Every single human heart carries with it the same dignity, value, and worth. Every single human being deserves the same opportunities to be nurtured, encouraged, seen, and heard.
Ready or Not, Back to School Here We Come!
So much has changed over the last few months, and it can all feel a bit overwhelming! With COVID-19 spreading throughout the country in March, schools moved to online classes virtually overnight, and kids quickly transitioned to staying at home all day. Any hint of normalcy seems like a blur, especially with the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in the Memphis area.
Getting to the Root of It
I dread yard work. I find deep satisfaction in completing to-do lists, and yard work is never fully finished. It can require a constant rhythm of maintenance, which invites the maintainer to sometimes step into unpleasant weather conditions, not to mention mosquito bites and getting dirty. These are not a few of my favorite things.
Cultural Humility
Always Plant Tulips
In November, my husband, Tim, planted around 3,000 tulip bulbs in our garden. It took him a few days to dig up the dirt, place the bulbs in the ground, and cover them back up. I did not help. I never considered myself patient or mindful enough for any gardening type of work. I did not think much of the tulips again.
You and Your Child's COVID-19 Anxiety Survival Guide: Part 2
This is the second part to a 2 part series on helping your child (and yourself) to cope with your anxiety regarding COVID-19. The following is a list of evidence-based practices for management of anxiety as well as some general recommendations derived from a fellow-anxiety-sufferer’s plentiful experience in ineffective coping. I did learn that there is a better way! Enjoy benefitting from my life lessons built on many years of painful growth. While these strategies may not rid you of experiencing grief and anxiety at this time, it is my hope that they will help you to navigate these uncharted waters with your head above the surface and, perhaps, to find joy and peace in the eye of the storm. Now let’s get to the good stuff…
You and Your Child's COVID-19 Anxiety Survival Guide: Part 1
I have become intimately acquainted with the feelings of fear and anxiety throughout the course of my life. I can distinctly recall the first asthma attack that I had on the soccer field as a small child… the jolt of panic, the surge of adrenaline, the fight-or-flight response propelling me to seek out my mother for help. This occurrence on the soccer field set in motion my life-long battle with anxiety, particularly about my breathing. Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between what “feels” like I can’t breathe versus when I really am not breathing well.
Unprecedented
Staying Connected While Socially Distant
What Fills a Child Forms a Child
In the last twenty years, the well being of our children has plummeted to the point that professionals call it an epidemic. For tired, overworked parents, these numbers are overwhelming and even discouraging. We want our homes to be a place of hope and life, but we are overwhelmed with the bombardment of social media and technology, the fast pace of our culture, and all of the responsibilities we have to accomplish in a certain amount of time. How do we collectively move forward as parents to ensure the mental well being of our children (and even ourselves)?
Relationships in the New Year
Sarah Lawrence Allen, Kardia Collective Downtown Site Director and Licensed Professional Counselor, had the opportunity to speak with WREG News Channel 3 recently about the hard work and subsequent reward of relationships. She offers great insight for all of us as we seek a deeper connection with ourselves and others in the new year.
Relationships are the fuel of human existence and are worth the hard work.
Scream in My Ear
The Human Box
A couple years ago, I had the opportunity to celebrate a close friend turning 30. His wife gathered friends and family together from all over the country to eat BBQ, play cornhole, and celebrate. The weather was perfect. It was one of those nights where all the doors were open, the air conditioning was off, and people moved seamlessly inside and outside of the house. Their house was beautiful, and everything was in abundance: food, friends, conversation, and laughter. It was the perfect birthday celebration.
Keeping Kardia
I'm no etymologist, but words fascinate me. Kardia, in many of its uses, has captivated my attention for a long time. As a Bible student, kardia appears multiple times as the Greek word for heart.
Not the organ that pumps blood through your body. Kardia is the figurative core of your being. It is the seat and center of human life, emotion, volitional will. It is the "causative source of one's psychological life in its various aspects." All that to say, your heart is a huge deal and deserves attention and care!
What Does It Mean to Dream?
We are created to dream big. The moment we dream, we open ourselves up to feeling, desiring, aching, grieving, suffering, and celebrating. To dream means to be fully alive in a beautiful and tragic world. It means that we are willing to reach outside of ourselves, fully aware that we may not grasp what we long for. Part of the therapy process involves unearthing dreams that have been lost to trauma, addiction, depression, and anxiety. However, when we face the story of our life and begin to heal, we can risk dreaming again.
Celebrations
We have all seen the movie where the protagonist is a totally self-absorbed character—praised and rewarded by the adoring public for some remarkable talent or gift that has lost its meaning to him (think Tony Stark from Ironman). He or she has cabinets and closets full of awards, and the next one is simply tossed aside like an old candy wrapper. On the outside they have it all, but on the inside they’re thinking, “Is that all there is? I’ve gotten all the praise, wealth, and power that I have always sought and I still feel empty.”