Personal Development

We all struggle with feelings of low self-worth from time to time. Even the people who appear confident and self-assured are often covering up for feeling “not good enough.” Things like past traumatic experiences, emotional abuse in a relationship, or poor parenting are some of the things that impact our self-esteem. Sometimes, though, we say negative things about ourselves, and that fuels our feelings of low self-esteem. In this article, we'll look at some positive tips for building self-esteem. 5 Affirmations for Building Self-Esteem The good news is that we can build our self-esteem by speaking positively about ourselves. This is known as speaking affirmations. An affirmation is a truth that resonates with us. Maybe at some point, there was a statement someone spoke about us that made us wince internally. Even the positive statements still make us feel something negative because they are hard to believe. These statements that touch a nerve are important because they show us the beliefs we cling to about ourselves. “I do not need to achieve anything to be loved.” As children many of us were only noticed or rewarded when we achieved something. For some of us, it still feels as if we are constantly working to be noticed and appreciated. It can be hard to love ourselves or accept love unless we have achieved something or done something perfectly. The truth is that we are inherently worthy of love and affection even if we never achieve one thing in life. You are lovable because of who you are, not because of what you have achieved. “My past mistakes do not make me a bad person.” The Bible says that every single person has made mistakes, and yet every person is worthy because a good God created them. Some of us have [...]

Self-growth is a term often used alongside personal development. It is discovering and understanding your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. It is learning to grow stronger in every area: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It is developing skills that will help you pursue your dreams and goals. It is growing marketable skills to land a better-paying job or position. Even if you work a full-time job, you can develop your self-growth by making minor tweaks to your morning routine. Tips for self-growth Your morning hours are precious. It is a time before the world awakens and children stir from their beds. It is often a quiet time, yet most people sleep through it. They wake up late for work, run around getting dressed, and leave work without breakfast or coffee, forcing them to stop during the commute, adding to their tardiness. But what if you could have a calmer morning? The following tips for self-growth can get you started. A morning where you work on important tasks and learn new skills is only one decision away. You are the only person who can stop you from hacking your morning routine and developing your self-growth. The night before: go to bed on time To have a productive morning, you must go to bed on time the night before. If you are used to staying up late, this may take some adjustment. Instead, try going to bed fifteen minutes earlier every evening until you reach the bedtime you need for restorative sleep. Depending on your needs, this can mean seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Creating a nightly routine will help you transition to bedtime easier. For example, try doing a relaxing activity like stretching poses or drinking hot tea. A routine triggers your mind to wind down and fall [...]

If you have ever had to work your way out of debt, especially if it is a large amount that takes time, you have probably felt a little hopeless at some point. It can be an overwhelming feeling when the credit score just sits and sits in the same spot or even worse, takes a dip because we’re focusing on paying off other bills or we have an emergency come up. What can you do to work your way through not only the financial stress but the mental stress? As a therapist and life coach, I have found that most people tend to be quite emotional about money, especially when advised on how to spend it, even when they ask for help. Ask for help to overcome financial stress The first step to getting all the emotions surrounding your finances under control is asking for help. Help comes in many different forms in this area, a life coach, a financial coach, a certified financial planner, an accountant, someone who understands numbers and how to work with them. This may even include taking Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University through your local church or purchasing the at-home guide to use by yourself if you’re single or with your spouse if you’re married. Having someone who is not emotionally attached to your money is vital to making better financial decisions. We all have some areas where we spend too much money or somewhere we could save money by changing where our hard-earned funds go. Create a budget The second step is sitting down and creating a budget. I hear so many couples say “It’s my money, I don’t need his/her permission to spend it!” One of my favorite quotes is “A budget is not a permission slip; it is a communication tool.” [...]

Therapists are asked on a routine basis about the best personal development books to help people in their therapy journey. The recommendations are as varied as the counselors are because different books speak to different counselors. Each counselor will have a book that speaks to their heart, especially in the Christian counseling field. There are thousands of books about psychology, self-improvement, self-help, personal development, and every issue you can imagine from ADHD to Zelophobia (the fear of jealousy). While it’s difficult to narrow it down to just a few there is a collection of books that I highly recommend. These books delve deep into specific issues that can help people see what is going on in their lives from an outside perspective. It is meaningful when we connect with a book because we feel as if other people must have gone through the same thing they have, which is why someone wrote a book about it. The first book I recommend as a Christian counselor is of course the Bible. The Bible gives us comfort and peace and a structure to live by. A lot of clients that come to therapy need help finding a structure for their lives, their lives are chaotic, on several different paths at once, etc. Having a set structure for your life can help reduce anxiety, depression, confusion, and other issues. It is living lives that stray from biblical principles that has clients seeking help for their selves, marriages, their children, or even at work. Having no structure in our lives means that anything and everything is allowed and when that happens it just invites chaos. Having a set of standards to guide our lives by is imperative, no matter what the belief system is. Another book I recommend is one of my personal [...]