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Working Through Anxiety and Intrusive Thoughts

Working Through Anxiety and Intrusive Thoughts

McCartney Paul, Kate Motaung2025-04-23T07:38:51+00:00April 8th, 2025|Anxiety, Featured, Individual Counseling|

Our bodies and minds don’t always do what we tell them to. You could be on a date, and all you’re trying to do is stay calm and not come across a certain way, but there’s no guarantee that your mind and body are going to comply with this request. It can sometimes feel like your mind is actively working against you and your well-being. That’s certainly the case with anxiety and intrusive thoughts. Most people can probably pinpoint a time when they felt anxious, or when a thought entered their mind unbidden. Such experiences can range from being mildly uncomfortable to being downright distressing. The good news is that they can be dealt with effectively, helping to restore calm and peace in your life. Plano Christian Counseling offers faith-based tools and compassionate support to help individuals manage anxiety and find lasting peace. Anxiety and Intrusive Thoughts Anxiety is the feeling of nervousness, fear, or worry that you experience when you’re in a situation that feels unsettling, frightening, or threatening. When you feel anxious, it’s often accompanied by racing thoughts, feeling restless and irritable, and you may even have a rapid heartbeat and be unable to sleep. Anxiety may last for a few moments after you’ve been in a frightening situation, but it can also linger, pointing to an ongoing condition. Intrusive thoughts are distressing and unwanted images, thoughts, urges, or ideas that enter a person’s mind. These thoughts can be unwanted for a variety of reasons, including the fact that the thoughts go against one’s personal values. These two can feed off each other and worsen things. Some of the connections between them include the following: Intrusive thoughts fuel anxiety Having unwanted thoughts piling into your mind can be quite distressing, and because these thoughts come and go [...]

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What to Expect When You’re Grieving: The 7 Stages of Grief

What to Expect When You’re Grieving: The 7 Stages of Grief

Jennifer Kooshian2025-05-09T10:16:35+00:00April 7th, 2025|Featured, Grief Counseling, Individual Counseling|

Experiencing loss can be painful, confusing, challenging, and deeply unsettling. One of the certainties of this life is that we all experience loss. That loss takes various forms, and while it won’t affect everyone the same way, we will all experience it. One of the ways to help you navigate grief is by making use of the seven stages of grief. The Nature of Grief Grief is the process we go through to come to terms with loss. Loss looks different for different people. Typically, we consider the death of a loved one to be a loss, but it’s not the only form of loss there is. It’s a loss if you lose your job or your home, and it’s also a loss to go through a breakup, separation, or divorce. When a person receives a terminal diagnosis or goes through a significant life transition like retirement, that is also a form of loss. When a loss occurs, it changes your life as you know it. The patterns, habits, and relationships that make up your life start to unravel, and the changes loss heralds can be deeply upsetting and unsettling. Grieving helps you come to terms with that loss. You may have heard about the five stages of grief, a model that the Swiss-American psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross pioneered through her work. Those five stages are denial, anger bargaining, depression, and acceptance. However, another model was developed to highlight the complexities of grief; there are often other emotions and thoughts going through a person as they grieve than these five stages suggest. Plano Christian Counseling offers compassionate, faith-based support to help individuals process grief in all its complexity and find hope in the healing journey. The Seven Stages of Grief The seven stages of grief are a way to help [...]

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9 Different Ways People Feel Abandoned

9 Different Ways People Feel Abandoned

Tammy Varghese, Kate Motaung2025-04-23T07:27:03+00:00April 3rd, 2025|Abandonment and Neglect, Featured, Individual Counseling, Relationship Issues|

