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Take the First Step
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THE SPOON THEORY was originally created by Christine Miserandino, who walks her daily journey through life with Lupus, an invisible disease causing chronic fatigue, pain, and many other symptoms which limit her energy levels and her ability to accomplish everyday tasks. You may view her original article below:
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THE SPOON THEORY is a very practical way to describe the experience of living with any type of Chronic Illness, and the limitations it presents through the use of a vivid word picture to illustrate one's daily struggles to carryout sometimes what appear to others as very simple tasks. THE SPOON THEORY principle can be applied to any type of Chronic Illness including severe Anxiety Disorders, prolonged seasons of Depression, and medically diagnosed Depressive Disorders.
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Our Five Senses of SIGHT, TOUCH, HEARING, SMELLING, and TASTING are ways in which we naturally experience the world around us. But they can also be unique tools for helping oneself or helping someone else as a caregiver to work through an anxiety attack. The idea is instead of doing the old "Count to 10 slowly forwards and backwards" and calm your breathing, we can actually help ourselves or someone else recognize things unique to each of the Five Senses that can refocus their mind, body, and emotions on a sense of peace, calmness, and safety. If you or someone you're helping goes through all Five Senses and is still a bit anxious, it's a great idea to walk through this exercise a second time, finding new items for each Sense of the body. |
Cultivating a Heart of Gratitude - "The Thankful List"
One of the greatest ways to begin to take small steps up out of the darkness of depression or to step down from a high state of anxiety into the peacefulness of God is to begin to thank Him for all that He has blessed us with spiritually, physically, materially, emotionally, mentally, and relationally. A most effective method for practicing this discipline is making what a wise mentor of mine called a Daily "Thankful List" of the things God has given you. The key is not be too broad, but to be both broad and simplistic including broad items such as your "Salvation in Christ" and simplistic items such as the "Warm Shower" you had this morning, or the fact that your "Car actually cranked on a frigidly cold morning." In focusing on these things, your mind is "re-directed" to all the things that you are blessed with each and every day that can be sources of encouragement. A good starting point is to make a list of (50) items and then once you've reached that number, challenge yourself to continue your list until you reach (100) items and then take time to review. Just for the record, the first time my personal mentor took me through this exercise, he challenged me until my list reached (200) items - it took me an entire month, but it was most rewarding to see how much God was blessing me in so many areas of my life, however prior to that experience my eyes had simply not been opened to see His hands at work. |
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Have Hope Thankful List | |
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Staying Active & Healthy
Daily Activity Planner Depression & Anxiety Recovery Does depression/(anxiety) keep you from feeling in control of your days? Many people find that setting up a routine can help with their symptoms. So try to get on a schedule. Below is a planner that you can use to map out your day. It's also like a journal that helps you track your mood. Plus, you can compare what you planned to do with what you actually did. After a few weeks, you might see patterns that you never noticed before. For instance, you might find that you feel worse at one time of the day or during a particular activity. It could also show you the things that tend to make you feel anxious. Once you start seeing trends like these, you can prepare more for the times when you might feel depressed/(anxious). That way, you can make a plan to deal with them or avoid them altogether. - Source: WebMD |
Suggested Daily Activities
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Have Hope
Daily Activity Planner Source: WebMD DIRECTIONS: In the first column, plan what you want to do tomorrow. Then, tomorrow night, fill out the remaining three columns. Did you do what you intended? How did you feel during each time? Did anything happen that might have affected your mood? For instance, did you get into an argument with a friend? Did you start thinking about things that made you anxious? |
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Have Hope Daily Activity Planner | |
File Size: | 96 kb |
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Visit the Have Hope YouTube Channel
Instantly Click on Featured Playlists such as "Truth For The Journey," "Songs of Inspiration," "Walking Through The Valleys," "Songs of HOPE," and MUCH MORE. |
"Broken Things" by: Matthew West
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