Articles
Five Stress Management Techniques: A Christian Perspective
Stress. It may be the word that best explains where the average person is operating on a daily basis. Our modern world has placed a heavy emphasis on doing, often at the expense of being. This pressure to do – perform, achieve, create, output – contributes to the high-stress frequency at which so many of us operate. It is easy to feel that this anxious and exhausted headspace is inevitable. When we experience a stress response, our body is reacting to perceived danger. This danger can include a threat to physical safety, emotional well-being, relational belonging, financial security, or any other [...]
How to Take Every Thought Captive to Deal with Anxiety and Worry
Every day, we have thousands of thoughts that enter our minds. Many of them deal with anxiety and worry. Some of these relate to the tasks we need to perform that day. “I need to check if I have enough gas.” “I hope traffic is light today, because I have that meeting with my supervisor!” “Maybe I can go to the gym after work today?” These and many other thoughts pass through our minds. Sometimes we are conscious of them, and at other times we aren’t. We have many negative thoughts every day. Such as when you are assigned a task at [...]
4 Bible Verses that Offer Help for Depression
According to recent statistics from Mental Health America, close to 20% of American adults experience a mental illness in one year, the equivalent of nearly 50 million people. A growing percentage of young people live with major depression – 15% of youth experience a depressive episode in a year. Of particular concern is the fact that over half of adults, and 60% of youth, do not receive any mental health treatment help for depression. There is little wonder that suicidal ideation continues to increase, along with rates of substance abuse. Symptoms of Depression Depression is a complex illness and can affect [...]
5 Grief Therapy Exercises to Help the Grieving Process
Before providing practices such as grief therapy to help a person through the grieving process, it is first necessary to define grief and loss. This will help people to transition through the grieving process once they have gained an understanding of their feelings, emotions, sleep, appetite, and other areas of their lives. Grief and Loss Defined “Grief and loss” are natural responses to losing someone or something important to you such as a loved one dying, a relationship ending, or you lost a job. Grief and loss can also take place after someone has received a diagnosis of a serious illness [...]
Behavioral Treatment for Children
Have you recently noticed a change in your child’s behavior? Perhaps your child is engaging in behaviors that you have not previously observed, or certain behaviors may occur more often and with greater intensity than before. The purpose of behavioral treatment for children is to assess why your child is engaging in certain behaviors and to assist them in developing more adaptive skills to replace their current challenging behaviors. Children often present differently in therapy than adults. Specifically, children are prone to somatic symptoms and behavioral dysregulation. Children may not have yet developed the skills to express their emotional experience effectively, [...]
5 Ways to Manage Stress
Are you feeling stressed out? You’re not alone – stress affects millions of us each day. Whether you face stress at work, school, or in your relationships, stress costs you a lot. It takes a toll on your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. However, you can learn how to manage stress so it doesn’t control you anymore. You can learn the difference between good and bad stress, and how to manage both kinds so you have greater peace of mind. Good Stress vs. Bad Stress You may not have realized that some stress is good. You need deadlines to keep [...]
Helpful Bible Verses for Depression
If you feel depressed, you are not alone. About one out of every twelve people in America have symptoms of depression. However, God is with you in your depression, even when you feel isolated and misunderstood. Bible verses for depression can give you hope when your depression feels like dark clouds blocking the sun out of your view. Bible Verses for Depression: What the Bible Says Like all hard emotions, depression shows up in the Bible. When we consider Bible verses for depression, we find examples from both the Old and New Testaments. The prophet Jeremiah dealt with depression the entire [...]
Honoring Your Window of Tolerance
The last couple of years have been plagued with never-ending trauma and bad news. While this isn’t the first time in history people have faced so much collective trauma, it won’t be the last. But because of the seemingly endless trauma, people are finding they are struggling a bit more to function on a daily basis, and this affects each person's window of tolerance. How Trauma Affects It Many people are less productive, having difficulty concentrating, and seeking counseling or medication for the first time in their lives. They are dealing with more symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental [...]
Common Kids’ Mental Health Concerns
Watching a child grow up can be beautiful, nerve-wracking, frustrating, and wonderful all at the same time. As they progress along their developmental journeys, kids will often go through phases of behavior that make parents ask, “When will they outgrow this?” But what should parents do when a particularly difficult behavioral or emotional stage doesn’t go away? At what point should parents be concerned about their kids’ psychological health? While most concerning behaviors don’t call for a major intervention, there are times when a child’s problem behavior surpasses what is normal for their developmental stage, or their altered emotional state lasts [...]