Mar 14, 2024 | Mental Health Ministry, Stronger Together Support Group
Hello Stronger Together Friends,
I am filling in again for Alex so… please join me this Thursday to discuss conflict and how to try to argue effectively. Of course arguing effectively sounds good on paper, or video, but in real life arguing is way complicated, as we all know. What are your go to techniques for diffusing or working through difficult arguments?
Here is the video we will see on working through conflict: How to Argue Effectively.
Warm up question: What do you think about Daylight Savings Time?
Hope to see you Thursday at 7pm.
Dee
Dec 28, 2023 | Mental Health Ministry, Stronger Together Support Group
Hello friends,
I hope you had a very merry Christmas and, if possible, have been spending lots of quality time with loved ones. I’m enjoying time with extended family here in Georgia, but it’s not all perfectly smooth sailing. It got me thinking: what strategies should we use when time with family challenges our mental health?
I came across this really wonderful article on coping with family dynamics during the holidays. The author recalls a favorite dessert — “The Dysfunctional Family Sundae” — offered at a nearby restaurant:
The Dysfunctional Family Sundae, a blend of three ice creams, brownies, chocolate cookies, whipped cream and sauces (chocolate, butterscotch, and strawberry), all topped with a cherry. This dessert required sharing among multiple friends. The tag line went something like this: all the ingredients are good on their own, but when placed together are sure to elicit indigestion, just like a dysfunctional family. Thus, cope with the dysfunction by sharing with friends.
Fortunately the author also offers more than a dozen practical strategies for preserving (or gaining back) positive mental health when the family sundae brings about distress, gastrointestinal or otherwise. In fact, many of these strategies are great to use for building strong family bonds even if there are no mental health concerns! I look forward to discussing them together as a group this week.
Our warm-up question for this week:
What “TV family” (e.g., The Brady Bunch) is most memorable for you, and why?
See you soon,
Alex
Oct 19, 2023 | Mental Health Ministry, Stronger Together Support Group
Hello friends,
The Dalai Lama is often quoted, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
That sounds great and all, but let’s get real: there are many times when our anger, frustration, sadness, and fear make it all-but-impossible to feel compassion for some people. Sometimes these “some people” are neighbors or colleagues, and sometimes these “some people” are political tribes, militaries, or entire nations. What is the disconnect between this obvious reality and what the Dalai Lama is talking about?
The truth is that I don’t know the answer to this question, but I do think I’ll learn a lot from each of you if we explore it together. We’ll start by watching two brief segments from an interview with a Buddhist teacher about compassion for our enemies, and allow the discussion to evolve from there.
Please consider joining the conversation this week. There are no right or wrong answers, no good or bad feelings. The only thing that matters is showing up, being present, and being willing to support one another.
Our warm-up question for this week:
Finish this sentence: As I see the leaves change color during fall, it makes me…
See you soon,
Alex
