Stress
Bad Marriage Advice
We’ve all heard it. Someone, somewhere gave another human marriage advice so spectacularly bad that we cringed a little bit inside. Usually this someone was on a reality show. Or at a relative’s wedding. Those unfortunate platitudes are easy to spot and just as easy to brush aside. Slightly more dangerous, however, are those bits of advice that seem very applicable and true on the surface, but become somewhat problematic if you look at them a little closer. Here are…
Thin Yellow Lines
Do you remember the first time you saw The Wizard of Oz? The moment Dorothy opened the door to the brilliant Technicolor of a new and foreign land? The strangeness of the houses and the munchkins’ clothing and speech–and the “Lollipop Guild”? “Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” I had an out-of-Kansas experience in my early twenties when I moved across the ocean to teach in a foreign land: China. There everything seemed unfamiliar. I looked…
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…
Suicide and Teens
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 If you’re a parent of a teenager, you are faced with innumerable challenges every day. Parenting a teen in the age of smartphones, social media, and internet is incredibly difficult and downright terrifying. Bullies, harmful internet content, and comparison-driven social media can now reach…
Suicide-Who Is At Risk?
Suicide – Who is at risk? The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 Robin Williams. Anthony Bourdain. Kate Spade. Ernest Hemingway. Virginia Woolf. More than likely, you recognize at least one or two of those names. If not, you would surely recognize some of the dozens of others that appear after a quick Google search of two words: “celebrity suicide.” Celebrity suicides garner national attention, many express heartbreak over the…
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…
“Roads in the Desert”
I don’t like asking for help. I have a couple of theories on this. The first is easier to digest: we Southerners are raised in such politeness that we are always willing to offer help and generally reluctant to accept it. There’s a charm, an old-fashioned chivalry in that belief. My second theory, though, is strikingly less noble: I am either too proud to ask for help or too fearful that I will ask too much–or worse, that I will…
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…
Stress and Your Relationship with God
“In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered and set me free.” Psalm 118:5 In our previous post, we talked about Nature and Nurture and explored how our genes (nature) have an impact on our mental health. This time, we are going to go deeper to talk about the influence of our environment. When I say “environment,” I am not necessarily talking about trees and rivers. Mental health professionals often use the term ‘environment’ to refer to…