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Are “Chemical Imbalances” Real or Not?
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I had a comment about chemical imbalances from a person named Chris a while back and I wanted to address it in a post. Question How do we know “chemical imbalances” are real? Are there any blood tests or brain scans that can prove their existence beyond all reasonable doubt?…
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One Surefire Strategy to Escape Boredom
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The Lotus Flower To escape boredom, try this brainstorming technique. I picked it up from the book ThinkerToys – which is a super helpful book on methods of thinking outside-the-box. This is also known as “mind-mapping” in some places. Start with a circle in the center of the page and…
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Confessions of a Passive Truth-Teller
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“Tell me, what’s you’re name, Katie?” Embarrassed by the silly question, I gave a raised brow toward the bright-eyed photographer as he snapped away. That year, 95% of our family photos for our church directory came out with me giving the camera a quirky expression. All because of our photographer’s…
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You Can’t Change Your Loved One with Mental Illness, But Here’s What You CAN Do
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Living with our loved ones can be a battle, let alone the loved ones with mental illness. We tend to want to change others’ behaviors, but we cannot. We can only control our behaviors and set healthy boundaries to encourage better behaviors. Here are a few ideas of what you…
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Things I Would Have Done Differently In the Psych Ward
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Behind Closed Doors I remember the days in that maddening season of life that I felt like a prisoner inside a prison, inside a prison. Not only was I locked within my own manic-psychotic mind, I was locked behind the doors of the psych ward. Adding insult to injury, the…
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No One’s Perfect and That’s OK
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God uses people with their gifts and flaws. Have you messed up? Join the club. It’s only fitting that we share in the mission and ministry of a God whose best leaders fall short. He can still use someone who is willing to honor Him. Looking at God’s Examples The…
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Getting to Your Best Life (Eventually), But Getting There
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Disclaimer To be clear, this is not a sermon or book from Joel Osteen on “how to live your best life now.” However, this is a blog post on how to get to a better version of life, based on a conversation I had with my older brother, successful family…
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No Regrets
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I’ve noticed a common theme these last few weeks. We get comfortable. Comfort numbs us to life. It gives a foothold to fear. It breeds inhibition. And then complacency. Time passes. We turn around and if we haven’t taken advantage of the season, we regret it. We have lost a…
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Recommended Reading “The Label Doesn’t Define You”
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The human experience is one of trouble and transformation. It’s more uncommon and yet more uniting to find a shared human experience. I met author Kayla Rose Warner at the annual Fresh Hope for Mental Health Gala last year. We hit it off immediately, as we sat at the same…
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We Are But Mortals On This Planet
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Going for a walk last night, my husband and I noticed a particularly bright light in the sky. It was too bright to be a star, and stationary in its position. Leaving the neighborhood and entering into the darker surroundings of farmland, Chris pulled out the Google Star Map app…