Conflict increases when the stress level goes up, especially during the holidays. There are so many added activities to your already busy schedule.

How do I have hope when all I hear is negativity around me?  

Learn how to have a more positive outlook on life and regain your hope.

I understand.  It is very hard to see a bright future with all of the negativity in the news and on Facebook.  It's everywhere.  We have not been able to get into groups, attend church, or do the things we've always enjoyed. That is why it's such a struggle to have hope.  Using the techniques in this article will help you get your positive attitude back.

What I have learned through working with many people in many different walks of life is that "What we see is what we get" and that "No man is an island."  In other words, we cannot do things alone.  We need to depend upon others and our faith.  It doesn't really matter what your faith is in, but you still have to have it.  As I have gotten older, I have noticed that I cannot carry my burdens alone nor is it any fun to celebrate my successes by myself.

The problem nowadays is who can you really trust to have your back in all situations.  The one I depend upon is Jesus.  Yours may be different.  But to make it in this world, you have to believe that you have something or someone who supports you, even when you make mistakes or are feeling down.

I have come up with a method that starts and ends your day in journaling.  I know many people feel that it doesn't make a difference, but I challenge you to give it a try.  All you have to do is try it for 21 days.  Just get up 30 minutes earlier and allow 30 minutes before bedtime.  Do not allow any distractions.  Stay focused.  Make sure that you store it in a secure place because this journal is just between you and God or higher power. 

When you write in this journal consistently, you will experience peace and contentment with the direction your life is going.  You will start experiencing His guidance as you travel this life journey.  Again, I challenge you to journal for 21 days in the mornings and evenings to decide for yourself.

There are the questions to address daily.

• Morning Review
  • FIRST SECTION:  How am I feeling right now?  Why do I feel this way?  What can I do about it?  God, what are you telling me?
  • SECOND SECTION:  God, guide me as I make this life journey to become the best person that I can be.  What tasks do I need to do today to reach my goal?
  • THIRD SECTION:  God, what do I have to be thankful for and why?
• Evening Review
  • FIRST SECTION:  How am I feeling right now?  Why do I feel this way?  What can I do about it?  God, what are you telling me?
  • SECOND SECTION:  What was NOT GOOD about today?  God, what were the lessons that You were teaching me today through this experience?  How can I change so I don't repeat it in the future?
  • THIRD SECTION:  What was GOOD about today?  God, thank you for today's blessings.  What can I do to experience these again?

You can take this one step further by using these journal reviews as something to discuss with your spouse or family.  Your relationships will improve If each of you does all or a portion of each review each day.  You don't have to discuss it all, but only pick parts to discuss...especially the "Thank you" and "Blessing" sections.

Just try it for 21 days and see what a difference it will make in your life.

May God Bless You Until Next Time,

When we experience bad things in our lives, there are usually things that we are to learn from them.  What are you learning from this COVID-19 experience?  What did we learn from Hurricane Harvey?

Something that I'm seeing is how we spend time with our families.  

It is my belief that when we experience bad things in our lives, there are usually things that God wants us to learn.  I don't feel that he causes us to have bad things happen to us, but he doesn't want to stop them because there are things we need to learn.  No different than a parent does sometimes with their children.  We have to allow them to go through the experience because us telling them will not make a difference.

What are you learning about your family life during this quarantine?  What I see is that we should be learning that this will be an experience we will never forget.  Not just in a bad way, but also in a good way as well.

I worked with older people for 1 1/2 years and learned alot from them.  The main thing that I learned is that it's not important how many things or how much money a person has, it's the memories that have been created.  That is what they talk about.  Think about it.  When you go to reunions, funerals, or weddings, people discuss the memories that they created together.

What I have heard time and again is how tired parents are from working and hauling kids here and there.  The "quality time" is spent in the vehicle.  I have even heard the same from couples.  No one is spending time creating memories.

Memories are created when people actually "do" something together.  As a guideline to determine what that is, ask yourself if you want to take pictures of what you're doing so you will never forget it.

So what is my point?  Even though this has been a "bad" time in our lives, we can learn from it.  We can learn what it takes to get along and create "good" memories from the things we enjoy together.  That is what creates the bond in families...the good memories.  What destroys families are bad or no memories.  There is no history created that makes us want to be together.

So my questions to you are:  Are you creating "good" memories right now?  And will you re-evaluate your lives so that you will keep creating a good history in the future?

Stay Safe & God Bless!

Shirley B Johnson

Please note that I am offering TELEHEALTH at this time.  I am new at it but we can learn how to use it together.  So I will be offering telehealth and phone sessions until May 15, 2020 for the rate of $50 per 60-minute session.  After that, they will go back up to $75.  I will offer in-person sessions after June 1, 2020 if this Coronavirus is settled down by then.  I will keep you posted.

Ways you can improve your relationships during this Pandemic.

This is an odd time in our lives.  It is the last thing that we have expected at this time.  We can use it to improve our relationships or tear them apart, but it can be a very trying time because we are all cooped up together more that we probably ever have.

I have some suggestions as to things that you can do to improve your relationships at this time: