After much hard work, I am learning to embrace my diagnosis as a gift; but that wasn’t always the case.
Tag: depression
A couple of years ago, I drove myself to the emergency room, unsure if I was having a heart event or a panic attack. My chest was tight, my breathing was rapid and shallow, and the longer I tried to calm myself down, the worse I felt.Long story short: It was panic. Nothing was wrong […]
Things like a global pandemic really have a way of triggering our mental health. Uncertainty about the future, financial insecurity, and loneliness are just a few current issues that can increase things like stress, anxiety, and depression.If you’re in the group that feels guilty because life is actually pretty good for you right now, it’s […]
Social Isolation Is a Silent Killer. Here’s Why.Several months ago, I visited a friend in ICU. Because of certain life choices, no one else had visited him. And since he was expressing his pain in harsh words, the nurses also didn’t spend any extra time at his bedside. But I’m stubborn. And I know his […]
How to Remain Calm When the World is in ChaosDo the headlines have your anxiety on high alert?Are you scared to leave your house and go to therapy?Does Coronavirus have you losing sleep?Are you struggling to remain calm when all the world is in chaos? Friend, I totally get it. On Sunday, as our church gathered […]
“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.”-Ernest HemingwayThe worst day of my life was the day my husband left me.He walked out on the anniversary of the day he first asked me out, twelve years earlier. We were sixteen then – high school sweethearts. When he walked out, we […]
I’ve just returned from a truly magical time on the West Coast. On Sunday 12/15, I had the distinct pleasure of speaking at my friend Marc’s church, Bridge City Church in Milwaukie, Oregon. This is the text from that sermon. -Steve Desperate for Hope ‘Oh God.’ Five letters. Two words. One exhale. Full stop. ‘Oh […]
facebook.com/devinbalramphotoA friend of mine asks deep questions with ease. We often talk about mental health and check in with each other, sharing our experiences of surviving suicide. She’s lost close friends, and I nearly lost my husband.She asked me, “How do you feel these days when Steve is speaking somewhere and you’re in the audience?”If […]
This morning, I was texting with a dear pastor friend of mine, who said this time of year is usually difficult for him, mentally. The strange thing is, my best friend and I have said the same thing for YEARS. August through October usually does something really weird to me, too. It sends me into […]
Image by Marta Matyjas from PixabayIn the wake of the passing of Christian pastor and author Jarrid Wilson by suicide at age 30, my friend Jason Elam (host of the Messy Spirituality Podcast) reached out to me to share my story of nearly dying by suicide, and my journey back to life. With the Wilson family’s […]