• Abundant Life,  Self,  Self Awareness,  Self-Acceptance,  Self-awareness,  Self-forgiveness,  self-improvement

    Godly Self-Care: Learning to Live Whole

    Self-care is often the source of disdain for Christian bloggers. Sometimes they have a point in that much of self-care advice is shallow and merely a diversion from the actual underlying issues that cause us suffering. I have nothing against pedicures, chocolate, soothing music, or hot baths. But I truly believe that self-care, in its proper sense, is absolutely godly and even more of a command than a suggestion. The human is the crowning glory of creation, whose central injunctions are to steward the earth and make more humans. I hate those memes suggesting that humans are an invasive species or a virus from which nature suffers. But in all…

  • anniversary trauma
    Christmas,  emotional health,  emotions,  healing,  Healthy Discipline,  Trauma

    Anniversary Trauma: 5 Strategies to Overcome It

    Five Ways to Overcome Anniversary Trauma It’s funny how anniversary trauma sneaks up on a person. November 30 marked the one year anniversary of the earthquake in Eagle River, Alaska. I am currently recovering from a car accident, so while on the table with my massage therapist, I found myself extremely tense. There is a difference between muscle spasms due to injury and muscles that are clenched from tension. I had plenty of the first, but this time I had tension all over my body. I knew that my lower back had been particularly painful, but this day, the therapist couldn’t go anywhere near it. All of a sudden, it…

  • Emotion,  emotional health,  Self-Acceptance,  Self-awareness,  Self-Destructive,  self-improvement

    How Self-Examination Can Save Your Life

    Self-examination is the study of one’s habits, thoughts, and motivations. Most of us are too busy these days to stop and do some careful soul-searching. And why would we? The number of distractions luring us to far more immediately rewarding activities has never been higher. But if you are like me, you have a list of things you would like to accomplish, habits you would like to drop, and maybe some old losses you would like to resolve. Self-examination does not have to be so arduous. In fact, it can become a habit. The danger of foregoing this particular self-discipline is not dissimilar to the dangers faced by those with…