change Feels Hard
Change is an inevitable part of life. For some, change is exciting, offering a new adventure or perspective. Others struggle more with the idea of change. Sometimes people struggle with feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness when they face a change. While it may be a challenge, walking through change is possible. The difficulty of change. When life is going along without any changes, we often feel stable and secure. We understand what is expected, making it easier to function. When change comes into play, that sense of stability and security shifts. Suddenly, we are facing situations where things are no [...]
Tips for Helping Someone Process Childhood Trauma
Children are often overlooked when they face various traumatic events. People might assume that they do not understand what has happened or they will get over it more easily because of their age, but childhood trauma can affect children in a variety of ways and for an exceptionally long time – does not discriminate. Children can be traumatized by a variety of things: Bullying Accident involvement/observation Natural disasters Community violence Poor living conditions/neglect Physical and emotional abuse Stress caused by poverty Being separated from a parent or caregiver Having their world rocked in some way – move, loss of a pet, [...]
Seasonal Affective Disorder Treatment Options
Does your mood seem to shift with the calendar, causing you to feel “down” more than usual during the winter months? Do shorter days and gloomy weather seem to zap your energy and make you feel blue? If so, you may be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder. What is Seasonal Affective Disorder? Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression characterized by a recurring seasonal pattern that comes and goes at the same time each year. Symptoms usually begin and end when the seasons change. Typically, you start feeling “down” as the days get shorter in late fall or early [...]
Coming to Know the Presence of Beauty
As women, our sense of self-worth can be tied to our sense of beauty. Beauty is an undercurrent of desire that most of us just can’t get our hands on. Fleeting it is. Why does beauty flee? Run away? Refuse to stay? And why do we keep purchasing and purchasing and purchasing – begging beauty to stay – and it does not? Let’s see if we can use beauty to expand our sense of self-worth, and expand our sense of beauty (unpurchased). Definitions. One way I like to define self-worth is "Is it (x, y, or z) worth it to you (self)?" Many [...]