In difficult times finding people we can link to for encouragement is so important! Many hands make light work and this is especially true when life’s demands are heavy! If you are in a difficult season of life look to your community for support! People often find this when they get sick with illnesses or fall on financial hardships. The hardest part is asking for help and sharing your burden with your community. Please be encouraged to ask for support from those in your community if you need it! We all need help once in a while and this helps us remain resilient in hard times!

This coming week we are focusing on resiliency! We find that people who have strong relationships are more resilient when faced with stresses of life! Life is more fun with great friends to share experiences with! Friends offer great support and insights that enrich our lives! Cheers to all our close friends who provide wonderful support to us when we need it the most!

Life can be filled with challenges and difficulties. Finding ways to remain resilient and being able to bounce back or to see hope and meaning in the midst of tough times can help us get through those experiences. I think of these difficult times as desert experiences. In the desert it’s easy to be so overwhelmed with the rocks, dust and dirt we miss the beautiful sunsets! The key is to look up. Here’s to hoping you can see the brilliant colors of those beautiful sunsets in your desert experiences!

As families serving in the military we are faithful to our mission and our country! We sacrifice time together and more than most people know. It’s important we encourage our immediate family! We should be telling our spouse how much we believe in them and appreciate what they do for the family every day. We should be telling our children how awesome and strong they are as they take on the challenges of military life! Just as we are faithful to our country and mission, we must be faithful in caring for our families. Speak hope to the ones you love and see what a difference it makes in your family life today!

Military families often find themselves new to the area and community. Finding friends and building a support network can be challenging! One thing we can do while we search for our place in new communities is offer support to those in our family! This is a simple idea however it can be easily overlooked especially when we are stressed with military life. Make sure your spouse and children know you are there to support them. Help them see the positives of the current situation and hopefully in the process you will find the good in life too!

This week we are talking about military life, it’s impact on families and how they can stay resilient! Military life is full of uncertainty and lots of unexpected changes! We receive orders to move sometimes within a short amount of time and this is stressful on our families. Our kids have to leave their friends and often struggle to adjust in new schools. Duty schedules often change which interrupt every day life. The list could go on. How do our families stay resilient? When changes and challenges pop up it’s always best to look for the positives of the situation! Focusing on the good parts of life can help you stay resilient and help your family bounce back and stay strong through the cha

When life is stressful and you suffer from panic it’s helpful to surround yourself with friends who provide support and encouragement to you! Every mountain seems impossible especially when you are already overwhelmed however if you have a friend at your side offering hope this can make all the difference! Cheers for conquering the mountain of panic and stress with the help of wonderful friends who brighten our lives!

Self care is very important especially if you struggle with panic! Stress can cause an increase in attacks for people so the goal of recovery is to find ways to get rid of stress! Taking a minute for yourself during your work day can make a world of difference for you! Make a cup of tea or enjoy a snack while you work! This doesn’t have to slow you down but it can help you become more productive! I hope you find more time to take care of you this week and you find relief from panic!

When you live with fear and panic it’s difficult to see past the worries. However a change in perspective can be very powerful and freeing! Finding hope can brighten your day! Hope can be found all around you! It is in the beauty of nature, the calm of the hot cup of tea, the smiles you receive from your family! Take a moment this week and discover those things that bring you a brighter perspective!

Every day life is filled with distractions. Some good some bad but either way it all pulls us away from our marriage and from intimacy! We must find those intimate moments with the one we love! It’s good to find retreat away with our spouse once in a while! It’s amazing what happens when you remove stress and distractions! You can focus much more clearly on what is more important to you in a place where love can blossom! So take some time away from every day life to grow closer to your spouse and strengthen your marriage!

If you were standing outside the window of your marriage relationship, what would you see? Is it obvious that you love and care for your spouse? Are you kind and patient or are you negative and critical? When stress hits it’s easy to take out frustrations on the ones closest to you. Often times that person is our spouse. As humans we tend to see the negatives first which makes being positive more difficult especially if we are under stress! What do we do to help? We take more notice of what we are saying and doing in our relationship! Before we speak or act ask would God be disappointed in me if I did that, or better would I want someone to do that to me? Being mindful of what you say and do

Life is seriously stressful and this is especially true for military families! Frequent moves and so much uncertainty!  Enough to make anyone’s head spin! Because life is stressful and often very serious it’s important to find and create fun meaningful moments with your spouse! It’s easy to get distracted by what is wrong with the world around us and we often forget what is important. So slow down and make it a point to have fun with your husband or wife! Those silly little things can bring so much love into your marriage relationship!!

Life is stressful and especially for teenagers! The teen years are filled with changes and transitions so put anything extra in the mix and that makes for a very difficult time for anyone! Military teens especially have a rough time with military life stress. Imagine how stressful moving every couple of years is for a teen?! In my clinical experience parents of teens are at a loss for knowing how to help. How do we help?! Counseling helps a lot. Just having someone who is safe to talk to can help. One of the most important things is to help your teen find support among their peer groups! This can be a teen support group at a counseling clinic, school or a youth group at church. Team sports a

When your child is in the middle of a bad meltdown simply touching their back can be calming. This may be the last thing on your mind as a parent especially if you are in public and getting stares from strangers. However your touch as a parent is powerful for your children! Touch provides security for them. It communicates even in their mess that you as a parent love and care for them. Touch and affection can be refreshing to parents as well. There is nothing more precious than a hug from my little ones after a long day at the office! Believe it or not your kids feel the same way! So the next time your child has a fit, reach your arms open to them and see what happens!

Military families face a number of challenges. One very real experience is having to be separated for long periods of time. Although adults understand the concept kids struggle to grasp it. The reality is it requires sacrifices for every member of the family. Military children especially the young ones suffer tremendously. I especially know this from experience as our family has been separated for the past nine months due to my husband’s remote assignment. Our five year old son has struggled with being away from his daddy. How do you help your military kids cope with loss? You spend time talking with them. Check in regularly and ask how they are feeling every day. We have a daddy corner wher