Month: August 2020

9 Prayers to Squelch Pandemic Panic (aka, anti-anxiety prayers)

A few weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic shelter-in-place, I knew I needed a different kind of spiritual discipline, one that focused my creative writing on Scripture God could use to lift me out of the sudden onset of anxiety. I began searching God’s Word for promises related to anxiety and fear, and what I needed … Continue reading 9 Prayers to Squelch Pandemic Panic (aka, anti-anxiety prayers)

A New Perspective on the Waiting

Last weekend I noticed myself feeling itchy-irritable. Smoke from the fires in Napa (north) and Santa Cruz (south) settled thick on our slice of the San Francisco Bay Area; if the measure of unhealthy air quality starts at a score of 150, our air measured at a ridiculous 1100+. We couldn’t open the windows, we … Continue reading A New Perspective on the Waiting

Finding Faith in the Storm

I woke suddenly to the boom of an explosion, my heart-thud echoing the blast. In my sleepy-confused state, I lifted my eye mask and glanced around the bedroom cast in early gray light. Had it been fireworks? A blown transformer? No, there it was again: thunder crack so loud I shook; seconds later, a charge … Continue reading Finding Faith in the Storm

Reading: August 2020 Pt1

In January I set a goal through the Goodreads reading challenge to read 55 books this year. Reading four to five books each month seemed doable. Not a pushing-myself challenge, but something to keep me on track. Here it is mid-August and I have completed the challenge: I've read 55 books, with more in progress, … Continue reading Reading: August 2020 Pt1

3 Things I’m Learning About Anxiety and 5 Things that Help – part 2

This is part 2 of a two-part series on anxiety. Read part 1 here. Let's jump right in. Here are a few things I'm finding helpful in dealing with anxiety: RoutinesThe pandemic taught me that I rely on imposed routines. When all normal routines vanished, it took me a while to find my way back … Continue reading 3 Things I’m Learning About Anxiety and 5 Things that Help – part 2

3 Things I’m Learning About Anxiety and 5 Things that Help – part 1

Maybe I’ve had anxiety for years and called it “stress.” Maybe this is new. Either way, anxiety put me in a choke-hold when shelter-in-place orders went into effect in March. Among the long list of things I hadn’t expected was an entirely personal masterclass in mental health. Five months later and I’ve mostly settled into … Continue reading 3 Things I’m Learning About Anxiety and 5 Things that Help – part 1

Reminder: YOU are Essential Even if You’re Not an Essential Worker

Essential: s·sen·tial/əˈsen(t)SHəl/adjectiveDefinition: absolutely necessary; extremely important. Who knew the word essential would take on such significance in 2020? At midnight on March 17, 2020, Californians were suddenly under lock-down orders due to an unprecedented pandemic. Everyone but essential workers would stay at home, leaving only for exercise (and that on foot or bike) or essential … Continue reading Reminder: YOU are Essential Even if You’re Not an Essential Worker

Challenging the Challenge: Why I Passed on the #challengeaccepted

When Instagram began to fill up with black-and-white photos of women tagged #challengeaccepted, I googled it. The lead article mentioned some female country singers promoting natural beauty - no makeup/hair, no special lighting or filters, no glam, just women being themselves. Women supporting women being real women. But that wasn't what came across my Instagram … Continue reading Challenging the Challenge: Why I Passed on the #challengeaccepted