"Are We Talking to Ourselves?" @ Women Encouraged

"As a stay-at-home mom, it’s easy to go through a day on partial auto-pilot, not paying much attention to the thoughts that flow in and out of mind as I change diapers, load the dishwasher, read stories and prepare meals. Sometimes it isn’t until mid-day or even the end of the day that I realize I’ve spent more time listening to my “self” than talking to myself. The arrival of COVID-19 takes my thought struggle to a new level.

"Whether at home or in a different place of work, any of us can dwell too long on when-we, we-wish, and if-only thoughts. We slip far too easily into comparison and discontentment, and we linger too long on hurts and grievances. We’re plagued by self-doubts and wonder what others think of us. We give in to fear and anxiety. We surrender far too much thought space to false feelings, false guilt, and false idols.

"Many times, we don’t travel these streams of consciousness intentionally, but we also don’t aggressively cut them short. What seems harmless at first soon leads to sin and sadness and sometimes deep depression. Especially in this time of great uncertainty surrounding a worldwide pandemic, how do we avoid succumbing to dark thoughts?..."

I'm grateful for the opportunity to write for Women Encouraged today. You can read the full article on the Women Encouraged blog.

You can follow Katie Faris on Facebook and Instagram or learn more about her book Loving My Children: Embracing Biblical Motherhood here.