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When My Thoughts Lie to Me
Anxious Faith Anxious Faith

When My Thoughts Lie to Me

When my inner world was so gray and cloudy, was it any wonder that I perceived everything around me through the same dark lens? Was it any wonder that, a few months before this when my therapist tasked me with making a list of 100 good things in my life, it took me almost a month to do so?

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3 Lessons God Taught Me in Managing My Bipolar
Anxious Faith Anxious Faith

3 Lessons God Taught Me in Managing My Bipolar

Learning to manage my bipolar disorder has shown me that God’s faithfulness will prevail, even in the worst circumstances. These lessons did not come overnight. Through two years of battling severe mood swings, figuring out the right treatment plan, and strengthening my faith in low moments, I am where I am today because of God’s grace.

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Elmo’s Wholesome Question That Broke the Internet
Madeleine Scholefield Madeleine Scholefield

Elmo’s Wholesome Question That Broke the Internet

Elmo (yes, the red fuzzy puppet from the show Sesame Street) tweeted on the 30th of January: “Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” The answer? Not good, Elmo. Not good at all.

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How to Be Helpful When a Loved One Tells You They’re Anxious
Anxious Faith Anxious Faith

How to Be Helpful When a Loved One Tells You They’re Anxious

I understand how anxiety can hijack physiology and rational thought at any time, in any place: at the grocery store, at work, in mid-conversation on a coffee date — it has no regard for students’ classwork or adults’ busy agendas. It doesn’t care. Everybody’s anxiety is different, though, which is why this post is about asking the right questions, rather than giving the right advice.

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6 People in the Bible Who Struggled With Their Mental Health
Anxious Faith Anxious Faith

6 People in the Bible Who Struggled With Their Mental Health

Each of these people in the Bible is a reminder that those of us who struggle with our mental health are not alone. But beyond that, we can also learn valuable lessons from those who’ve gone before us in how they dealt with and responded to their struggles. Let’s take a look.

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It's a New Year, but I'm Exhausted
Madeleine Scholefield Madeleine Scholefield

It's a New Year, but I'm Exhausted

I don’t know what you’re facing. Maybe you’re looking forward to what’s coming. Maybe you’ve written the lists and set the goals and so far you’re actually sticking to them. But, if you’re like me, you’re feeling a little worn out. A little on the back-foot.

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What’s My Next Step?
Anxious Faith Anxious Faith

What’s My Next Step?

You might find yourself feeling like you’re treading water. You aren’t in the places that you’ve left behind, but you aren’t yet in the places that you thought God was calling you to. There’s a constant back and forth between what was and what is not yet, but all the while you feel like you aren’t really anywhere.

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Clinical Anxiety Isn’t What the Church Thinks It Is
Anxious Faith Anxious Faith

Clinical Anxiety Isn’t What the Church Thinks It Is

All I knew about anxiety had come from my church. And all my church taught was that anxiety was worry. It was a failure to trust God with my future. And if I prayed and ‘genuinely gave it to God’, it would go away.

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I Wish I’d Known It Was Religious OCD
Anxious Faith Anxious Faith

I Wish I’d Known It Was Religious OCD

I grew up in an unhealthy church environment, and I believe that is one of the reasons my OCD latched onto faith. It started with scary, intrusive thoughts about the devil, and crippling doubts about the reliability of scripture and whether Christianity was something I truly believed.

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10 Surprising Things I’ve Learned About Having Good Mental Health
Anxious Faith Anxious Faith

10 Surprising Things I’ve Learned About Having Good Mental Health

I’ve never struggled with depression or anxiety – until a few years ago. I had a panic attack on a small aircraft as it was flying through a storm, bouncing around like a dodgem car. And for a good year after that incident, I felt incredibly anxious whenever I boarded aircraft. But I sought help and began the journey of responding well to anxiety.

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