Why Mentally Preparing for the New Year is Important
Over the next five Sundays I’ll explore why preparing for the New Year in healthy ways will engender positive changes in our self-care routines.
Don’t Neglect the Importance of Caregiver Self-Care
The month of November marks the beginning of another National Family Caregivers Month in the United States. You may wonder what a family caregiver IS and why anyone would set aside an entire month to recognize them. You may not even realize that this month is set aside to celebrate YOU. Neglecting caregiver self-care can prove deadly, so follow along this month as we explore ways to take care of yourself during your caregiving seasons. Are YOU a Family Caregiver?…
Unfiltered Words Wound Worse than Swords
Do you have a family member who suffers from a mental illness? I learned the hard way what happens when I don’t filter my words. Unfiltered Words Wound Worse than Swords At the time, we thought we said the right things. We thought we spoke in love and Christian admonition. Unfortunately, in our urge to correct and to help Sarah, our daughter, make good choices, we spoke without first letting the Holy Spirit filter our words. “What you’re doing is…
How to Avoid Family Drama During the Holidays
This month, the Self-Care Sunday series will focus on Fall. It’s the perfect time of year to prepare yourself mentally for the holidays. Especially if your family gatherings end up stressing you out and building resentment. In order to move towards mental wholeness, we need to learn to handle problems when they arise. Another Holiday Dilemma “What?” I exclaimed. “I can’t believe they invited us for Christmas this year.” Pedro shrugged and replied, “They are family.” “I know.” Just the…
How to Stand up to a Bully
For Self-care Sunday this month we’ll be talking about all things back-to-school. One of the most important back-to-school topics we need to understand is what to do with a bully. Especially when we discover how close to home the bully might live. The link to the book is an affiliate link. Listening to Myself As I walked on the dirt road behind our house I chastised myself. “Why didn’t you start preparing for this presentation sooner? You can act so…
How to Find Freedom from Worry in Five Steps
This month, the Self-Care Sunday series will focus on freedom. Join me each Sunday as I show how self-care can bring you freedom. The Negative Effects of Worry Worry wrapped its sticky fingers around me, threatening to pull me under a wave of despair. Big worries—my husband’s health, the mountain of debt built by cancer—that loomed giant and threatening. Small worries—what to fix for supper, grading papers, the girl at school who seemed depressed—that nagged like mosquitos on a hot…
How to Reap the Best Mental Health Benefits of Vacation
This month’s Self-Care Sunday series will focus on vacation. Come back next week for tips on balancing learning with vacation. The Mental Health Benefits of Vacation Vacation can cut down on your stress levels, boost your creativity, and help you bond with your family. It can also cause extra stress, drain you, and cause family arguments. How can you avoid the later and obtain the former? Planning ahead! If you’re single—your imagination is the only thing that limits you. Don’t…
What Happens When Family Admits You to a Psych Ward?
Psych: It’s Not Just a TV Show May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Three years ago, our family went through the trauma of discovering our daughter had bipolar disorder. Don’t get me wrong, the diagnosis didn’t traumatize us any more than a diabetes diagnosis might traumatize us. But the events leading up to Sarah’s diagnosis did traumatize us. Mostly because we couldn’t understand what was happening to our sweet, talented, friendly, compassionate daughter. You can read the entire story at…
Why You Should Know the Effects of Depression In Teens
We highlight mental self-care the first Sunday of each month for Self-Care Sunday. Today, I’ve invited one of my students to share her opinion paper with you. Cherie Whitney wrote this as an assignment for her English class, and she has a powerful message about depression for parents and teachers. Why You Should Know the Effects of Depression In Teens by Cherie Whitney I think adults should know the effects of depression. Most adults seem to ignore that someone…
The Importance of Speaking Well of Your Children
Self-Care Sundays For the next eight months, I’ll continue the MAPS theme from my Write 31 Days Challenge. I strongly feel that in our self-indulgent culture, we often lose sight of the difference between nurturing ourselves and indulging ourselves. Occasional indulgence won’t hurt anyone, but a steady diet of indulgence that overlooks actual self-care can leave us feeling empty and confused. The acronym MAPS stands for Mental, Academic/Artistic, Physical and Spiritual—the four areas of our lives that we need to…
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