I’ve been asked to do a video on good mental health habits; and I’d love to get your wisdom. Here’s some of mine; Talk it out – don’t bottle it up. Expressing feelings can be a big struggle for lots of us with MH issues. Sometimes it’s a trigger, (you feel bad, but don’t know why; you don’t have anyone to talk to; you learned that negative emotions are ‘bad’, so you look to other ways to ‘speak’ such as …Read More
Back to school – for some, it’s great. But for others, (parents/carers and kids), it’s a nightmare. So what can you do to help an anxious child? Recognise that fear takes different forms. For one child it’s an obsession with getting everything ‘right’ … for another, indifference and refusal to try. As adults, we can take a step back. What is the child communicating with their behaviour? Are they trying to get attention because they need reassurance? Are they opting …Read More
Acknowledge your feelings but remind them that you’re in charge. Think of them as a two year-old who needs reassurance and a bit of loving firmness. Remember, you have felt like this before; and it was all ok. If in doubt, stick to your usual plan/routine. (The one you made before your brain was flooded with adrenalin). But Don’t try to do too much. It’s tempting to over schedule when you’re stressed, but you need downtime too. Work out …Read More
My daughter has just started nursery. For a three year-old this is a very big deal, so we talked beforehand about what she could expect. A new place and new people. New things to learn; new toys and routines. ‘Mummy and daddy won’t be there’ we said, ‘but you can take Derek.’ Derek is Ruby’s dinosaur; and where she goes, he follows. The park and the toilet and the beach and the bus. She told Derek ‘I love you,’ long …Read More
But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 What does it mean to wait for the Lord? waiting expectantly – trusting that we’re not treading water, or wasting time. God hasn’t forgotten about us. He hears; and this waiting is part of His answer focusing on His faithfulness in the past. Looking to His …Read More
When you’re feeling battered and squashed, remember Jesus. … Because He is God, He is enthroned above the flood. Because He is Man, He steers us through the storms. Because He is God, the book has been written. Because He is Man, our story is His. Because He is God, He is beyond my understanding. Because He is Man, He is my closest Friend. Because He is God, His future will prevail. Because He is Man, my past will not. …Read More
My default setting is ‘fear,’ not ‘faith.’ How’s my friend’s baby doing? Will she recover; and what can I do? Why did God let this happen? Will I be able to meet up with Y; and if so, what will I say? Why is the car making that noise? Is that a dodgy mole on my leg? What will happen to my family if I get sick? On and on it goes; and the list gets longer the more I …Read More
In Hebrew, the word for ‘shame’ goes beyond feeling embarrassed for yourself. It’s about hoping in something foolish; (false gods are sometimes called “shame”). It’s the anguish you feel when both you and the things in which you have trusted, are exposed. Idols are “things of shame” – false sources of confidence and identity. But their shame is contagious – they make us shameful too! Here’s the cycle: We go to shameful things to feel OK. They make us feel even more shameful, so …Read More
You can’t fix the past – and you don’t need to. Redemption means that everything, even your worst, your most shameful moments, are covered. They are being woven into something beautiful. You can’t live in the future – and you wouldn’t want to. Even the future you desperately want – the one you dare not name because it’s too painful to open your heart to hope; even that would be no good for you right now. The future needs to …Read More
I want you to know that I see you. Not just the bright smile you share with strangers. Not just the bent shoulders, picking up toys. Not just the coper, who gets it all done. Not just the shiny bits; the triumphs and successes. Not just the qualifications or the clipboard or desk. I see when you stumble I see when you sleep I see when you fall and I see when you weep. I see it all. And I see all of …Read More