Abandonment looks different from person to person. People frequently second-guess themselves. They might question if their perception of events. Likewise, they may feel as if they are overly sensitive when others who experienced the same event were not affected in the same way. Sometimes it is the events that seem to be so ordinary and commonplace that cause people to feel the deepest stabs of abandonment. Everyday Abandonment People often imagine that violent or extreme events cause trauma. However, people frequently experience abandonment trauma from subtle things they experience in relationships. These things can seem so slight, or even hard to identify, that we often overlook them, or even make excuses for them. This leads to us feeling as though we shouldn’t feel a sense of abandonment, or that we are being overly sensitive. For example, you may have a friend who cancels plans at the last minute. They gain reputations for being unreliable, and other friends might joke about their inability to commit to anything. They might have a deep reason for being this way, and because their behavior is predictable and joked about, we might make excuses for them or dismiss our frustrations with them. Plano Christian Counseling can help individuals and families explore underlying issues in relationships and foster healthier, more understanding connections through faith-based support. However, if we are honest with ourselves, we might find that we feel more than frustration with them. Their constant cancellation of plans makes us feel less important to them, and we feel like we can’t rely on them anymore. Sometimes it is the common, everyday behavior that friends, family, and loved ones do that makes us feel abandoned. These are difficult things to confront because we can feel self-conscious that we are overreacting to the situation. It is only [...]

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It Takes a Village: The ABCs of Support for Single Parents

It Takes a Village: The ABCs of Support for Single Parents

Sarah Harris, Kate Motaung2025-04-23T08:01:16+00:00March 25th, 2025|Family Counseling, Featured, Individual Counseling|

While it may take two to conceive a baby, it often takes a village to raise a child. This African proverb has long been quoted to advise and encourage parents and people around the value of being interdependent. We all need community and viable support systems to do anything meaningful with God and for societal good. This quote’s inherent wisdom reminds us that our children, one of our prized and precious resources, are of such value that we steward them best when we do it together, with shared strengths and support. Heaven’s Help Having help, but also the willingness to receive the help that’s right for us can be transformative. Even in our relationship with God, His Strength becomes most apparent and elevated during our weaknesses. Our needs do not represent an inconvenience for Him, but rather opportunities for Him to Father us. Plano Christian Counseling offers faith-based support to help individuals embrace their needs, receive healing, and experience the transformative power of God’s love. He builds us up not only in our direct relationship with His Holy Spirit but also through the community in which He’s created us to live. As single parents, our journey can get wearisome, but God will send the right people and reveal the right help in the places where we most need it. Life happens to all of us, and sometimes the conditions by which we find ourselves raising children alone can be devastating. We often feel the weight of disillusionment and abandonment, believing that our parenting experience would have been different from our present reality. Some become single parents by choice, and others, by circumstances such as death, divorce, or a partner’s departure. However we arrived, the fact remains that raising a family, whether with or without a co-parent is a tremendous [...]

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Ways to Help Anxiety in Aging Parents in Plano, Texas

Ways to Help Anxiety in Aging Parents in Plano, Texas

Stephanie Kramer2025-03-21T08:26:06+00:00March 20th, 2025|Aging and Geriatric Issues, Family Counseling, Featured, Individual Counseling, Relationship Issues|

Anxiety can strike anyone and at any stage in life, but it is particularly prevalent in elderly people. Not only do physiological changes play a part in creating anxiety, but loss of social interaction, mobility, and independence can all contribute. As an adult child of aging parents in Plano, Texas, it can be particularly off-putting to see anxiety in aging parents, those once capable and stable caregivers. Plano Christian Counseling offers compassionate support and faith-based guidance to help families navigate these challenges. Ways to Support Aging Parents Dealing with Anxiety Here are a few strategies and tactics to try when your aging parents are dealing with anxiety in Plano, Texas: Talk with their doctor Anxiety in aging parents can be triggered by many factors so it’s important to rule out any medical reasons for the sudden change. It may even be a side-effect of a prescription drug. Be sure to mention the anxiety to their primary care physician and ask for any advice for their specific situation. Find a comfort item A comfort item is any tangible physical thing that brings them comfort. For some, it could be a soft or weighted blanket or stuffed animal. For others, it might be a photograph of a loved one. Experiment with different items that you think could bring them comfort and have an ample supply on hand. Keep their hands busy If your aged parent can use their hands, consider investing in a fidget toy or two. Fidget spinners, squishies, and other hand-held toys can help keep anxious hands busy and give their eyes and minds something to focus on other than what they are worried about. Hug Hugging can reduce blood pressure and bring a sense of peace to both parties. Be sure to gently and lovingly physically touch your [...]

