Health
I Can’t Cheer Them Up – When a Loved One Struggles With Depression
I lift my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2 Watching a loved one struggle with depression is a frustrating, often exhausting battle. For many of us, our natural inclination is to try to “cheer up” someone who appears unhappy. For someone with depression, this is not always possible, and the effort involved can leave caregivers feeling exhausted, frustrated, and emotionally…
Spiritual Dimentions of Trauma
In my work as a mental health counselor, I have come to realize that trauma is not just an isolated event or a series of events that people have to deal with but that there are spiritual dimensions of trauma. Some facts that inform this concept are: • The well known and widely accepted notion that we are not just human beings having brief moments of spiritual experiences; we are spiritual beings having brief moments of human experience. • The…
Love in the Time of Corona – Family Edition
We’ve been dealing with this whole COVID-19 business for several months now, and though society might not be as tightly restricted as it was a few months ago, the strain continues to wear on us, and through us, our families. Initially, we operated in what was almost a state of shock, every decision geared toward survival. Gradually, we have begun the scramble toward normalcy, but it has been made clear that that journey will be a long one – more…
The Impact of COVID on Our Families, Our churches, and Ourselves
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust…He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings will you find refuge.” Psalm 91:1,2,4a I saw a meme the other day that encapsulated the way I feel about 2020 and COVID-19. It said: “This is not September 15th. It’s March 182nd.” Given…
When Self-care Is A Struggle
As we battle the current global pandemic, physical self-care seems to have become a “buzz word” among individuals and with health care workers. While people often associate physical self-care with having a massage on a regular basis or treating themselves to a movie regularly or buying new outfits on a regular basis, there is much more to itthan this. In my private practice, I often walk clients through what I call the four pillars of physical self-care. These are: Eating nutritious foods consistently It…