Girl On A Hill Bekki Lindner, Jolene Lau, Sydney Naumann & Krystal Wagner

We continue our series on emotions by talking about embarrassment. We’ve all felt our cheeks flush as we want to run and hide, but what’s really going on beneath our embarrassment? Why do we feel this way? Why do we care so much about what other people think? We confront our obsession with image, get real about shame and perfectionism, and wrap it up with some powerful truths - reminding ourselves we’re only human, and that’s okay! We share a few tips to work through our embarrassment and wrap it up with a reminder to focus on what matters to help the silly stuff fall away.

We continue our discussion of emotions by digging into ennui. It’s a word you may not be familiar with, but an emotion you’ve likely felt. While we may not want to admit it, most of us know what it’s like to cross beyond boredom into apathy - to feel empty and without purpose. Today we talk about why. We get honest about burn-out and monotony but also don’t shy away from our struggle to feel like our life is meaningful and that what we do matters. We share some ways to reconnect to purpose, to live fully (even when we don’t feel like it), and wrap it up with a hard truth about our focus.

We continue our series on our emotions by talking about disgust - the emotion that makes us say, “eww.” It’s all well and good when we’re talking about worms and rotten milk - but what do we do with our disgust when it’s directed towards other people? We confront the truth of our disgust - the pride and fear underneath it and the way disgust hurts, separates, and divides. We get real about loving our neighbor and using that love to help us overcome our disgust, extend our reach, and live the way we’ve been called to live.

Today we begin our new series- where each week we’ll take a closer look at one of our emotions. Today we dive headfirst into sadness. We push our sadness away - doing our best to stuff it, hide it, and distract ourselves from feeling it- but today we look at the role of sadness in our lives and the importance of working through our sadness instead of pretending it isn’t there. We talk about the things lurking beneath our sadness and attempt to combat the lie that feeling sad is weak and shameful. Everyone gets sad. But there IS a way through and it’s ok to feel this way. We wrap it up today by sharing ways to feel our sadness so we can heal.

This week we look back on our Spring Cleaning of the Heart and Mind Series. I take some time to briefly review each of the 8 topics covered, share some of the commonalities between each of these struggles, and share a few tips universal to the challenge of working towards personal growth. We wrap it up with a few wise words from Paul about refocusing our thoughts to the good and the true.

Today we wrap up our Spring Cleaning of the Heart and Mind series by getting real about the negative habit of taking things personally. We talk about the truth of our self-centeredness and the way our negative self-talk leads us to make hurtful assumptions. We acknowledge the importance of recognizing that like us, everyone else is hurting and healing - and everyone’s pain affects their mindset and behavior. We’re identifying triggers, fact-checking our thoughts, and working to view our offenders through eyes that see with compassion.