12 Steps to Healing

1. Read a good book. This is a simple task, yet, book reading is a dying art that we don’t the time to do. Avoid the television and over-saturation of social media. Instead, use your downtime to dive into a good book. It’s calming, relaxing, and a way to improve things about your life. We strongly suggest staying in the Bible on a daily basis. There is strength there! 

2. Turn your cell phone off for one hour each day, completely off. Unplug from everything. Dig deep in the Word. We must be able to embrace the quiet and still and calm. Our phones often times distract us from being present in the moment.

3. Start a blog, vlog, or personal journal. Sharing your personal journey, if only with yourself, is quite therapeutic. It also allows you the great gift of going back to read a year from now what God has done in your life.  

4. Seek professional Christian counseling. All of us need a professional from time to time. This can be done through a licensed Christian counselor or through a life coach.  Sometimes the best advice we receive are from poeple we've never even met! 

5. Have a one-hour meeting with a friend each week, just for coffee and chatting. You don’t have to focus on your problems or solutions or the past. Simply sit and enjoy some quality time. Focus on how they are doing, what their hopes and dreams are, etc. It gives you a brief time to not focus on your own problems. Plus, we are all better together. 

6. Leave your house regularly. Again, this seems like a simple one, but when we are going through a trauma or overcoming an obstacle, we tend to want to retreat and isolate. Do not allow yourself to do so! 

7. Make intentional time with your family. Spending tme with those who love you the most can make you feel the most loved. Being with family gives a safe space for you to talk about anything. 

8.  Talk to God. It is easy for us to stray from talking to God having gone through difficult things.  But, we encourage you to fight the good fight of Faith and really lean on God in this time of healing.

9. Maintain your physical health. We know this is sometimes easier said than done. However, your physical health has a direct impact on your emotional health and vice versa. Take care of yourself – inside and outside! 

10. Pursue hobbies. Keep yourself busy. Simple things keep your mind busy and allow you to find joy in small activities. Painting, swimming, and playing games can all be fun ways to keep you busy.

11. Serve someone else. Who are you serving? Volunteering is a way to see others’ problems. It can be a friend, sibling, or total stranger. Serve someone. Giving to others is a great way to enhance our community and increase our own sense of well-being.  

12. Create a support system. Become involved in small groups near you. There is power in gathering. Be active in your local church. A healthy church can change your life. 

Jennifer Maggio is a mom to three, wife to Jeff, and founder of the national nonprofit, The Life of a Single Mom Ministries. She is author to four books, including The Church and the Single Mom. She was named one of the Top 10 Most Influential People in America by Dr. John Maxwell in 2017 and 2015 and has appeared in hundreds of media venues, including The New York Times, Family Talk Radio with Dr. James Dobson, Joni and Friends, and many others.