We multitask to get more done. However, research suggests multitaskers do less and do it less well. Here are a few research findings on why we should break the habit of multitasking.

• Multitasking slows you down and takes more time in the end.
• More errors occur while multitasking than when single-tasking.
• Spending time on multiple devices such as texting and watching TV can potentially cause brain damage.

If you want to become more productive, try doing one activity at a time. Here are five ways to stop multitasking and become more productive.

Five Ways to Stop Multitasking

1. Batching – Do you know someone who eats one thing at a time from their plate? That is an excellent example of batching.

My mom was great at batching. She would cook dinner in the early morning. When finished with dinner, she might sweep. After that, she moved on to the next thing. She accomplished everything needed for that day without being overwhelmed by her many tasks.

Practice batching by finishing one job before moving on to the next. Prioritize your work. Avoid perfectionism! Please do your best and leave it alone, or revisit it later.

2. Mindfulness – Are your thoughts constantly wandering away from what you are doing? This way of thinking is the opposite of mindfulness.

Mindfulness is investing yourself to where you are. Once, as a busy mom and music student, I was taking an organ lesson. My thoughts were everywhere because of my hectic week. My music professor said to me, “Be here; now.” That was my introduction to mindfulness. 

Practice mindfulness by focusing entirely on one task at a time. Every time you become distracted, bring your mind back to your task. Eventually, you will learn to be more focused.

3. Tech time. – We love our smartphones. However, technology can be a significant intruder in our lives. How much of this intrusion is urgent? Little to none. 

Break the habit of constantly checking email and texts. Let voicemail take your non-urgent calls. Establish an emergency “chain-of-contacts” with your loved ones. Then, schedule times during the day to “check-in” with your texts and email.

4. Alone Time.” Schedule time alone each day to get yourself going or to unwind. By the time we kids woke up each morning, my mom would be sitting, reading her Bible, and enjoying her “Alone Time.”

Schedule a regular alone time. Enjoy a relaxing bubble bath, meditate, or play a game on your phone. Try to avoid the intrusion of Facebook and texting doing your alone time.

5. Time-Out.  Try relaxing from your hectic routine by taking a time-out day. 

Try getting your entire family to take a monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly “stay-cation.” Take the day off and keep on your pajamas. Take naps or play some board games. Bake some cookies. Catch up on laundry. Believe it or not, the world can keep functioning for one day without us!

Changing from multitasking to single-tasking is possible with practice. Your immediate rewards will include less stress. You will begin to accomplish more in every area of your life.

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Thinking about my deceased parents gave me a better understanding of how I should observe this day. My mom passed in June 2009, and my dad in February 2013. Back then, each time, I felt devastated. Inconsolable.

We Christians often pair Good Friday and Easter Sunday, making it a seamless weekend. However, for the family and disciples of Jesus Christ, Friday before resurrection Sunday did not kick off a festive weekend. It was the day of Jesus’ death, and they felt devastated. Inconsolable.

Today, I invite you back to the dying day of the one who still loves us more than our mothers and fathers ever could. Walk with Jesus from the jail where He was imprisoned to the site of His execution. Hear the sounds as He was nailed to a cross. Feel the heartbreak of Jesus’ mother as she watched her son die.

Imagine the hopelessness of everyone who believed Jesus was their Savior. They trusted Him with their futures, and now He was gone. With them, allow yourself to feel devastated. Inconsolable.
Now, you have experienced this day called “Good Friday.” However, this is not the ending.

THE REST OF THE STORY

1-4 After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God’s angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn’t move.

5-6 The angel spoke to the women: “There is nothing to fear here. I know you’re looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.

7 “Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.’ That’s the message.”

8-10 The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell the disciples. Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. “Good morning!” he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worshiped him. Jesus said, “You’re holding on to me for dear life! Don’t be frightened like that. Go tell my brothers that they are to go to Galilee, and that I’ll meet them there.”

(Matthew 28:1-10, The Message Bible)

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FINALLY FREE FROM TOXIC THINKING!

After this pandemic year, my husband and I are looking forward to a live visit with our grandchildren. “Look how you’ve grown,” are always my first words to them.

In one glance, I see their physical maturity. During our visit, I will notice other signs of growth. Their language development, TV shows, snacks, and clothing all show their levels of matureness.

However, our grandchildren’s parents experience their child’s growth differently from my occasional assessment. They are daily assisting and influencing the youngster’s growth development. Then, weeks later, he uses his fingers to add. She is off to college. He needs a larger-sized sneaker!

The parent’s experience illustrates God’s role in transforming our wounded emotions. As you read this post, you will discover a simple two-step cycle to find peace of mind and stay emotionally healthy. 

Confrontational Thoughts

We all are confronted by negative thoughts. When we begin to fixate on negative thinking, it becomes toxic thinking. Toxic thoughts are false beliefs that negatively affect you and those around you. This way of thinking can make us depressed, anxious, pessimistic, and sometimes challenging to get along with. Confrontational Thoughts

You may never struggle with toxic thinking. Great! This simple healing cycle still works for whatever emotional problem you struggle with.