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Emotional Neglect in Relationships: Why It Happens and How to Remedy It

Emotional Neglect in Relationships: Why It Happens and How to Remedy It

Tammy Varghese, Kate Motaung2025-03-21T08:03:25+00:00March 14th, 2025|Featured, Individual Counseling, Relationship Issues, Trauma|

The people you are close to play an important role in your life. One of the key predictors of well-being is whether we’re in healthy relationships with others, whether it’s with a spouse, friends, siblings, colleagues, or neighbors. Some relationships will have a deeper and more lasting impact compared to others, but the point is that as relational and social creatures, the health of our relationships is immensely important. If the health of our relationships matters for our well-being, it pays to know why those relationships can go wrong, and how to remedy it. One of the key areas where a relationship can be unhealthy is when emotional neglect is taking place. Emotional Neglect in Relationships Emotional neglect is an unfortunate reality in many relationships. Whether it’s between parents and their children, siblings, or in a romantic relationship, it’s possible for loved ones to experience emotional neglect. Emotional neglect can be understood as a type of abuse. When a person is neglected emotionally, their emotional needs are consistently ignored, dismissed, or disregarded. Plano Christian Counseling can provide support and guidance for individuals experiencing emotional neglect. What adds to the pain of emotional neglect is that the ones who are disregarding or dismissing another’s emotional needs are the same people who carry the responsibility to meet those needs. Partners, caregivers, or parents are responsible to others to meet their needs, and it’s part of what makes the relationship a healthy one. Emotional neglect can take various forms, including minimizing or trivializing the other person’s experiences; being unavailable and unresponsive when called upon; showing little to no interest in the others’ feelings, thoughts, or experiences; not providing reassurance or comfort; ignoring or dismissing the other’s emotions; withholding validation and support; and not acknowledging or apologizing for hurtful or harmful behavior. When [...]

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How to Navigate the Complex Waters of Divorce and Children

How to Navigate the Complex Waters of Divorce and Children

Bryan Ferguson, Kate Motaung2025-03-21T08:19:38+00:00March 13th, 2025|Christian Counseling for Children, Christian Counseling For Teens, Family Counseling, Featured, Individual Counseling, Relationship Issues|

Choosing to share the rest of your life with a person has a profound impact on the rest of your life. When a person gets married, they don’t know exactly what will come their way because life can be unpredictable. Ending a marriage is a big decision, and it can be one of the most painful decisions a person makes in their life. This pain is magnified when divorce and children mix. Dealing With Divorce as an Adult Getting divorced is complicated on several levels. This includes the social, legal, and moral dimensions and implications of the decision. When a person gets divorced, there is a lot they work through to get to that point, but beyond divorce lies other questions, feelings, and thoughts that need to be unpacked. Plano Christian Counseling can help individuals navigate these challenges with faith-based support and guidance. Dealing with a divorce in a healthy way requires several things. Take time to heal Marriage joins two people, two lives, together into one. When a man and woman are joined together in marriage, the two become “one flesh”, and they share life. (Genesis 2:24-25, Matthew 19: 4-6) God’s intention is for people to persist in this state of unity. If that unity is broken through a divorce, it is like tearing off a piece of yourself. Your marriage may have been a difficult one, and divorce opened up new vistas, but you should still take the time to heal. Getting a divorce brings an important part of your life to an end. With that is dealing with the absence and loss of a person to whom you had significant emotional and physical ties. Sometimes, what needs to be mourned is the loss of a dream and of the potential your relationship had. That includes the [...]

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5 Good Boundaries to Draw With People Who Have Caused Trauma

5 Good Boundaries to Draw With People Who Have Caused Trauma

McCartney Paul, Kate Motaung2025-03-21T09:20:10+00:00March 10th, 2025|Featured, Individual Counseling, Relationship Issues, Trauma|

