Jun 26, 2024 | Uncategorized
Hi folks!
This week’s topic is on a movie I really want to see but haven’t yet: Inside Out 2. (I haven’t seen the first one either!) This movie is getting applause for being a great illustration of how teens (and all of us) deal with anxiety and change, and for giving us some words to talk about it.
We’ll listen to an article/4-minute podcast from NPR: The ‘Inside Out’ movies give kids an ’emotional vocabulary.’
There’s also a 14-minute interview with a psychologist on what the movie got right. I won’t play that one tomorrow, but it’s worth checking out. It’s very affirming and normalizing of emotions and experiences surrounding anxiety.
Warm-up question: If you could hang out with any cartoon character, who would you choose and why?
See you soon!
Jun 12, 2024 | Mental Health Ministry, Stronger Together Support Group
Hello Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I think you will all agree that the topic Brian found for our conversation this week: “Is Watching the new News Bad for Your Mental Health” is very timely. We are inundated with 24-hour news circle so the question is how much news are we consuming and how is it affecting our mental health? The article below discusses how consuming too much news can impact our mental health and then offers some tips on how to manage our news intake.
There is no video this week and so I don’t have to worry about screen sharing, Yay! As you read the article below, take note of the many tips provided and come prepared to share your personal experiences. Let’s learn from each other and stay Stronger Together.
For our warmup question, please come prepared to talk about “The Best Book you have ever read.”
I look forward to seeing most, if not all of you on Thursday.
Sampson
Apr 10, 2024 | Mental Health Ministry, Stronger Together Support Group
Whether you’re the type of person who considers themselves easily angered, or the type of person who rarely feels angry, as a human being you do experience anger and there are good reasons why. We’re often taught, however, that “being angry” is bad, which can make us feel conflicted or shameful when we inevitably experience these powerful emotions.
This week we’re going to learn some practical strategies and tactics for dealing with anger. Not avoiding it, but dealing with it in a healthy way that allows us to feel validated and to grow. We’ll work from a short but very helpful article from NPR on “4 steps to calm anger and process it.” I look forward to the discussion and what we will learn from each other!
Our warm-up question for this week:
How would you describe joy to someone who has never experienced it?
See you soon,
Alex
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
Nov 29, 2023 | Mental Health Ministry, Stronger Together Support Group
Hello friends,
A couple of weeks ago we explored how culture can shape our assumptions about mental illness. This week we’ll explore a related topic: how behavior and mannerisms influence our assumptions about mental health and well-being. This is a good time to discuss this topic because as many of us know, the holiday season is a time when people can experience both “high highs” and “low lows” in mental health.
We’ll watch a brief but powerful video about checking in with others, which was developed in partnership with a mental health organization called Samaritans. Hopefully we’ll have a candid and compassionate conversation about our own experiences with mental health symptoms and how they are or are not understood by others.
Our warm-up question for this week:
Describe your favorite dish from Thanksgiving in mouth-watering detail. Bonus points if you also describe an “epic fail” dish!
See you soon,
Alex