Simply replace your problem with the word “toxic thinking” in the two steps below. Remember, the two steps are cyclical; go back and forth between the stages as much and as long as you need. 

A Two-Step Cycle of Healing

1.Own Up

Unhealthy thought patterns originate from past traumatizing experiences. My problem began as a child growing up in alcoholism. In families affected by addictions, putting on a “brave face” to hide fear and shame is common.

I always wore a brave face in public. But underneath the mask, I was hurting. Eventually, I realized my depression and negative thinking was rooted in fearfulness. After admitting this to myself and then to God, my healing began.

Admitting you have a problem is the first step in fixing the problem. Stop pretending things are going well when they are not. The first step in any of the 12-Step Programs for Recovery begins with admitting we have a problem.

“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” (1st Peter 5:6-7)

2.Only Trust God 

We need help outside of ourselves to recover from toxic thinking. After realizing fear was driving the anxiety and depression in my life, I needed a safe place to unload years of pain. So, I set out to find healing.

As a believer, I was dedicated to the church and eagerly received the prayers for healing from my church leaders. I attended counseling, support groups and voraciously read self-help books. All were very helpful in my spiritual journey. However, years later, toxic thinking, along with depression and anxiety, still transpired in my life.

Finally, when it came to changing the person I had become, I looked to my creator. I trusted only God for healing. In turn, he would lead me wherever and however he chose for additional help. 

We should request prayer for healing. We should relentlessly seek self-help. However, we must understand the first source of our support, healing, and recovery is always God. Start with Him, and follow His lead. 

“He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds..” (Psalms 147:3)

Like a growing child, the positive changes you want to see in yourself may occur in tiny increments. Your rate of change will depend on the extent and severity of your emotional problem.

Know that God is healing you, leading you, and guiding you by His Spirit. Soon, you will see how much you’ve grown.

God bless you as you learn to live above anxiety. Thank you for your comments and encouraging emails. We love hearing from you, and your input helps us to grow. To leave a comment, click here. 

Perfectionism

Healthy perfectionism inspires you to push yourself to your maximum potential. However, suppose the voice inside of you is constantly overly critical of yourself and others. In that case, you may be living with unhealthy perfectionism. Read on.

We, perfectionists, are far from perfect, but we want to be. As a perfectionist, I’ve lived most of my life with unhealthy perfectionism. What I eventually became was overly-anxious and highly annoying!

There is never an end to unhealthy perfectionism. We live in exhaustion from trying over and over to get things better. This post will not attempt to explain the psychology behind our perfectionism. Instead, we are going directly to the Bible for our cure!

Destroying The Idol of Perfectionism

Here are five verses to help you embrace your imperfections and stop worshipping the self-destructive “Idol of Perfectionism.”

Be Honest  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1John 1:8 ESV)

Be Spirit-led  Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by[a] the flesh? (Galatians 3:3, ESV)

Be Merciful  But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great… Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

Be Peaceful  You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. (Isaiah26:3)

Be Humble   And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. (Luke 15:15, ESV)

Be Non-judgemental  Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment. (John 7:24)

Be Christ-like  Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:3-8)

Discovering Healing and Peace

Jesus Christ is the only perfect person because he is the only person to live without sin. However, God created us with imperfections. By embracing our weaknesses, we learn to love our imperfect selves. As a result, we give our best to everything and everyone with integrity. We also maintain our peacefulness. 

Here are three suggestions for staying on your road to peace.

• Admit the truth.  If you have read this far, you or someone you care about is likely struggling with unhealthy perfectionism. Admitting the truth followed by asking for God’s help is the crucial first step to deliverance.
• Start each day with meditation. Pray and allow yourself a few minutes of quietness to experience God’s peace. Practice some deep breathing exercises to help you feel less anxious.
• Practice one or more of the above scriptures each day. God’s word must indeed be read and believed. Most of all, to obtain the benefit, we must practice what the scripture says.

God bless you as you learn to live above anxiety. Thank you for your comments and encouraging emails. We love hearing from you, and your input helps us to grow.

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In my community, there is hardly anyone who has not been affected by the pandemic. Adding insult to our suffering is when some people do not care enough to wear a mask. 

Science has proven mask-wearing helps to stop the spread of the fatal coronavirus. However, the simple gesture of wearing a mask also speaks in at least five other ways. 

Hear the Messages

1. I believe you.  Once, a woman confided to me how saddened she was because her family would never acknowledge her emotional pain. She craved for the family to recognize her pain as real. Likewise, we do not expect every person to believe masks are necessary or the pandemic exists. It’s enough for others to acknowledge the reality of our suffering by wearing a mask.

2. I’m sorry for your suffering.  If you have never been affected by COVID-19, look around. Covid victims are as close as your next-door neighbor. Some have endured multiple deaths within their immediate families. To these families, a mask indicates heartfelt sympathy.

