boundaries Archives

Church and Mental Health. A place for the 5%?

Church and Mental Health? How about sitting with someone and being gently curious about the struggles of their soul. Now that is what I call ‘Church.’ I once sat in a church service and seated in front of me were two men. One was a highly paid lawyer, a partner […]

Mental health Relationships

Don’t be Loyal to the Delusions of an Emperor in Undies

When we are loyal to our lies, we are like an emperor in undies. Delusions believed as truth will destroy. We need to be open to others gently telling us when we have been conned. One of my favorite stories from Hans Christian Andersen is “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Here […]

Helping Others Relationships

Stop The Bully. Stop The Shouting.

When the verbal vomit from a shouting bully has been heaved over your life, you need to recover and get smart. Empower yourself with some worded wisdom. It wasn’t just the loudness of voice; it was also the barrage of words. Condemning, harsh, judgemental words flowing wild and free like […]

Mental health Spiritual Formation

For Your Mental Health Be a Shield Maiden Thrush.

Mental health is discovering what you were born to create, building a supportive nest around it and protecting it like a Viking shield maiden. It was the scary wild eyes that made me take a step back. Recently I have been doing some gardening at a retirement village. This isn’t just […]

i-feel-like-i-am-a-worm-yet-worms-have-a-secret-mental-health-strength

Getting Well Staying Well Mental health

Help, I Feel Like I’m a Worm

Low self-worth? Feeling like a worm? The secret about worms is that they have incredible strength and power. Something so small can teach us something great. At times he felt just like a worm. Failures, being taunted and bullied lead to despair swirling around him. It drove him into perfectly […]

Getting Well Staying Well Mental health

Crossing Boundaries Crushes the Shape of the Heart

People will always keep crossing your boundaries when your heart is bent and buckled out of shape. But that heart can recover and be filled with courage. It takes time and catching some breath. Crossing boundaries ‘You need to set some boundaries’. As they said this my heart sank. I […]

Mental Health is ... Giving Grace to Failure and Rethinking Expectations

Getting Well Staying Well Mental health

Give Grace to Failure and Rethink Expectations

When we have realistic expectations, we can build resilience and an internal wisdom that is gentle with our humanity. We can grace ourselves and others when there is a failure to meet expectations. What caused the breakdown? Was it a genetic weakness? The piling up of expectations? Lack of sleep, […]

four-signs-that-you-have-truly-forgiven-and-youre-not-stuffing-it-down

Mental health Relationships

Four Signs you have Truly Forgiven and You’re not Stuffing it Down

How can a person know when they have truly forgiven someone else. What is the difference between true forgiveness and simply stuffing down or sweeping under the rug your feelings? It is tempting for Christians to try to forgive quickly in order to ease their minds and resolve the conflict. […]

Does 'Turning the other cheek' mean I have to keep taking abuse?

Relationships & Connection

To ‘Turn the other cheek’ mean I have to keep taking abuse?

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Harsh words and rough hands can abuse but are we meant to turn the other cheek and accept the abuse. No, we are to grow in dignity. She had given into the bully 365 times too many. She had been cheek-slapped all of the marriage. For him, he had accepted […]

Anxiety & Stress

What to Do With Shame Slingers

I love watching those ‘Mission Impossible’ shows. The script takes you to places where you wonder how this ‘Mission Impossible’ will be resolved because if it isn’t, then the whole city is going to be destroyed in a nuclear explosion. I have met people who live in the shadow of […]