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Episode 80: Begin to Declutter Your Mind

the valley of grace podcast
Healing Our Brokenness Podcast Series
Episode 80: Begin to Declutter Your Mind
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Begin to Declutter Your Mind Introduction

begin to declutter your mind, season 5, episode 80, podcaster, podcasting, katina horton, blogger, emotional health, mental health, physical health, stress-free sleeping, insomnia, healing, pride, Elijah

When I think of clutter, I think of paper. And when I think of paper, I can’t help but think of the paper that took over the tiny closet in my first apartment when I was married. There were tons of paper built up from all the different classes that I was taking in college. And I mean tons of it. When you think about it, every piece of information that goes into our brains is just like those tons of paper that were stored in backpacks and every other kind of bag it could be stuffed into.

We have tons of papers in our brains, and we all have our own filing system for those papers. But, have you ever stopped to think about the paper that you are storing, whether it is good or bad, toxic or not, informative, etc. Today we will begin to dissect and declutter the paper in our brains and find out whether it is necessary, or if we are just on overload. Are we doing what I did at the time, stuffing and stuffing more into our brains, not paying attention to whether or not you really need to hold on to it? Or perhaps you need a better system.

Click here to catch up with the last podcast episode.

Podcast Outline

  • Introduction
  • What are we doing?
  • Where is your focus?
  • You won’t let go
  • What are you neglecting to do?

Meditation Verses

Philippians 4:8 

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

1 Kings 19 Part 1

19 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”

3 Elijah was afraid[a] and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.

All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.

The Lord Appears to Elijah

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

Have a blessed week!

Katina

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Use These 4 Tips — That Aren’t Diet or Fitness Related — to Feel Healthier in 2021

Happy Monday all! Today, I am featuring a guest blog post from a fellow blogger. His name is Gabriel Patel. He enjoys writing about health and wellness, and co-founded Health Well Wise with a group of friends who share the desire to help people live happy, healthy lives. Have a blessed rest of your Monday.

Use These 4 Tips — That Aren’t Diet or Fitness Related — to Feel Healthier in 2021

medicate, meditation, self-care, environment, stress-free, wellness, emotional health, psychology, physical health, mental health, 2021, new year, stress-free zone, routine, deep breathing

(Photo via Pexels)

Introduction

As the tumultuous year that was 2020 draws to a close, people around the globe are looking to 2021 as a much-needed fresh start. Like the beginning of any year, people will undoubtedly set goals to reach their full potential at work, in relationships, and especially with their health.

In fact, according to YouGov, 50% of individuals who set New Year’s resolutions at the end of 2019 said that they wanted to exercise more, 43% wanted to eat healthier, and 37% wanted to lose weight. Most of the time, a heavy emphasis is placed on physical health resolutions rather than overall well-being.

If your goal for 2021 is to improve every facet of your health, explore the following four research-backed wellness tips from Valley of Grace to help you feel healthier in the New Year.

Meditate

Over the last few years, meditation and mindfulness have earned serious accolades in the scientific community. According to The Harvard Gazette, meditation has been shown to improve a wide array of physical and mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, and irritable bowel syndrome. It has also been proven effective in reducing stress, enhancing body image, and improving cognition.

To take full advantage of the benefits of mindfulness and meditation, it is best to start with guided meditations. Beginner meditations can be found on various apps and on YouTube. It also doesn’t take long to feel the full range of benefits. By practicing for only 10-20 minutes per day, you’ll be on your way to feeling peaceful and healthier.

Turn your home into a stress-free zone

Research has revealed that your home and work environment can play a significant role in your overall mood and wellbeing. Although you likely won’t be able to change much about your work environment, you can make positive changes within your home.

To turn your living space into a stress-free zone, start adding elements that make each room feel fresh and vibrant. You can do this by regularly opening windows, eliminating messes and clutter, and by displaying items that bring you joy. This simple goal can help both you and your family argue less, interact more, and feel at ease while at home.

Set a weekly self-care routine

While it may just sound like a fun way to pamper yourself, self-care is now being backed more than ever before by psychologists and other medical professionals. When practiced routinely, those who have a self-care ritual can expect to experience decreased anxiety, improved self-confidence, lower stress levels, and higher productivity.

A self-care activity is anything that promotes your physical and spiritual well-being. This could include journaling, quality time with your partner, getting plenty of sleep, and praying.

Take more deep breaths

If you are like most people, you probably take breathing for granted. It isn’t often that a person stops in the middle of their workday to appreciate their body’s ability to inhale and exhale. In addition to keeping you alive, each breath has the power to positively affect your health.

Proper breathing techniques have been shown to calm insomnia and anxiety and to lower cortisol levels. To begin deep breathing as a practice, schedule times in your day to sit in a quiet spot and use your favorite guided breathing techniques.

What’s even better about using the tips listed above is that they don’t require a significant time commitment. Simply finding 10 minutes for daily meditation, or 5 minutes for deep breathing, can have a surprising effect on your emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing. In conjunction with a healthy diet and a solid fitness routine, these habits can put you on the fast track to feeling your best in 2021.