` One of the most critical aspects of our emotional freedom is to forgive those who have hurt us. This is especially true for people who have suffered trauma or abuse. A person with a traumatic past may need the help of forgiveness to move past it and thrive in their lives. However, just because a person has forgiven someone does not mean they need to give them access to their lives. Good Boundaries to Draw With Causers of Trauma Boundaries help people limit access to interaction with them and what they can know about them. A person who wants to protect themselves from suffering trauma again needs to draw proper boundaries with that person. Here are five good boundaries to draw with people who have caused trauma: Time Boundaries Limit the amount of time you spend with a person. If you see that person regularly, limiting the time you spend talking with that person is essential. A person who has subjected you to trauma and is not repentant may quickly come back to that topic and cause you pain and harm by denying the behavior even existed. This can re-trigger the pain you are trying to get past. Furthermore, a person who has subjected you to trauma wants to know more about you. By spending more time with you, they can learn more details about your life. Draw a reasonable time boundary and limit their time with you or your loved ones. Plano Christian Counseling can help you set healthy boundaries and find healing from past trauma. Space Boundaries Similarly, limit or restrict their ability to get close to you. A person who is close to you in proximity can try to hug you or, even worse, abuse you. To protect yourself, you need to draw a space [...]

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Common Questions When Dealing with Grief and the Holidays

Common Questions When Dealing with Grief and the Holidays

Bryan Ferguson, Kate Motaung2025-03-21T09:23:16+00:00March 7th, 2025|Family Counseling, Featured, Grief Counseling, Individual Counseling, Trauma|

The holidays, like grief, are a mixed bag of unpredictable events and the emotions that grow from them. Put dealing with grief and important holidays like Christmas together and you have the recipe for a tumultuous and volatile storm of emotions. Throw in the pressure of expectations, family dynamics, financial obligations, dreary weather, and even more and you have a season that can be anything but merry and bright. If you’re struggling this holiday season, you’re not alone. There are a variety of reasons why people struggle during the Christmas season and grieving a lost loved one is often a trigger. So much of the holidays are built on family and friends and love and tradition and when something interrupts those relational bonds, the loss can be significant. So where do you go from here? Tips for Dealing with Grief During the Holidays Here are some ideas on how to make you feel a little merrier this holiday season, even in the midst of your grief. Be Realistic: Understand that the holidays are tough for everyone, especially those who are missing someone special, so be kind to yourself, as you would be kind to others. Know that your experience will be different in those first few years without your loved one. Plano Christian Counseling offers compassionate support to help you navigate grief and find comfort during the holiday season. It’s impossible to recreate your special moments and duplicate your memories when a key person is missing. Accept this reality as fact and you will have less stress. Instead, focus on moving forward and creating new memorable moments. Keep Expectations In Check: You may be used to an amazing home-cooked dinner and a tree surrounded by gifts from loved ones. That was certainly a nice memory, but it doesn’t have [...]

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5 Things Parents Need to Know About Chemical Dependency

5 Things Parents Need to Know About Chemical Dependency

Wade Van Staden2025-03-22T05:34:06+00:00March 6th, 2025|Chemical Dependency, Featured, Individual Counseling|

Nothing can quite prepare you for the devastating shock of finding out that your child has developed a chemical dependency. Every parent can take the precaution of learning to recognize signs of drug use or addiction but actively confronting it can be terrifying. Navigating chemical dependency is a life-altering journey, but there is hope for every family. Five Things Parents Need to Know about Chemical Dependency There are resources for people wishing to learn more about addiction, including from parents who have already journeyed through chemical dependency with their families. Parents and family members should join support groups and seek out medical attention for chemical dependency. However, many parents do not know how to begin when confronting suspected chemical use. Chemical dependency is certainly not the end of the road for any child, but it might be the start of a long and difficult journey for everyone involved. Here are a few things to keep in mind. Chemical dependency is not a moral failing Addiction is a chronic disease. Medically speaking, it is a condition that lasts for more than a year and requires ongoing medical treatment, or else it will severely impact day-to-day activities. When viewed through this lens it is a far deeper issue than moral failure. You have not failed as a parent if your child has become addicted to substances, and they have not failed you by developing chemical dependency. The issue is far deeper and more serious than morals and even values; your child’s life could be at stake if you reduce the issue to simply being about right and wrong. Plano Christian Counseling provides faith-based support and guidance to help families navigate the challenges of addiction with hope and compassion. Playing the blame game is not helpful When it comes to facing substance [...]

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