They will know we are Christians by our love. I've been thinking about that phrase a lot lately and it is always immediately followed by "but will they?" Christians are called to love. To show the love of Christ. To serve others. Sacrifice for them. Help them. Throughout the pandemic, the image I have gotten of Christians has not been love. It has not been a selfless desire to serve others. The most prominent image I've gotten has been a selfish desire to protect their personal freedoms over the safety of those around them. Yes, I'm talking about masks. I never thought I'd see the day when a p ..read more

A huge thank you to Rachel Leycroft for taking the time to write this post. I hope each of you are as touched by her words as I was. Additional information about her and links to her social media accounts can be found at the bottom. As many of you already know, anxiety disorders are the most common of all mental disorders, affecting one in every 13 people. With everything happening in our present world, I would imagine that even more of us are becoming familiar with the unsettling, panicked feeling that anxiety brings when it visits. I have battled various forms of anxiety throughout my life ..read more

This is going to be a short and sweet post this week! I went back to work last week and I know many others did, too. I'm happy to be back at work. I missed my co-workers, I missed my job, and I missed having something to do every day. But in my state, I didn't just go back to work. The stay-at-home order was officially lifted. Everything is opening back up within the next few days and weeks. People are outside enjoying the nice weather, usually without masks on. Life seems to be close to "normal." I am not okay with that. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that things are reopening. But I am als ..read more

There is no quick fix for anxiety. I'm sure y'all know that by now. However, there are things that can help in the moment and some of them help pretty quick. The best one I know? Water. Here's a couple examples of how it can help. If you're having a panic or anxiety attack, try drinking water (I will say that's easier if there's someone with you to bring you water). But often, the first step to ending an anxiety or panic attack is to calm your breathing. If you can slow your breathing, you can slow your heart rate and begin to lose the sense of panic. You know what you can't do when you're dri ..read more

There is no quick fix for anxiety. I'm sure y'all know that by now. However, there are things that can help in the moment and some of them help pretty quick. The best one I know? Water. Here's a couple examples of how it can help. If you're having a panic or anxiety attack, try drinking water (I will say that's easier if there's someone with you to bring you water). But often, the first step to ending an anxiety or panic attack is to calm your breathing. If you can slow your breathing, you can slow your heart rate and begin to lose the sense of panic. You know what you can't do when you're dri ..read more

This post is inspired by the same conversation I talked about The woman at my work had asked me how to know who to trust and said it's hard for her to open up to people she doesn't trust. I told her that was okay, because not everyone you know is someone you spill your life story to. As my mom explained it to me, there are rings of friendship. They nest within each other, so they get bigger as you go out. Here's a visual, then we'll get into the layers. The inner ring is your best friends. The people you tell everything to. The people you trust with your life. The friends who are basically fa ..read more

The same stranger I'd had I talked about this pattern of thinking in But this woman at work wanted to know what she should do about this thinking. She felt trapped by it and needed an escape plan. So I asked her if she's ever taken time to think about everything that can go right. Her face lit up from the idea and she grinned. When I find myself worrying about what can go wrong, it's hard to leave that line of thinking. It weighs on me and crushes me and I keep thinking of worse and worse outcomes until I'm convinced that nothing good can possibly happen. This isn't a tool I utilize often, but ..read more

We have all lost so much in the last few weeks. Classes were moved online for the rest of the semester. All students had to move off campus and since I don't live on campus, I didn't get a chance to say goodbye. Commencement was canceled. Then my job's hours were shortened. Then Michigan went into lockdown and the bookstore I work at closed completely. My sister tested positive for the virus. I can't see my family for weeks. It has felt like every time I think things can't get worse, something happens and guys, I am overwhelmed. I am stressed. I am scared. This is a historical time we're livin ..read more

I had a stranger approach me at work recently and the conversation we had inspired this blog post and two others coming in the future. She told me her therapist wanted her to write "I am enough" on index cards and place them where she'd see them. She told me she didn't feel comfortable doing that. "I am enough" is a common phrase in therapy. It's used to remind people of their worth and that their worth doesn't come from others. But for Christians, that phrase shouldn't sit well because we know it isn't true. We know that no one is enough. We will never be enough. It's not possible. On our own ..read more

This is going to make some of you mad. I'm okay with that. The people angered by this post are likely the people it's directed towards. Here we go. If you've been saying your mental health is terrible for years, you are the reason it is that way. Not entirely of course, but at some point, this is your brain. You need to take care of it the same way you'd take care of the rest of your body. Let's use a physical illness as a comparison, because that seems to help people understand. If you break your leg and do nothing about it, that leg is not going to get better. It'll continue to be messed up ..read more