Sep 29, 2026 | Mental Health Ministry, Stronger Together Discussion Group
9/3/26: Anxiety Spiraling
Spiraling is an anxiety-driven rumination behavior. Something can trigger us, and suddenly our thoughts are looping and catastrophizing. Why does that happen, and how can we manage it? Let’s watch this video and talk about it.
9/10/26: One Thing You Can Do Today to Be Happier
Can anyone become happier? Psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky studies this question in her lab, doing experiments on “happiness interventions” to see what kinds of actions elicit this sought-after emotion. In this quick talk, she shares the results of her work: a small shift that she says can change our relationships and put us on the path to happiness.
9/17/26: The Neuroscience Behind Addiction – Part 1
Addiction happens in the brain, but how does it work? We’ll watch segments of a video and talk about what we learn.
9/24/26: Part II of the Neuroscience Behind Addiction – Part 2
We spent a little more time on the topic we began on 9/17.
10/1/26: How Humor Helps Us Cope
How does humor play into our mental health? Here is a video about people with mental health diagnoses gathering for acceptance, and learning to put a humorous twist on their suffering. Let’s view it and discuss how humor helps us cope.
10/1/26: How Humor Helps Us Cope
How does humor play into our mental health? Here is a video about people with mental health diagnoses gathering for acceptance, and learning to put a humorous twist on their suffering. Let’s view it and discuss how humor helps us cope.
10/8/26: Helping Loved Ones with Anxiety
Sometimes the hardest thing is to know how to help someone we care about struggling. What can we do, how can we help or at least not make it worse? We’ll watch this short video and then talk about it. All are welcome!
10/15/26: How to Disagree with Loved Ones
How do we argue, and disagree, with those we love? It happens regularly, and often fractures or breaks relationships we want to keep and nurture. Here is a video discussing how to reach out and find compromise, understanding, and continued love with those whom we hold fundamental disagreements with, and still care about. Let’s talk about it.
10/22/26: The Outdoors and Nature for Mental Health
For this week’s discussion we’re sharing a short video on the mental health value of going outside and being in nature. It is by the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), obviously not a mental health organization, but the video touches on so many of the mental health lifts we get from connecting to our natural world. Let’s talk about it! All are welcome.
10/29/26: The Benefits of Reading to Our Mental Health
Studies have shown that pleasure reading is one of the best stress relievers. Reading books allows us to focus completely on a story, and gets us out of our own head. How is reading for you? Let’s watch this video on the benefits of reading and talk about it.
Jun 29, 2026 | Mental Health Ministry, Stronger Together Discussion Group
7/2/26: What Makes Us Happy?
What makes us happy? Happy is a pretty vague word, but mostly we agree that whatever it is, it is something we strive to achieve. Let’s look at this video about happiness and discuss what it is, and what it means to each of us. Please join the discussion.
7/9/26: Workaholic: Symptoms, diagnosis, and when to get help
Let’s look at this article about what happens when work life takes over, and when to get help. Please join the discussion.
7/16/26: The Practice of Hope
When dark times hit, how do we find hope? How do we make hope an everyday practice and see it in everyday things? Let’s watch this short video and talk about it.
7/23/26: Workaholism Take 2
Re-run of 7/9/26 because we had a small group.
7/30/26: The Impact of Regret
We live with regret: the path not taken; the decision that could not be reversed; saying or doing the wrong thing because of our mood or bad information…there are so many reasons for regret. Regret can be crippling and impact our joy and our relationships. Let’s look at this short video about how to deal with regret, and then talk about it. All are welcome!
8/6/26: Affect Labeling: Name It to Tame It
When our emotions are suddenly hit hard, or for some reason peaking, how can we calm ourselves in the moment? Well, it seems one quick way might be to just name it out loud, a technique known as “Affect Labeling” or “Name It to Tame It.” What is that and how does it work? Let’s watch a short video on Affect Labeling and talk about it. You can also read more about this technique — which can also be applied to fear, grief, or any other upsetting feeling — from this article in Time Magazine.
8/13/26: Managing Anger
What is anger and how can we effectively manage it? Anger is certainly important to call on when we are threatened, but it is also necessary to control it to have a fulfilling life since sometimes it is appropriate, and sometimes we regret it. Let’s watch this video and talk about it.