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I Can’t Sleep!

Sleep is one of those things that we can’t live without. But what happens when lack of sleep starts to get the best of you? Read the poem below to find out.

I Can’t Sleep

I can’t sleep! I can’t sleep!

Do I pray or do I weep?

sleep deprivation, trauma, PTSD, insomnia, waking up, living with and healing from trauma, brokenness, emotional health, mental health, psychology, katina horton, blogger, lifestyle
Photo by Shopify Partners

Let the music play in your head.

Rest in Jesus while in your bed.

This lack of sleep, all part of trauma.

Give him your fears and all your drama.

I can’t sleep! I can’t sleep!

“I know my child.

My grace runs deep.”

Other poetry

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The Sleep Aspect: Living With and Healing From Trauma

Introduction to The Sleep Aspect

We all love a good night’s sleep. When I picture falling asleep, I think about having just the right amount of flat sheets, a soft comforter, a few pillows surrounding me, just the right temperature in the house, and having sweet dreams. Just thinking about this scene would make all of us stop and long for sleep.

sleep deprivation, trauma, PTSD, insomnia, waking up, living with and healing from trauma, brokenness, emotional health, mental health, psychology, katina horton, blogger, lifestyle
Photo by Shopify Partners

Sleep can be one of the sweetest things in the world, and then on the other side of that coin, it can be that of agony for a person living with PTSD/trauma on a daily basis. There is also no rhyme or reason as to when sleep deprivation will occur.

sleep deprivation, trauma, PTSD, insomnia, waking up, living with and healing from trauma, brokenness, emotional health, mental health, psychology, katina horton, blogger, lifestyle
Photo by Matthew Henry

Breakdown of My Sleep Aspect of Trauma

Five years ago, unbeknownst to me, I entered an extremely toxic work environment. At the time, I had already been dealing with sleep issues as a side effect of the trauma of my divorce, as well as the events immediately preceding and following the divorce. I would describe the events as a crazy Lifetime movie. Unfortunately, this movie was my life. Although I was already having problems staying and falling asleep, nothing could compare to the level of sleep problems that occurred as a by-product of working at this company for nine months.

People living with PTSD/trauma often face two issues when it comes to sleep: falling asleep and staying asleep. I had and have both. During the time that I worked at this company, I would try to fall asleep around 10 pm. From 10:00 pm to 3:00 a.m, I would fall asleep for a few minutes, wake up with my teeth and whole body tense and clenched tight, and the cycle would start all over again.

Breakdown Part Two

I am going to keep it real here. The first couple of times that this happens, you find yourself trying to stay positive and you start telling yourself not to overly think about. “Don’t be concerned about the time.” However, when you have done this 5 or more times within five hours, and realize that you have only had a total of maybe one hour of sleep, and you have to get up pretty soon for work, the positivity can wear off real fast. I had to wake up at 6:00 a.m. to get ready for work, which if we all do the math, we know that this isn’t enough time for restful adequate sleep.

The toxic job, along with this vicious cycle of sleep caused major life-threatening thyroid problems, along with an overactive adrenal gland.

God granted me grace by allowing me to be let go from this toxic environment. It gave me time to heal and try to breathe again.

Sleep Aspect: What’s Going On Now

I still have issues with my sleep patterns due to trauma. They are not as frequent as they were, but they are still a problem. Last week took me clearly by surprise.

I had been suffering with sinus and allergy issues since August, and last week these issues came to a head. And guess what came with it? Sleep deprivation from trauma. I had two nights with four nights of sleep.

Then, I had one night with five nights of sleep. Just as I thought I was turning the corner, the following night was an all-nighter with only one hour of sleep at best. I nodded off for ten minutes at a time, woke up, and then stayed up for hours, with my body attempting sleep several more times.

I have to get up at 4:00 for work, and so, when this time came, and I was still awake, I reluctantly resigned to calling in and staying home. What I had to do was to give myself grace and compassion. I had to tell myself that I needed a time-out to rest, get in as many liquids as I could to help my sinus issues, and just relax. Finally, I fell asleep at 5:00 a.m. and slept until close to nine.

I would have liked to sleep until one o’clock. However, that didn’t happen. What did happen is that I literally laid down for part of the day, and sat up part of the day and allowed myself to rest physically, emotionally, and spiritually in Jesus. Sometimes we just have to admit that we are having a bad day, week, month, year, and simply REST!!!

Sleep Aspect Conclusion

Sleep deprivation from trauma is real. I won’t downplay it. However, God is also real, and he can meet us right where we are. When we have these hiccups in our schedule, the devil wants to make us think we are right back where we are. WE ARE NOT!!

Unfortunately sleep issues are a part of living with and healing from trauma on a daily basis, but it doesn’t define us. God does! And guess what? When I couldn’t sleep during the night, I had praise music playing in my head as if I had turned on a radio. Even though my feelings were telling me different, God was telling me that he was with me.

God bless and have a wonderful rest of your week!!!

What are some of the things that you do to help yourself when you are dealing with the sleep aspect of trauma?