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Aug 6, 2024 | 
overtoncountynews.com | David Walker |Christian counselor
Mindful Missivesby Dr. David Walker, Christian CounselorWe’re almost there. It’s been a school year full of new friends, new experiences, and lots of learning. But the song you hear the cicadas singing is the song of summer. The kids have dutifully turned in all of their assignments, completed all of their testing, and are ready for the promise of long free days enjoying summer fun to be fulfilled.
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Jun 11, 2024 | 
overtoncountynews.com | David Walker |Christian counselor
Mindful Missivesby Dr. David Walker, Christian CounselorI believe it’s a fair statement that responsibly managing personal screen time is now a skill that every human being will eventually need to develop. There are now no children in schools whose parents were not profoundly affected by a culture steeped in screen time. We have come to believe that having a smartphone is not a luxury, it’s considered a need, even a “right” by many.
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Mar 5, 2024 | 
overtoncountynews.com | David Walker |Christian counselor
Mindful Missivesby Dr. David Walker, Christian CounselorSome of my favorite memories as a parent happened at the beach. We always loved the times we had an opportunity to take our kids and visit the ocean.
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Feb 13, 2024 | 
overtoncountynews.com | David Walker |Christian counselor
Mindful Missivesby Dr. David Walker, Christian CounselorWinter is often a time when kids have breaks from school. Whether breaks from school are expected or unexpected, they can cause a big disruption. The disruption comes from a break in routines. Whether we like them or not, routines can help us build in healthy characteristics and be more consistent. When we get a break, it’s easy to get out of those routines and let the consistency of our healthy habits slip.
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Jan 9, 2024 | 
overtoncountynews.com | David Walker |Christian counselor
Mindful Missivesby Dr. David Walker, Christian CounselorOctober is Pastor Appreciation month, and it’s a great opportunity to have an important conversation about pastors and mental health. I worked in pastoral roles on the staff of various churches for 20 years. The last five of which I was lead pastor of a new church. On and off, for 20 years I had highs and lows, and at different times had healthier balance in my life than others.
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Jan 3, 2024 | 
overtoncountynews.com | David Walker |Christian counselor
Mindful Missivesby Dr. David Walker, Christian CounselorI was playing basketball with my son and son-in-law a few months ago at the university gym when I had an eye opening experience. After a pickup game, my son got a drink in the hall and came back to the gym chuckling. He said there were some guys watching our game from the window and they asked if the team with the old guy won.
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Dec 27, 2023 | 
overtoncountynews.com | David Walker |Christian counselor
Mindful Missivesby Dr. David Walker, Christian CounselorWell, shoot. That’s not the article you were looking for. You were looking for the one that said “New Year, New You!” Ok, ok. This one might turn into that. But I plan to take a different route. Hang in there with me, and I think you’ll find it worthwhile. However, for fun and a different perspective, I’d like to share with you a brief list of guaranteed strategies to get the same old results next year that you got this year.
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Dec 5, 2023 | 
overtoncountynews.com | David Walker |Christian counselor
Mindful Missivesby Dr. David Walker, Christian CounselorHere’s a word you don’t hear very often, but you might relate to in a big way. The word is “malaise.” Malaise is an unfamiliar word with a familiar feeling. It’s defined as a general feeling of discomfort, unease, or a sense of not being well. I would argue that the holidays are a season when we are particularly vulnerable to experiencing a malaise.
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Nov 28, 2023 | 
overtoncountynews.com | David Walker |Christian counselor
Mindful Missivesby Dr. David Walker, Christian CounselorWhat is anxiety? Anxiety is a feeling of dread, fear, or uneasiness related to some particular source. That source could be a person, situation, or set of circumstances. So anxiety is a feeling. For example, many young people feel anxiety before the first day of school. Even in a positive light, it can feel like a mixture of nervousness and excitement, or “nervouscitement” as some jokingly call it. But anxiety is more than just a feeling.
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Nov 7, 2023 | 
overtoncountynews.com | David Walker |Christian counselor
Mindful Missivesby Dr. David Walker, Christian CounselorI can remember years ago having a conversation with a parent about a child’s behavior in school and watching the mom’s face melt into discouragement as she heard about some of the choices her child had made which prompted the conversation. I discovered that the child was not only acting out at school, but was challenging boundaries at home as well. Mom felt isolated and defensive.
