5 practical tips
Over time, the counseling process can go very deep. With the guidance and discernment of the Holy Spirit, we are digging into thought patterns, emotional history, relationship traumas, and so much more.
But in the first few sessions, we often have some practical, quick tips for clients.
That's what we want to share today.
Anxiety is a huge problem in our culture today. Millions of Americans are diagnosed with an anxiety-related mental illness, and thousands (millions?) more struggle with worry and anxiety on a regular basis.
Is that you? Or maybe someone you work with in your ministry?
It is our prayer that the resources below are a quick, practical help to you and your ministry when it comes to tackling the beast of anxiety with God's help and the power of his Spirit.
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Learn about sleep hygiene in under 8 minutes!
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Scripture & Prayer Prompts
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Are you feeling anxious? We already covered 5 practical tips to help with your anxiety. Here are 5 areas for prayer:
- Pray a prayer of confession. Do you need to confess pride? Covetousness? Self-reliance? Bitterness? If you aren't sure, pray for God to open your eyes here.
- Pray a prayer of thanksgiving. Gratitude is a wonderful antidote to anxiety. Focus on what you are thankful for, and give thanks to God for that specific list.
- Pray for Christ to guard your heart and mind. We need the guidance of the Spirit to help us reign in our negative thought processes and manage our difficult emotions.
- Pray for the peace that only God can provide. It's true that there are many hard, painful things in this world and in our lives. Even as Christians, we suffer and struggle. But God gives peace that we can't even understand. Pray for that peace to fill you.
- Pray through Scripture itself. Many times, when we are struggling, we find it difficult to come up with the "right words" to pray. Why not pray God's own words back to him? Start with Psalm 100. Psalm 32. Philippians 4. (Is there really a bad place to start?)
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The iHope Counseling Collective is a monthly digital resource guide intended to provide helpful counseling-related resources to pastors and ministry leaders. Please forward along to anyone whom you think may benefit! Use the button below to find past editions of iHope's Counseling Collective.
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