As part of a Pregnancy and Infant loss training I’m currently participating in, I’ve been instructed/assigned/challenged to read three books about grief, loss, and bereavement and write a summary.  (Really, this is just giving me the accountability and motivation to follow through on reading these books, since they were already on my to-read list!) I […]

Danielle rolled her eyes.  “I was playing with a train set at home with my 4-year-old son, and we were going on twenty minutes of circling the same track and having the same dialogue between our train cars.  My mind was going numb. I hate to admit it, but my part-time job is what keeps […]

The field of maternal mental health encompasses the many stages of becoming a parent… family planning, conception, pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum period.  Sadly, according to womenshealth.gov, as many as 10 to 15 percent of confirmed pregnancies are lost.  As October comes to a close, I wanted to take a few minutes to acknowledge Pregnancy […]

Erin explains what brings her in for counseling:  “My anxiety has gone through the roof the past few months.  I just feel like I’m not where I should be in life. It feels like I’m letting everyone down; I’ll never live up to everyone’s expectations.  And on the flip side, I’m afraid people see me […]

When you’re expecting a baby, everyone talks about the positives… “It’s the greatest time in your life!  Motherhood is so rewarding!”  So why are you having such a hard time with this “magical” adjustment?  You’re feeling anxious and sad and sometimes (although you feel too guilty about this to ever admit it out loud) you […]

Nancy, a registered nurse, describes a typical working day: “Taking care of the patients is always so hectic; I barely have time to go to the bathroom myself.  When I’m working a 12-hour shift, I’m lucky to get an hour break. Usually by the end of my shift my brain is fuzzy from my blood […]

During a counseling session with Sarah, I listened as she reflected on a spiritual dry spell a few years earlier.  “I was leading a small group, I co-facilitated a Bible study, and I was on a leadership team for the young adult ministry at our church.  But somehow I still felt empty spiritually. I finally […]

In my last post, we established that taking care of ourselves is important and Biblical.  Yet this is something we all (myself included!) struggle with at some point.  What are some of the obstacles that you encounter when trying to take care of yourself? Guilt Lack of time Spouse not supportive Overcommitments Kids (child care, […]

If you were raised in Sunday School like I was, chances are you’ve encountered this acronym sometime in your childhood: Jesus Others You Put Jesus first, then serve others, and finally think of yourself.  Supposedly this brings JOY. I get the point that’s trying to be made— don’t be self-centered; life is generally better when […]

Notice anxiety creeping into your day? Here are three simple research-based things you can do to start feeling calmer right now. 1) Breathe.  Seems simple, but it really works.  When you’re focusing on your breath, you’re not focusing on your to-do list or fears.  Breathing also triggers neurons in the brain that it’s time to […]