coping

Doomscrolling and Information Overload

Doomscrolling and Information Overload

On a daily basis, we are bombarded with images and sounds of all kinds. Through various forms of media - be it podcasts, videos or articles - we are constantly being overloaded with information about ourselves, other people, and the world around us. Doomscrolling and information overload have become the “new normal” in our world today, but what are the impacts that it can have on our spiritual, mental, emotional, and even physical health? And what kind of boundaries and coping skills can we apply to our online engagement to help us stay safe, sane, and grounded in Christ?

When the Seasons Change and My Mood Follows

When the Seasons Change and My Mood Follows

For many of us, winter is not always the wonderland we hope or expect it to be. As the weather gets colder and days get darker, our mood often follows suit. Fewer daylight hours and drops in temperature can also mean increased feelings of sadness, irritability, isolation, and fatigue. And although we can’t control the weather, we can take steps to decrease depressive symptoms and improve our overall mood this coming winter.

Preparing for the Holidays

Preparing for the Holidays

For many people, the holidays can bring up anxiety, sadness, distress, or a sense of overwhelm. With the fun and festivities of the season can also come painful memories, tense conversations, and complicated relationships. If this is something you’ve struggled with in the past, here are some practical ways to prepare for and protect your mental health this upcoming holiday season.

How To Be Angry

How To Be Angry

Anger has the capacity to be constructive and purposeful, but more often it becomes destructive and vengeful.  To avoid such negative outcomes, we could withhold or suppress our anger entirely, but this tends to produce resentment and passive-aggression which ultimately lead to equally negative results over time. So what are we to do with our anger?  How can we defuse the destructive aspects of anger so that its constructive and important aspects can be clearly expressed?

5 Ways to (Actually) Practice Silence

5 Ways to (Actually) Practice Silence

We know that finding space for peace, quiet, and stillness is somehow essential for our souls. But it can seem so elusive, almost as if the whole world is conspiring against us being able to ever really experience it. Or maybe it’s something within ourselves that keeps driving us away from silence. If this describes you too, then I want to encourage you to recognize all of the small ordinary moments that are actually available to you throughout most days and simply allow them to be silent.

The Inner Critic

The Inner Critic

Self-talk can be used as an effective form of self-motivation and self-regulation, but, when dominated by the voice of the inner critic, its effect is anything but helpful.  It tends to keep us feeling defeated, alienated, and exhausted.  Moreover, the inner critic distorts our view of self so that we begin to define ourselves more by our perpetual insufficiencies rather than the absolute and unchanging sufficiency of God’s love for us.  So what can be done to put this inner critic in its rightful place and better align our self-talk with the realities of God’s love for us? Our team shares their own personal insights and practices on this all-too-familiar challenge.

Survival Skills

Survival Skills

Mental health providers are, in many ways, serving as “front line workers” amidst our current crises.  As human beings, they are faced with all the same stressors and hardships as most people during this time, while, as therapists, they are also called to carry the overwhelming burdens of a wide range of people afflicted in a wide range of ways by these very same circumstances and to do that with absolute steadiness and compassion. To complicate things further, the boundaries between personal and professional life have been blurred as most services are provided via telehealth typically from a private space in one’s own home and with greater fluidity of schedule.  This results in an often jarring shift back and forth between personal stressors and concerns and those of the clients with very little buffer in between.

Our team at Harbor has been unwavering throughout this challenging season – unwavering in their empathy, wisdom, patience, resilience, prayerfulness, and care.  They have also worked hard to ensure that they are being sustained in body, mind, and spirit while carrying the unique burdens of serving on the “front lines” of mental health during this time.  So to celebrate them, we wanted to highlight their voices and let them share their insights on how they have been managing to “survive” under the many pressures of the season.

 

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