Abundant Life Counseling St. Louis, LLC

04/21/2026

It’s a challenge to feel something difficult, particularly if we’ve been raised that feeling something difficult means we need to “fix” something, that something is fundamentally wrong with us, that we’re not “trusting in God enough.” But feeling difficult emotions is part of what makes us human, and part of who God made us to be. When we allow ourselves to feel what we’re really feeling, we open ourselves up to experience His comfort. 🌱

04/13/2026

Sometimes I think it can be easy to unconsciously believe that there is a place where anxiety doesn’t exist. Like if we just go to enough therapy, employ enough coping skills, or have enough faith, we won’t experience anxiety. The unfortunate reality is that every human, at some point in their lives, will experience some degree of anxiety, no matter how emotionally intelligent they are or how much faith they have or how much they seek to control their circumstances. We can’t control when, how, or what degree we experience it.
 
The GOOD news is that we CAN choose how we respond to it. We can avoid and ignore it, we can grit our teeth and fight it through, we can try to “fix” it. Or we can notice it and allow it, showing ourselves compassion, and taking the next step in the direction of what matters to us, even with our anxiety present. 🌱

04/07/2026

I often hear people say that they need to “just stop caring what others think!” I think a lot of times what they mean is that they would like others’ opinions and perceptions of them to matter less in their decision-making. And I get that – I too often wonder what others’ think of me or how they are perceiving me! And sometimes I’ll do things I wouldn’t otherwise do if I know it will please or placate someone else. Yet, the idea that we will NEVER care what others think of us just isn’t realistic. Of course, it makes sense (and is often important!) to value and consider the opinions and feedback from those who we love, respect, admire, and who know us well. But even those who we don’t know or don’t respect, love, admire or share the same values as – their feedback can certainly leave an impact on us as well.
 
So, if the goal is not to grit our teeth and say, “I don’t care what you think!” what do we do with unwanted or others’ perceptions of us instead?
 
I’m sharing some ideas on the blog today. Check it out here or at the link in profile: https://abundantlifecounselingstl.com/?p=1402
🌱

03/31/2026

Is my house REALLY on fire? Is there really smoke present? Or does the battery just need changing?

Today on the blog, I’m sharing some thoughts on how our anxiety can function like a smoke detector. Important and something to pay attention to, but not always indicative that a danger is present. Check it out here or at the link in my profile: https://abundantlifecounselingstl.com/?p=1399 🌱

03/24/2026

03/17/2026

It can be helpful to consider some strategies to use when you find yourself in fight, flight, freeze or fawn mode. It’s important to note that these strategies are NOT meant to completely take away the feeling or change the immediate circumstance. These strategies DO help with what I like to refer to as bringing your brain back online: being able to respond in a way that is in line with your values and the level of risk or threat present, even with the presence of distress. When I find myself feeling anxious, panic, irritation or anger to the degree that I feel outside of my window of being able to self-soothe, here are three go-to tools that I personally use to bring myself back into that window of tolerance ⬆️

To read more about the window of tolerance, check out the link in my profile or here: https://abundantlifecounselingstl.com/?p=1393 🌱

03/10/2026

There’s always something, isn’t there?
 
Something I’ve had to come to terms with over the years (and continue to come to terms with) is that life is never free of stressors or situations we wish would change, no matter how small they might seem in the grand scheme of things. Of course, the Lord works and changes hearts, minds, and situations for the better. And sure, there are ways we can change and implement practices and strategies to improve ourselves and our situations. But pain to some degree always remains. Sometimes this pain is protective and serves a purpose, sometimes it’s just pain.
 
In the blog post this week, I’m writing about the window of tolerance we all have – the degree to which we can tolerate and move through the pain, where we don’t have to “white knuckle,” control to “fix,” or avoid it to survive it.
Check out the link in my profile or here: https://abundantlifecounselingstl.com/?p=1393 🌱

03/03/2026

Have you ever heard the term “window of tolerance” and wondered what it meant? Does everyone have a window of tolerance or only those who’ve experienced trauma? What are some ways we can come back to our window of tolerance when we find ourselves outside of it? I’m answering these questions and diving into a personal example of one of my own phobias on the blog today!

Check out the link in my profile or here: https://abundantlifecounselingstl.com/?p=1393 🌱

02/24/2026

Letting ourselves feel our difficult emotions doesn’t make them go away. It doesn’t necessarily make them “easier” to feel. It does tell our brains that it’s not dangerous or shameful to feel.

Check out the link in my profile or here: https://abundantlifecounselingstl.com/?p=1389 🌱

02/17/2026

I’ve heard a lot of clients over the years tell me they’re afraid to let themselves feel what they’re really feeling. They’re afraid that if they let themselves feel, they’ll drown in their emotions and not find a way out. I’m addressing this fear in my blog post today.
Check out the link in my profile or here: https://abundantlifecounselingstl.com/?p=1389 🌱

02/10/2026

Some loving reminders for those in difficult relationships ❤️🌱 singleness boundaries healthyrelationships counseling knmentalhealth therapy christianmentalhelth christiancounseling stl stlouis women womenshealth

02/03/2026

Some reminders for those who are single this month and don’t want to be ❤️