The Great Outdoors: 4 Ways to Experience Life Beyond Your Cubicle

Cold is not my thing.  The fastest you’ll see me walk is through a parking lot in those brutal February months when the Oklahoma wind cuts right through you.  During the summer, I’m willing to loiter a little. The winter is a different story.  

Despite my disdain for cold weather, I know it’s good for me to be outside.  Research shows that getting outside helps us relax and increases our productivity.  So how do we do that when drinking hot cocoa by the fireplace feels a whole lot better?  (Or, for you warm-blooded folks, sitting in front of the AC with a cup of sweet tea sounds better). 

One Key to Renew Your Joy

When I was a senior in high school, there was one prayer God laid heavy on my heart.  Truthfully, part of it probably felt so heavy because I was scared, but I also believe it was genuinely the Lord preparing my heart to do something amazing.  The prayer God laid on my heart was this: Pray for good friends in college.

Oh man, did He answer those prayers?  The university I went to catered to a very different population than me.  It was essentially a performing arts school and I barely made the plays in grade school (I’m a millennial, which means everyone got a part in the play…that is how much of a performer I am not). 

2 Myths About Stress

You know the conversation.
“What’s new with you?”
“Oh I’ve just been busy.”
Busy. It’s a word used often that represents an epidemic of stress.

Chances are you or someone you love has this very week described feeling busy, overwhelmed, or stressed. It’s part of our everyday vocab. It’s also an expectation. If a person isn’t busy, there’s an element of judgment that inevitably comes his or her way.
From both personal and professional experiences, I’ve noticed two big myths about stress. The first is that stress is not a big deal. The second is that stress is unbeatable. I would encourage you to refuse those myths.

The Key to Stress Relief

My mom’s cousins know how to have a good time.  When I’m around this side of my family, I’m always reminded how I tend to take things too seriously. 
 
Tragedy: The Most Common Excuse for Seriousness
 
The excuse I often give for being too serious is that tragedy requires that kind of response.  The more I’ve sat with people in their deepest grief, the more I’ve realized that I don’t think that’s truly the case.  Let me use my mom’s cousins to explain why I think seriousness is overrated, especially in tragedy.