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
Oct 12, 2023 | Mental Health Ministry, Stronger Together Support Group
Just last week we had a lighthearted (but thoughtful and productive) conversation about joy. What a difference a week can make.
I suspect you are as heartbroken as I am, and maybe more. Let’s talk about it tomorrow, shall we?
I also want to share with you an article sent to me that was published in WaPo. On the surface it’s about Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, which we’ve discussed previously in Stronger Together. The underlying theme, however, is about how we prepare for mental health struggles ahead. The article was published Oct. 5, two days before the attack on Israel.
Our warm-up question for this week:
How are you feeling right now, and what have been the range of emotions you’ve felt over the past few days?
See you soon,
Alex
Aug 30, 2023 | Mental Health Ministry, Stronger Together Support Group
Hello friends,
We’re going to start this week’s conversation with a video compilation from… comedian Jim Carrey? There’s a lot to enjoy in this 7-minute video, but don’t expect to find comedy highlights. What you will find are a series of reflections from speeches and interviews about what it means to shape your life by choosing love over fear.
While the video isn’t about mental health per se, it definitely speaks to important well-being concepts and the inseparable nature of our mental, spiritual, physical, and interpersonal health. As you watch the video, try to think about how you see the idea of “choosing love over fear” influencing your outlook and mental well-being.
Our warm-up question for this week:
Who or what makes you laugh the hardest… or the most often?
Jul 14, 2023 | Mental Health Ministry, Stronger Together Support Group
Hello friends,
Have you ever wanted to yell at someone to “stop being so emotional!” Perhaps someone has said something similar to you? Or maybe sometimes you feel overtaken by emotion, and you wonder how other people are able to keep them at bay?
It turns out that a lot of what we think is happening with our emotions is closer to mythology than fact. Worse yet, our own brain will trick us into thinking emotions are something other than what they really are. What should we do about this to support strong mental well-being?
As always, we need to start with awareness and education. This week we’re going to watch a helpful video to get better educated about emotions and debunk some commonly-held myths. This learning can go a long way to helping us not just understand our own emotions better, but also turning them into a tool for personal growth.
Our warm-up question for this week:
Who is the most “emotional” character you can think of from a movie or TV show, and what makes them “emotional”?
See you soon,
Alex
May 18, 2023 | Mental Health Ministry, Stronger Together Support Group
Hello friends,
Whether you call it “overwhelmed” or “anxious,” we all know what it feels like: your mind becomes preoccupied with worrying thoughts, you probably tense up a bit, minutes begin to feel like hours, and so on. It’s not a pleasant state, but it’s also a normal part of the human experience. Of course there’s also a point at which these feelings become so persistent and intense that we classify it as a form of mental illness.
So how can we respond in healthy, effective ways when we feel overwhelmed? And what should we not do? In our conversation this week we’ll go through “5 Mistakes We Make When We’re Overwhelmed,” which also gives us insight into what we can do instead to prevent overwhelming feelings from not becoming so…overwhelming.
We’ll also watch a brief personal testimony from Florence Mukangenzi, a medical student who describes in wonderful clarity how she has developed strategies and tactics to manage her chronic anxiety.
Our warm-up question for this week:
What activities allow your mind to wander in healthy ways?
See you soon,
Alex