8/20/26: Faith and Mental Health
How does faith impact our mental state? Let’s watch this video and talk about it.
8/27/26: Envy
“My neighbor has everything.” “It isn’t fair that my coworker got the promotion and not me.” “Why didn’t my child get into the college her friend did, when my daughter had better grades?” Life often seems to treat us unfairly, and we can become envious of others’ good fortune. How do we handle those feelings? Let’s watch a short video, based on the Muslim religion but applicable to everyone, and discuss it.
May 4, 2026 | Mental Health Ministry, Stronger Together Discussion Group
5/7/26: FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
FOMO was real before social media scrolling made it a prominent issue. What is FOMO, where in us does it come from, and how can we manage it? Let’s watch this video and talk about it! All are welcome to join the discussion.
5/14/26: Talking to Strangers!
Is it good mental health practice to push ourselves to engage with strangers? Let’s look at a short Ted Talk video on the topic and discuss it.
5/21/26: Why Do We Lie?
We all tell lies, white and otherwise. Why do we do it? Certainly for many different reasons, but let’s look at this video, and then discuss it.
5/28/26: Dissociation Part II again
We’ve had to move this topic a few times, but we’re getting there! Dissociation can involve a sense of detachment, and is considered a trauma response. Join us at 7 p.m. on Zoom to watch more of this video and discuss what we learn.
6/4/26: Hard Worker, or Workaholic?
Join us at 7 p.m. on Zoom to discuss this video about what makes for healthy work/life balance and when over-working becomes unhealthy. All are welcome.
6/11/26: Summer Travel and Mental Health
Summer brings vacation opportunities for many of us, even if they are day trips to local sites, or a weekend at the beach. How does travel impact our mental health? Let’s watch this short video and talk about it.
6/18/26: Why Hard Conversations Feel So Difficult (And How to Handle Them)
Relationships often require us to talk about tough things with people we work with and/or care about. It is a task we usually try to avoid, but we need to take the risk and open the communication. What does that feel like, and how can we have that talk with the best chance of successful resolution and retaining the relationship? Let’s watch this video (12 minutes) about how to approach these conversations and talk about it.
6/25/26: Strengthening Personal Connections
We all want to have personal connections but sometimes the time and risks involved, along with our own “stuff” or inhibitions, get in the way. We’ll watch a short video to help us think about and discuss how we can deepen our relationships with others.
Mar 3, 2026 | Mental Health Ministry, Stronger Together Discussion Group
3/5/26: Emotional Resiliency
This week at Stronger Together, we will discuss how we manage to be emotionally resilient in the face of life struggles. This video talks about techniques for doing that. Join us to discuss their take on emotional resilience and discuss how we all work at managing it ourselves.
3/12/26: Friendships
Good friends offer support, encouragement, and perspective during both good times and difficult moments. Sometimes friendships face challenges and addressing these with openness can often strengthen the relationship. But when a friendship becomes consistently harmful or unhealthy, it may be wise to step back. Learning how to nurture, repair, and sometimes release friendships helps us build relationships that support our well-being. Join us to watch this video and discuss managing difficult points in friendships.
3/19/26: Dealing with Rejection
Rejection, or perceived rejection, is something we all experience, and it can be painful—there’s really no way to completely avoid it. Let’s watch this short video on rejection and then talk together about how each of us deals with it in our own lives.
3/26/26: Dissociation
Dissociation can involve a sense of detachment, and is considered a trauma response and a common symptom of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). What is it, and what is it not? We’ll watch this video about four types of dissociation and talk about it.
4/2/26: No meeting, Maundy Thursday
4/9/26: The Dopamine Loop
We all scroll on our phones when passing time, but what is the impact of that on our mental health, and why do we do it.? Are we in control of it, or does the scrolling take over and become almost addictive? It is called The Dopamine Loop. Please join us to watch this short video and talk about it.
4/16/26: Anxiety
Anxiety is part of who we are, and comes in various shapes and sizes. Please join us this week to watch this video and discuss anxiety, identify when it is a problem, and discuss how we deal with it.
4/23/26: Aging Emotionally
This week, let’s talk about what it’s like to age emotionally. This video gives eight ideas about healthy aging, which we may or may not agree with, but which provides a good jumping off place for discussing the challenges of mental health in the aging process.
