6 Signs of a Distressed Marriage and How to Turn it Around
When you are aware of the state of your marriage, you can take steps to make it better. Although it may appear hopeless, there is hope in a distressed marriage.
Healing Wounds
The process of healing wounds starts with discovering the wound or wounds that occurred in one’s past.
3 Activities to get Unstuck when Grieving
When we’re grieving, we need to know what to do to process our loss. While there are many things that help in the grieving process, at Light the Way we like to teach people three powerful activities to help them grieve well.
10 Ways to Help Someone Grieve Well
What we say and do can help heal a person’s broken heart… or keep their heart hurting.
10 Things NOT to Say at a Time of Loss
Often, we don’t know what to say to someone who is sad and grieving. We think we have to say something. It's tough to sit in silence while someone is crying. If we’re honest, sometimes we wish we could say, “Stop it and get over it. You are making me uncomfortable!”
Yes, we may be uncomfortable when someone is upset. But they are probably more uncomfortable being upset. We want to be sure to comfort others with the comfort we have experienced or desire.
We All Experience Loss. We all Need to Grieve.
Loss is a natural part of life. We normally think of loss happening when something bad happens, but loss can occur when wonderful things happen, too.
Why Do We Argue? (Part 2: the Peace Cycle)
Consider what you know to be true. Think about the character of your partner, how you felt about them when you first met. Consider what their intentions might have been, that they may not have been intentionally trying to hurt you. Envision the situation from their point of view.
Why Do We Argue? (Part 1: the Pain Cycle)
This a typical ‘pursuer-distancer’ dance where one partner pursues (Martha) hoping for connection, but her partner (Jim) distances himself. Why? The way this couple is interacting creates a circular dance…
Have You Breathed Today?
Practice slow deep breaths several times during the day. For example, when you get in your car, take a slow, deep breath. Before you go indoors, take a slow deep breath. This way it will become your default when you start to feel stressed or upset. When we are over stressed or upset, we won’t remember to breathe. It’s important to practice and catch the stress or anxiety early.
Your Thoughts Matter
My thoughts were very negative. This type of anxiety comes through the cortex pathway of the brain to the amygdala.
The cortex is where we have thoughts, imagine, think logically and make plans.
How and Why our Brain Causes Anxiety
Although the amygdala is small, it has a huge responsibility in our survival. It’s there to cause the alarm to help protect us, and it’s the source of many of our emotional reactions - both positive and negative. It automatically activates the fight, flight or freeze response. We can’t control when the amygdala is activated. However, once we are aware it is, we can work to calm it down and get ourselves under control.
Is it Fear or Anxiety?
Knowing the difference between fear and anxiety helps us take the necessary action to overcome it, recover and move forward. Here are some tips to help.