We
tend to experience stress when we are not able to meet certain
expectations on a reoccuring basis. We may be facing a crisis
like the loss of a home from a tornado. We may experience loss
from a job or losing someone we love. Other times stress comes by
not meeting the demands at work. Other times the circumstances
changes at home and we find it hard to meet the expectations of our
spouse or significant other or children. Stress can also come
from a lack of finances or a combination of the above. We can
also face stress when we don't have what we thought we would have by
a certain point in our life. Some refer to this as a midlife
crisis. See if you can relate to any of symptoms of stress
listed below. If one or more of the symptoms interferes with
your life and throws your life out of balance you could benefit from
some counseling.
Common Symptoms of
Stress:
Loss of a
spouse
Loss of a
job
Loss of
heath
Death of a loved
one
Death of a
pet
PTSD Post traumatic Stress
Disorder
Unable to meet expectations at
work
Unable to meet expectations of
family life
Financial
difficulties
Low Self
Esteem
Anger
outbursts
Anger
management
Angry at
self
Difficulty
Coping
Wondering who I
am
Hard to find balance in
life
Not enough emotional support from
other people
Wore out
emotionally
Little
patience
Feel like on a
treadmill
Confusion
Apathy
Sarcasm
Critical of others and
Self
Hard to keep a positive
attitude
Defensive with
others
Frequent
arguments
Little or poor
sleep
No time to
exercise
Eat irregular or
poorly
Gaining
weight
Feeling blue or
discouraged
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
winter time blues
Worry
lot
Procrastinate
If you or someone you know have 2 or
more of these symptoms call for a more indepth assessment of
the person and situation. Help is just a phone call
away. Counseling can be provided for more difficult
emotional issues. Coaching can be used where the emotional
issues do not appear to be that excessive. Or where the person
prefers to be self pay and not go through insurance.
This is a process of
determining how each is perceiving the problem and finding the
best way ofhelping each partner
achieve their goals in the
relationship. Typically the couple works on their
communication skills in order to clarify their words and bring an
understanding to their behaviors. Many times it is helpful
to have a mediator to interpret and clarify things for each person
in order to assist the communication process. If the
relationship is too conflicted it may be necessary to work on some
individual issues with each person before the couple is brought
back to work on their relationship together in therapy.
Typical problems that
bring about marital or couples
therapy: Stress, Time Together, Intimacy
Issues, Financial Stress, Personal loss, Divorce, Remarriage,
Parenting.
Often
times people will call and ask for a Christian Counselor or ask
for Christian Counseling. I have had affiliations with local
pastors, churches, the Meier Clinic and New Life Ministries.
I am acquainted with their teaching and materials. They have
many resources to use which can be helpful in dealing with the
topics of codependency, Jerky (abusive) behavior,
raising children, depression, anger, healthy boundaries,
safe relationships, genetic predispositions for mental illness,
spiritual development, devotionals, recovery Bible for addictions,
and books on sexual purity for men and resources for the women
that suffer from their husband's sexual addiction.
Feel free to call or email if you are interested
in seeking Christian Counseling. I would be happy to talk
with you or answer questions you may have about how I could be of
service to you at this time.
Common Symptoms that tend to
bring people in for Christian Counseling:
Premarital
counseling
Stormy engagement
Doubts before
marriage
Unequally yoked with
spouse
Spiritual
Confusion
Sexual Purity issues or sexual
addiction
Sexual / Gender
Orientation
Control issues
"Something must be wrong with me"
thinking.
Marital or couple arguments or
fights
Relationship Abuse
Anger at self or at God
Unforgiveness
Holding unto grudges
Grieving the loss of a loved
one
Wanting to make peace with your
past
Excessive guilt or
fears
Lack of trust in God or
others
Avoiding doing the right
things
Anger at authority figures or
God
Life out of balance
Can't stop having
affairs
Can't trust anyone
Hard to talk about your
feelings
In a Crisis and needing someone to talk
to
Needing freedom in
Christ
Needing to be set free from spiritual
strongholds
Inability to pray
Isolating your true self from
others
Anger in excess for the
situation
Spiritual dilemmas
Need for inner healing
unresolved issues from the
past
past sexual or physical
abuse
feeling anxious no matter how much you try to
trust God
How we see ourselves is important to
our own self identity. Some individuals have problems with
feeling comfortable with their own feelings of attraction to the
same or opposite sex. Therapy is a safe place to process those
feelings and develop a comfort level with how they see and feel
about themselves and others.
OCD is a chemical imbalance
in the brain that causes a person to worry or ruminate about a
particular thing or idea and must do something to illeviate the
obsession with a compulsion. OCD is treatable without
medication but medication can bring much needed relief sooner than
ongoing cognitive behavioral therapy. Common ruminations or
thoughts include counting, cleaning, checking, spiritual fears or
worries or sexual type fears. Typically an OCD person
has the thought "I wonder if.... this might happen?" or What
if....this or that happens?" OCD can make it difficult to
maintain consistent employment, social activities, and marital
relationships. Often times OCD has accompanying depression
which also must be treated. People with OCD worry what others
think and fear being "found out" about their unusual thoughts or
behaviors. They work very hard to try to maintain a sense of
normalcy for themselves and in front of others.
Therapy is used to address the
obsessions and compulsions and change the thinking to make the brain
accept more normal thoughts and behaviors.
Attention Deficit Disorder or
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity is more common these
days. Teachers and parents are more aware of the common
symptoms of hyperactivity, difficulty staying on task, wanting
to move from thing to thing, and finding it hard to do normal school
activities like take notes and pay attention and listen.
Boredom with academics, feeling sleepy without activity, and
impulsive anger or agitation seem to accompany the students and
adults with this disorder.
Attention Deficit Disorder
can make it difficult for children and teens to successfully
complete homework on their own. Often times they need many
reminders and structure to keep them on task.
Medication, nutrition,
environment, structure, parental relationships, type of
discipline, self perception, and therapy can all play a part in
helping the the person with ADD/ADHD.
of
Stress, Time Together, Intimacy
Issues, Financial Stress, Personal loss, Divorce, Remarriage,
Parenting.
