Counselor’s Corner - Issue 45

Dear Love-Spreader,

It's the time that I claim to do my best thinking. An hour of uninterrupted thoughts while the house is asleep. I'm alone with just me and my thoughts. And yet, so often those thoughts turn dark. They focus on the things I'm most discouraged about. The same thoughts that keep me awake at night now invade my special morning time, too. You know the ones: Past heart hurts, broken relationships, and worry wounds. That precious hour becomes an hour of obsessing, stressing, and giving mental power to those who no longer need any power in my life.

It wasn't until, in desperation to stop the string of intrusive thoughts, that I bought an album of scripture lullabies. Hoping to calm my anxious spirit, I pressed the 'Play' button. The words of Phillipians 4:8 poured into my ears. "Whatever is true, whatever is just, think on these things." Never had I considered that this verse wasn't just a 'rule of thumb' by which to measure media and entertainment intake, but a standard by which I could set a boundary for what thoughts were allowed to overtake me! In short, God's Think on These Things strategy directly called me to intellectual self-care.

Lately, it seems that educators are on the receiving end of much encouragement to do self-care. "Take a bath," you're told. "Read a book or play a game," without thinking that maybe you're tired from eight hours of book-reading and game-playing at an elementary level. However, God's Scripture-standard for intellectual self-care calls us to move past the self-care surface to address the piece of us which needs the most quieting, the most red-light protocol, the most behavioral management. He calls us to soul-shush to ride mind-thrush.

So this week, as you celebrate love, I encourage you to do a self-love checklist for ways you can show yourself some love. Control your thoughts with the Teacher Gratitude Mindful Journal and consider self-love from a Biblical standpoint. Most of all, think on the things that make you happy, joyful, and grateful to be HIS.

Spreading Love Your Way,
Mindy