3. I share your concerns about your future.  In addition to physical suffering, the “Coronavirus War” spars many other battles. Economic injury abounds. Spiritual and emotional battles present themselves through fear, anger, and feelings of hopelessness. Mask wearers express shared hope, participating in making a brighter future.

4. I am fighting with you. My daughter and I were discussing how mask-wearing seems here to stay. We concluded, God will undoubtedly end the pandemic war. In the meantime, we will fight many battles. Masking-up, keeping socially distant, and getting vaccinated are our weapons. 

5. I share my faith with you. James 2:26 says, “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works (NLT)” In other words, God is saying, “Do your part.” The breakthrough in science with a vaccine is because of our prayers. Scientific discovery about mask-wearing and social distancing is also God’s intervention for us. Believe this.  

Our Prayer

We pray for restored health for you who have fallen ill from the coronavirus. We pray for comfort to those who have experienced the death of a loved one. We also ask God to forgive us, save us, and heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14).

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More than ten years after her death, I can still hear my mom praying for everyone to get “more love.” She wanted her loving family and everyone to love better. I agreed. But at the time, I didn’t realize the intentional behavioral changes it would take to become more loving.

Likewise, Paul, the apostle, described mom’s “more love” as “overflowing love.” Paul prayed his followers would discover a love that overflowed (Read I Thessalonians 3:12). How is it possible to increase the tremendous love you already give? Read on to learn four steps for taking your love life to a higher level.

Getting To Overflowing Love

Level 1 – Accept  – The theologian, C. S. Lewis, said, “Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not.” Accept God’s unconditional love by accepting the way God created you. Ignore the old voices in your head that focus on your faults. Start each day with gratefulness for God’s love and acceptance toward you. 

Level 2 – Discover -Fall in love with God just as you fall in love with anyone. Attending corporate worship is excellent. However, your time alone with God is essential. Remember, prayer times include speaking as well as listening to him. Grow stronger through a consistent Bible study routine. (See Psalm 37:31)

Level 3 -Share – Sharing “overflowing love” to loved ones is usually a matter of becoming less self-involved (See Romans 12:10). As we work through our issues and faults, we become more accepting and less critical of our families and friends.

“Overflowing love” also requires finding out how your loved one needs to be loved. In what ways can you deny yourself to meet his or her needs?

Level 4 – Expand – Some people are easy to love. For whatever reasons, loving some individuals can be challenging. 

Many times, the complicated process of forgiving must happen to expand our love. Then, your sincere love can overflow into the lives of those who have hurt you.  (See Matthew 6:14-15). They may never be capable of returning your compassion. But when you forgive them, you will experience God’s peace.

Reaching Your Goal

I finally get the vast significance of my mom’s prayer. God is pleased with His creation. However, personal conflicts and differences will always interrupt our love-flow.

God’s love for us never stops because it is eternal. Therefore, as long as we’re on this earth, we try to love better. Only by striving for overflowing love can we achieve the highest and greatest level of love -eternal love.

“Every act of love is a work of peace no matter how small.” (Mother Theresa)

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Anxiety and Depression Disorders have different symptoms. However, the symptoms of both disorders can overlap together. So it was in was my case.  Read on.

My Story

As a young adult, I was confident of my Christian calling to teach and minister in music. But the paralyzing symptoms of anxiety kept me from being my best self. For example, as a speaker and performer, I spent a tremendous amount of mental energy worrying weeks before an event. I could barely give my best during the event because of fear. Finally, I obsessed weeks afterward about the event. But it was not anxiety that I felt (or so I thought). I only experienced depression. 

By age fifty, I had learned how to manage chronic clinical depression. My symptoms included prolonged hopelessness, negative thinking, trouble concentrating, trouble sleeping, fatigue, and excessive worrying. 

I was never diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, even though most of my symptoms overlapped with the above signs of depression. Therefore, anxiety remained throughout my life, riding below the radar of my emotional health.  

Today, I am at my best emotionally healthy state ever! Medicine, therapy, and excellent family support helped to propel me to this safe place. However, my faith in God is what initiated and has sustained my mental health healing. 

Is It Normal Worry or Anxiety?

It’s OK to worry. It’s normal to stress about your loved one’s health, asking for a raise, passing a test, getting married, etc. Worrying and prolonged stressing becomes “something” more significant when it is persistent and can reach into every aspect of your life.  

God makes it clear. He wants us to live without worry and anxiety. Peace of mind and a peaceful spirit comes by first having peace with God.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).  

My serenity started by changing my negative thinking. Although it can be challenging to change lifelong patterns of thinking, God makes it possible. I’m a witness!
We will learn more about the challenges of changing negative thinking as we continue this dialogue. Meanwhile, stay safe and remain in peace.

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Black History Month is more important to the future of American democracy than ever. At a critical time, it offers the nation a window into its own soul-if we are only courageous enough to look.

Peniel E. Joseph, 2021, CNN, 02/4/2021, Opinion: Black History Month this year is more than a trip down memory lane – CNN, Retrieved on 02/4/2021.

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