There are times we feel stress, but there is the hope of reassurance when we meditate on some Bible verses. One of my favorite bible characters was someone who seemed to need consistent reassurance when under stress. He was anxious, unsure, and seemed to want to argue with God. I […]
anxiety
117 posts
Cast your bread. You can hold it to yourself, that special thing about you, but it is better for everyone if you ‘Cast your bread.’ Focus on the micro gifts of today. Even in winter, the children still ask if there are strawberries to pick. I manage a large vegetable […]
There is a resistance we all face into, but with the presence of others, we can know hope. So let’s listen. It felt to her that she was the only one having struggles. Every day, as her eyes peeled open, there was an instantaneous thought ‘Can I do this’? As […]
We open the heart and then find our trust is broken, but trust is fragile at the best of times, so we are wisely careful with the gift. It’s those secret little internal vows we make that can cause so much damage. As I wrote some words upon a whiteboard, […]
At times we can seem so small and vulnerable like a speck of clay, but joined together, we can take on the challenges such as COVID 19. Let’s bind together for our Mental Health. ‘Particulate’ is an interesting word. It refers to a minute separate particle. In a cup of […]
It’s an isolated world, well, sort of, but it’s one that needs courage and compassion if we are going to create connection. Today as I write this, is it our first day of mandatory nationwide lockdown in New Zealand due to the spread of the Corona Virus. People have been […]
What your neighbor needs now is love but they often encounter indifference. We need to find a way to listen to them and tell them they are loved. I wonder at times that under depression and anxiety, there is a deep unmet need for love. That many are love-starved and […]
Our brains can be so busy that it can feel like a concussion, but we can help the brain recover by finding some still waters to rest next by. When I wrote the first draft of this post, I was sitting next to a small stream. There wasn’t much water […]
A thought can become a belief that keeps us captive. But we can have an idea that captures us and inspires growth. We need to nurture the good and true. ‘It’s a weasel.’ The trap had caught and killed a weasel. We had noticed that some animal was eating some […]
Many women don’t think they are beautiful. A tarnish is over their soul. But underneath, there is a beauty that can change a world, a delight that needs to be listened for and affirmed. There was a beauty there, and I wanted to affirm it. I could see it in […]
Few of us know how to fully and deeply relax. The noisy neighbors can keep us from the rest we need, but when we feel safe and known, we can restore. He almost went to sleep. That was the first observation he shared with me after a short spiritual meditation […]
God, will it always be like this? That was what their heart was wanting to know. The answer lay in knowing their slave master of despair. Hope is the dance partner of Faith and Love. Every day felt the same, in fact, every week and every month. Do the job, […]
Criticism comes to us all, but we can grow through it. We need to listen, ask questions and learn how to handle it with dignity. They knew what was going to happen even before they got home. They were going to have to run through a gauntlet of criticism. Where […]
Anxiety can make you want to control, but learning to detach can bring peace. Perhaps you care too much and it’s time to let go. She was holding on tightly. Too tightly. It was care, it was love, but in that embrace, she was suffocating the life out of the […]
We all want immediate results. A change to our situation, but Mental Health recovery takes time, so let’s be patient with ourselves and others. ‘I wish this would go away’ were the unsaid words messaged in the face of despair, looking at me. I had seen that gaze many times, […]
Criticism, shouting, or being ‘put down’ releases the hormone Cortisol into our blood system. It causes us discomfort. When we know this, we can take greater responsibility for our responses. Four little words will send a shot of terror into a man’s soul. ‘We need to talk.’ On a local […]
If you knew me, would you still love me? We all need others who will be strong enough to handle what comes from the inner world of each other. When they had opened up, they looked at me and wondered if I would reject them. So many others had. I […]
‘Shoulds’ can pile up on the shoulders and shape our thinking. But we have efficacy. We have the power to make a change and stop ‘shoulding.’ We don’t have to live under the slavery of a ‘should.’ It was always the same message. ‘You should be doing better.’ ‘You’re not […]
Some trauma memories keep us locked into our past. But there is a cleansing that can happen. We need to bring ourselves to the presence of one who will wash us pure. I didn’t know what to do when they were sharing some of the stories of their past. I […]
When chaos comes, or we become aware of the mess we are in, we have choices to make. Charge at it, retreat from it, or engage in the mystery. All the nicely laid out plans had been turned upside down. I had a recipe for life, and now all the […]