4/30/26: Dissociation, Part II
We began our discussion of dissociation last month. Dissociation can involve a sense of detachment, and is considered a trauma response. Join us at 7 p.m. on Zoom to watch more of this video and discuss what we learn. All are welcome.
Dec 30, 2025 | Mental Health Ministry, Stronger Together Discussion Group
1/1/26: New Year’s Resolutions
Do you like New Year’s Resolutions, or avoid them like the plague? How about setting a Mental Health New Year’s Resolution? Let’s discuss resolutions after watching a short video about setting New Year Resolutions made specifically about Mental Health.
1/8/26: Hope in the New Year
This week we will talk about Hope, but from a TED talk of a personal account of struggling with serious depression and suicide. The video is 16 minutes, but hopefully worth it.
1/15/26: Addiction and Mental Health
We all realize there is a connection between mental health and addiction, but what is that all about? Let’s watch this short video and talk about it.
1/22/26: How to Talk about Mental Illness
Our topic this week will be “How to Talk about Mental Illness.” We’ll read this article: How to talk about mental health and ask for help.
1/29/26: Social Media and Mental Health
This week we will watch a short video on teen mental health and social media. Although it discusses specifically how social media impacts the developing teen brain, the issues it brings up are applicable to all ages.
2/5/26: Immigration and Mental Health
This week we’ll discuss the mental health impact of current immigration policies. The following six-minute video talks about the issue, giving us a starting point for discussion. How Fear of Deportation Affects Immigrant Mental Health.
2/12/26: The Health and Mood-Boosting Benefits of Pets
Are you a pet/animal person? If not, what comforts you? You’re invited to join us for a discussion about how pets can be beneficial to our mental health. We’ll read this short article and talk about it. The article notes: “Pets come with some powerful health benefits… Caring for a dog, cat, or other animal can help relieve depression and anxiety, lower stress, and improve your heart health.”
2/19/26: No topic – conversation
2/26/26: Internal Family Systems Therapy
Internal Family Systems (IFS) psychotherapy model is an established therapy model, though not as widely known, and it seems like it could have some practical value for each of us. Join us to watch the video, try the exercise it describes, and talk about what we notice and how it might help us.
Dec 1, 2025 | Mental Health Ministry, Stronger Together Discussion Group
11/6/25: Gratitude
It is easier to feel grateful when life is going smoothly and joys abound. But during challenging times, gratitude can feel much harder to access—and yet it can be especially meaningful and supportive for our emotional well-being during those moments. We’ll talk about why practicing gratitude matters, particularly in difficult seasons, and share ideas for how we can nurture gratitude intentionally in our daily lives. We’ll also watch a short five-minute video that highlights the mental health benefits of gratitude and offers simple ways to cultivate it. Please join us.
11/13/25: Connection and Community
I think we all agree that our supportive church community — and the smaller groups that grow out of it, like Stronger Together — offer us a foundation that nurtures our mental health.This week’s video highlights the importance of community to our well-being and introduces the speaker’s concept of Social Health. It opens the door to a meaningful conversation about the role of connection in our lives. Please join us as we watch and discuss it together.
11/20/25: Sound Therapy
Sound is all around us, and whether we know it or not, it’s always affecting how we feel. Yogis have been aware of the healing power of sound for thousands of years. This week we’ll read “A Guide to Sound Healing” and “What is a Sound Bath?” We’ll also explore some sound compilations and try it for ourselves. Join us to discuss!
11/27/25: No gathering; Thanksgiving
12/4/25: Tradition and Ritual
As we enter the Christmas season, so rich with traditions and rituals, let’s look at how these traditions and rituals support our mental health. We’ll watch this video together. Join us to discuss.
12/11/25: When the holidays make you blue
The Christmas season is beautiful and exciting, and conversely, depending on the day, your mood, or your circumstances, can be sad and lonely. We’ll watch this video together about managing the emotional pitfalls of the holidays, and talk about managing them for ourselves. Please join us.
12/18: Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind!
The information is on this site – https://jennifershannon.com/
Some of the worksheets/quizzes are here – https://jennifershannon.com/worksheets/
Are your thoughts rapidly leaping about, preventing you from relaxing or focusing? We call it the Monkey Mind, and it can be an unwelcome distraction. Can we calm it? How do we live with it? Please join us as we discuss it together.
12/25 – No meeting (Christmas Day)
