Finding Hope

hōp/

1. a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.

2. a feeling of trust.

Hope is not always easy to define.

Like I said in my first post on this blog, I had a personal blog a few years ago I named “Hope for me yet.” I actually got the idea by listening to a Dierks Bentley CD on a loop at work, and that was the title of a song on the album. The context did not pertain to me, per se, but I was searching for something almost tangible I could have hope in. I wanted a talent or a purpose. Honestly, I was tired of asking my friends for favors and not having something to offer them in return.

Me: “Hey, can you bake me some cupcakes? In return, I’ll…. Uh….. yeah, I got nothing.”

Sometimes we can be in such a dark spot in our lives it is hard to find hope. We’re struggling, barely keeping our heads above water, and we have nothing to hope in. It’s helpful to have hope in a higher power. The scriptures are full of verses pertaining to hope. One of my favorites is Hebrews 6:19 because it describes hope as an anchor – something that keeps us from going deeper into the dark abyss.

Courtesy of Kimberly Geswein

Honestly, once you’ve hoped in God, it’s hard to think past that, but sometimes our hope can be found in our abilities and talents. If we have lost our jobs in this terrible economy, we can have hope in the fact of being a hard-worker and that someone will see our potential. It can be difficult or disappointing to have hope in people, however. At some point in life, even our greatest loves can disappoint us, but hopefully we have our anchor of hope!

If you are searching for hope and need help, please give me a call (832)779-0367 or send me an e-mail els.martincounseling@gmail.com.

Facing Fears

I have a confession.

I am introverted and shy. 

I know it sounds silly to choose a career that talks to people all day long, plus when a counselor isn’t talking with clients he/she is networking. So although I’m excited to be starting my dream job, I’m anxious. 

I’ll never forget a moment in high school... My mom was gone one evening so my dad and I were in charge of dinner and I wanted to order pizza, but I was too afraid to make the phone call. He told me if you’re going to be successful in this world you have to learn to get over your fear of talking to people. I ordered pizza that night. In college, I purposefully took a job in customer service to improve getting over my fear of talking to strangers. It’s a daily struggle, but I use positive self-talk to help myself get over my fear. 

Facing fears can be anything from climbing to the highest height to making a lifestyle change. If you have a fear that is impeding how live your life, please give me a call (I will practice self-talk before I answer!) (832) 779-0367 or send me an e-mail els.martincounseling@gmail.com.

Accomplishing Goals

Part of therapy is goal setting. After your initial assessment with a counselor, he or she will ask you, “what are your goals for therapy?” Depending on the length and/or severity of treatment, you may only have six weeks to accomplish these goals, so they need to be specific.

Let’s use losing weight as an example. Now, you may not necessarily bring this specific trouble to a therapist, but weight could be the cause of more underlying problems such as depression or anxiety. 

So, ask yourself… How much weight/how many inches do you want to lose? In what time span? It may be easier to say I want to lose 50 in 2015, but to be more successful let’s try 5-10 pounds a month. How will you achieve this goal? Will you exercise? When? Where? How often? Cardio? Weights? Crossfit? Boot camp? At home? Eat healthy? Cook better? Drink more water? Etc. The better your plan, the more successful you will be.

Good luck! And don't give up! Every day is a new day!

If you need my help in anyway, please contact me. My e-mail is els.martincounseling@gmail.com and my phone number is (832) 779-0367.

 

Happy New Year!

This year, 2015, will be a big year for me. Four years ago I started a personal blog named “There’s Hope for Me Yet.” I was working in an office, married but without children, and desperately searching for my “calling.” Shortly after starting that blog, I unexpectedly got pregnant with our first child, Ethan. On the blog, I said “this is it! This is what I’ve been searching for!” and I was right… for the most part. But when Ethan was a year old, I finally began to realize another dream I had since my undergraduate days at Texas A&M – to become a Christian counselor.

 

This realization occurred in the fall of 2012, and I began my Masters in Counseling at LeTourneau University to achieve this goal shortly thereafter. While completing my degree, we’ve had another son, and we’ve moved across Houston. Now, after hours and hours of reading, writing, and studying, I’m finishing my last two semesters of graduate school in the practicum stage of the program. Martin Counseling, with its focus on improving the health of individuals and the dynamics of the family, is an ideal place for me to finish this portion of my program, and I’m incredible excited to be part of the important work here.

So, when the ball dropped at midnight last night, I was full of excitement and energy about the upcoming year. 2015 will be a great year for me because I get to finally fulfill my professional goal of helping others who are suffering to find resolution or peace through scientific-based psychological methods but the underlying foundation of God’s grace, mercy, and love.

So, let’s start this new year together! Accomplishing goals, facing fears, and finding hope.