Overcoming the Dark Side of Social Media and Body Image
Is it hard not to view your body through the lens of social media these days? You may not even be aware of this tendency, but it can be harmful to body image and thus your mental and emotional health. We all understand the complexities that come from our self-perception as well as the worries of what we assume other people think about us. We also have our desires and intentions for who we want to be, but create false expectations of how [...]
Helping Your Child with Their Big Emotions: A Child and Family Therapist Shares Some Tips
When your children are so filled with emotions, do they dissolve into tears, start yelling, run to their room, or begin to panic? Big emotions can feel scary and overwhelming – for kids and their parents. But there are some simple steps to help kids express their emotions in healthy ways. The biology of big emotions. First, let’s talk briefly about what happens in our bodies when we feel these big emotions. When a big emotion comes, typically it floods the front of the [...]
Depression in Men: Signs, Symptoms, and How to Help
Men have grown up with statements like “men don’t cry” and “man up” being drilled down to them whenever they faced difficult situations. The general belief is that men are supposed to be strong, unbreakable, and able to deal with whatever storms life throws at them. Women on the other hand are allowed to cry, express their feelings, vent, or break down while men are treated like superheroes that need to have it all together. This perpetuates a harmful belief that being a [...]
How to Pray for Your Teen Using Scripture
Prayer is one of the best tools a parent has for protecting, caring for, and loving their teens. Although it may seem like prayer is a last resort, you can use prayer any time to help your kids, and it doesn’t need to be complicated. Why your teen needs your prayer. Teens face what feels like an endless barrage of issues. Pair these with the continued brain development of the teen years and hormone fluctuations, and it’s clear to see that teens need [...]
How to Take Every Thought Captive
Are you struggling with unwanted thoughts? Let’s look at a Bible verse with the concept of how to take every thought captive. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. – 2 Corinthians 10:5, NIV But what does this mean, and how do we do it? The context. This verse from 2 Corinthians is part of a larger passage in which the apostle Paul is answering [...]
Signs of OCD: How Can I Tell if I Have It?
OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) is a chronic mental health condition characterized by a cycle of recurring uncontrollable unwanted thoughts (obsessions) that invade your mind and drive you to repeatedly perform certain ritualistic behaviors (compulsions) to make them go away. This cycle is a distressing, time-consuming process that tends to hurt your ability to carry out your normal day-to-day functions, and significantly interferes with your performance at work and your social interactions. Most people who suffer from signs of OCD experience both obsessions and compulsions. [...]