Raindrops on Roses – 3 Ways to Control Your Thoughts and Foster Resilience

3 Ways to Foster Resilience

Raindrops​ on roses
And whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

 Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver-white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things

​When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad

As a child with pediatric brain cancer, I recall listening to this song while in the hospital over and over to get through the many struggles I encountered. 

This song describes something  that psychologists and counselors study and try to impart during therapy… the impact of our thoughts on our feelings and overall mood. 

Here I examine  3 ways to foster this resilience and pattern of thinking including  developing an optimistic outlook through interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy,meditating on scripture  and using imagery and mindfulness to foster psychological well-being.

Continue Reading

5 Simple Self-Care Practices to Help Improve Your Mental Health

Self-Care Practices for Mental Health

This is a guest post on 5 Simple Self-Care Practices by Brad Krause from SelfCaring.info. Brad is dedicated to helping people discover that we all have the potential to be the best versions of ourselves we can possibly be, but it comes down to prioritizing our own wellness through self-care.

When life gets busy, it can be hard to remember to take care of yourself. Many things can get in the way of putting yourself first, such as work commitments and time with friends and family. However, it’s important to practice self-care because if you don’t, your mental health can suffer. Here are some simple ways that you can improve your physical and mental health, so you can start living the best life possible.

Continue Reading

Three Tactics to Help You Take Control of Your Life

The following entry contains 3 resources to help you establish a sense of organization and control in your life.  Planning and making priorities in life allows you to gain a clear picture of what is important. This planning helps us stay focused so we can reach our goals.  Here, I present 3 strategies to gaining control and becoming organized through the use of a calendar, planner or other list, expressing yourself through a journal or diary, and approaching chores or other family responsibilities by the use of a systematic method.

Continue Reading

3 Steps for Overcoming Adversity

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it,” Helen Keller

What is the meaning of our suffering?  Why do bad things happen to good people?  What is the difference in the person who encounters disability or illness and accomplishes great things versus the one who becomes angry and despondent after adversity?

In this entry, I examine the importance of finding meaning in our challenges, the role of psychological resilience in dealing with our problems, and using suffering to learn and grow. Continue reading “3 Steps for Overcoming Adversity”