5 Tips to Avoid Compassion Fatigue

5 Tips to Avoid Compassion FatigueWhether leading, helping those who are hurting, or serving in some other capacity, the strain of exposure to those suffering can lead to compassion fatigue. Here are some easy ways to recognize compassion fatigue when it starts and take steps to avoid—or eliminate—it all together.

  1. Know your limitations.
    Recognize that everyone has a different emotional capacity to hold others’ pain and trauma. Each person must be aware of their unique threshold and know how it fluctuates depending on what is going on in their personal life. (more…)

Two Must-Haves for Finding Balance

Two Must-Haves for Finding BalanceAnyone who doesn’t carve out time for their physical, spiritual, and personal time will burn out, bum out, and—eventually—act out. Is it possible to prevent burnout and acting out from happening? Thankfully, yes!

Prevent exhaustion by forming healthy habits such as getting enough sleep, learning to say no, spending time with the Lord every day, and not taking on too much. However, there are two must-haves for finding balance: boundaries and accountability.

One can only take care of themselves by setting boundaries with their time and energy. There must be enough time for priorities such as getting plenty of rest, checking in with an accountability partner or sponsor, and going to a Life Recovery Group weekly. It is important to decide that rest, self-care, spiritual health, and personal time are non-negotiable. So, if there is a crisis such as a death in the family, job loss, or divorce, self-care is still done daily. (more…)

8 Tips When Your Adult Child Struggles With Addiction

8 Tips When Your Adult Child Struggles With AddictionDoes your adult son or daughter struggle with addiction to drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, or something else? Then, no doubt, you’re concerned for their physical and emotional well-being. You’ve tried everything, but nothing seems to work. Unfortunately, your relationship with them is getting worse. Is there any hope? Yes! Here are some tips:

1. Stop Living in Denial. Often, as parents, it’s easier to stay in denial rather than face reality. Pretending it’s not happening will hurt you, your child, and your entire family. Jeremiah 6:14 (TLB) reminds us, “You can’t heal a wound by saying it’s not there!(more…)

Breaking Out of the Prisons We Create

Breaking Out of the Prisons We CreateSome of us are in prison. Not a prison made of four walls, but the worst kind of prison–a self-made prison.

Our prisons are built decision by decision, habit by habit. They could be prisons of . . .

  1. Anger, shame, or other painful emotions
  2. Addictions or unhealthy habits
  3. Abusive and toxic relationships

In our prisons, we get too comfortable and stay there. Why?

Because (1) working through our past trauma of anger, shame, or other painful emotions is hard, so we avoid facing the pain. (more…)