If you are unable to view this e-newsletter, click here.
 
Spirit - January 2008 - Carole & Ronald Krist Samaritan Center for Counseling & Education | Touching Lives, Healing Hearts
Happy New Year! Feel great in 2008! That’s the theme for this month’s Spirit. As you make resolutions to improve our physical health, don’t forget about your mental health. Instead of going to the gym today, take a stroll in the park or spend time with your family—your mental health will thank you. So sit back, relax and catch this month’s Spirit.
Mental Resolve: Take Care of Your Mind in the New Year Ahead | Every year, thousands of people resolve to get into shape. They buy new gym memberships, dust off their treadmills and stock their shelves with low-fat, low-sugar foods. They vow to fit into a size 4, or countless other variations on the get-skinnier resolution. But what about your mental health? If your goal is to live a full and productive life, it goes hand in hand with physical health. Managing stress, enjoying life and having a healthy attitude can do wonders for your outlook. This year, resolve to take care of your mind and sanity.
Here are a few tips to start your year in the right mindset: 1. Let it all out. Writing down your thoughts is one way to work through issues. Researchers have reported that writing about painful events can reduce stress and boost health. 2. Just say no. We often spread ourselves too thin by promising things to other people. Give yourself enough time to finish your own to-do list. 3. Healthy does it. Stop binging on another bag of chips, smoking your third pack of cigarettes, drinking your fourth cappuccino of the day or gulping down another shot of whiskey to cope with stress. 4. Don't get bottled up. Share your feelings with someone you trust. 5. Keeping time. Manage your time more efficiently by making a conscious effort not to procrastinate. Create a to-do list. 6. Let it go. Avoid unnecessary arguments or quarrels. 7. Balancing game. Balance work with your private life. Turn off your Blackberry and don't check your e-mail. 8. Be a Good Samaritan. A study of churchgoers in 2003 found that people who offer love, listening and help to others may be rewarded with better mental health themselves. 9. Bring it on. Challenge yourself. Try something new. 10. Make it count. Volunteering is a great way to give back and feel better about yourself. 11. Forgive and forget. No one is perfect. Take note of your accomplishments. Don't dwell on your shortcomings. 12. Take it to the limit. Set your limits. Know your priorities. Decide what is most important to you. Sources: Abilene Reporter News, American Institute for Preventive Medicine, Mental Health America, National Institute for Mental Health, U.S. Surgeon General, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Psychiatric News.
For Kids’ Sake Update | The Krist Samaritan Center’s For Kids’ Sake seminars are now offered at two locations—Clear Lake and Northwest Houston. For Kids’ Sake is an interactive four-hour seminar to help parents address their children’s needs during the divorce process. It will now be offered at Fairbanks United Methodist Church located at 14210 Aston, in addition to the Clear Lake location at the Krist Samaritan Center. Any interested parent or professional is invited to attend a seminar led by trained facilitators Ava Porterfield, MA, LPC, and Derek Prins, MA, LPC. Seminars begin January 16 in Clear Lake and February 7 in Northwest Houston. Call the Center to register for upcoming dates.
TOUCHING LIVES, HEALING HEARTS
[Photo]
Location Spotlight | Each month, Spirit spotlights a partnering congregation to reveal how Krist Samaritan Center is touching lives and healing hearts all across Houston. Kingwood – Kingwood United Methodist Church | Kingwood United Methodist Church is a fellowship of believers, committed to understanding, accepting and strengthening faith in the Lord Jesus Christ through prayer and worship. Located at 1799 Woodland Hills Drive, F-8, the Center’s Kingwood counseling location is staffed on Mondays from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. by Dr. Jason Martin, Ph.D., LMFTA, and on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. by Jessica Lewis, M.Ed., LPC.
Mark Your Calendars! A Samaritan Celebration 2008: October 23, 2008. River Oaks Country Club
17555 El Camino Real | Houston, Texas 77058 | 281.480.7554 | www.samaritanhouston.org