Thrive Christian Counseling

05/26/2026

05/26/2026

We are pleased to spotlight Mindy Atkinson MA, LPC of Thrive Christian Counseling in Edmond!

What does being a play therapist mean to you?
Being a play therapist means entering into a child’s world, listening, and observing, and allowing space for them to “say” (play) whatever they need to or want to in the moment! It means empowering the next generation and making a beautiful tomorrow!

What are your favorite play interventions?
I love my Jenga blocks with prompts and questions to break the ice for adolescents and teens. I also love teaching bracelet making and allowing expressive arts and crafts!

How do you stay playful?
Being outside in nature, reading, and traveling.

Learn more: https://www.thriveccokc.com/mindy-atkinson-lpc

05/20/2026

If you're lying awake Sunday night running through everything that could go wrong this week, your mind is running a threat loop instead of helping you prepare. 🆘 😵‍💫

Here's what that actually does to you: your mind and body respond to an imagined threat the same way they respond to a real one. Every worst-case you rehearse activates the same stress response as if it were already happening. By Monday morning you've already lived through a week of disasters that never occurred. And you're wrecked before the week even starts.

Managing your mind is what actually prepares you. The loop does the opposite.
Try this: Write down the one thing you're most worried about. Just one. Then write one action you can take. Everything else stays on the page, out of your head.

Pass this to someone who needs it tonight. 💛

05/17/2026

It’s easy to forget how young they really are.

We expect patience from a child whose brain is still developing.
Self-control from a child still learning emotions.
Calm communication from someone who barely understands what they’re feeling.

And when they struggle, we sometimes see it as defiance instead of development.

But childhood was never meant to look perfect.

It’s supposed to be loud.
Messy.
Emotional.
Curious.

That’s how children learn.

💛 They don’t need perfection from us. They need understanding.

05/05/2026

Here is your permission to rest. 💛 😴

Your week starts here, in the hours that look like nothing. The slow Sunday is the foundation the next six days are going to stand on.

Your mind requires unstructured time to integrate everything you absorbed during the week. The plans you made, the conversations you had, the decisions you carried. None of that gets fully processed while you're still in motion. The integration happens when you finally stop.

Slow mornings are mind work. Long meals are mind work. The walk that doesn't have a destination is mind work.

Today, give yourself two hours that aren't promised to anyone, including yourself. No to-do list. No improvement project. Just time. That's the rhythm your week was supposed to have. Your mind will use every minute of it.

This is your Sunday reminder. Send it to someone who's been treating the weekend like overflow work hours. 🫂

04/29/2026

04/23/2026

You’re not perfect,
and that’s okay.

04/20/2026

If you’re white-knuckling your way to Friday, this one’s for you. (And for me too!)

“I have to” is a weight your mind carries before the task even starts. Your non-conscious mind reads it as a threat, and your body responds accordingly. That exhausted-before-you-begin feeling has a source.

“I get to” doesn’t erase the task. It just changes what you walk into it with.
Worth a try on whatever’s still sitting on your list.

Pass this on to someone who needs it today. 💪

04/14/2026

God is not offended by your wrestling. He already knows your doubts, fears, questions, and struggles. Trying to hide them isn't going to work. But, when we bring our real stuff to Him, however unpolished or messy, He meets us there and leads us to truth.

I remember wrestling with God about my calling into ministry. I had every reason to disqualify myself, but God wasn't intimidated by my questions. He patiently worked through my wrestling until I found peace in His plan.

God wants the real you, not perfection or performance.

Comment FIRST and I'll send you daily encouragement to start every morning anchored in Truth.