Self-pity is not neutral. All the while we maintain composure and let self-pity subside at its own pace, it's wreaking havoc on our mental health. It's time to go on the offensive and reclaim the ground self-pity has stolen.

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days.
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.
3. Recite Scripture verses to actively oppose self-pity:

• 1 Corinthians 10:13
• James 5:13
• Romans 12:2
• Philippians 4:13
• Galatians 2:20

We can be incredibly artful about disguising our pride–me included. I'd rather you see diligence and dependability, and not dig deep enough to trace them back to pride. I would prefer to convince you that I'm always capable and composed, so you don't question why I reach for this consistency. I want you to see me as selfless and sweet-natured–never stubborn or snappy or overly sensitive–and assume pride never drives me to curate your impression of me.

But the truth is, pride can slide into our best of intentions, subvert our peace, and sandwich itself between us and other people. It hides inside of lies that sound incredibly convincing . . .

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days.
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.

Where do you feel the pressure to be on par with someone else? To prove yourself worthy? To pretend your way into confidence?

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days.
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.
3. Find two summer's worth of Enneagram blog series HERE.

I've got a thing with control. I like to paint it as a virtue because self-control sounds less harsh. Like less of a problem. But it actually isn't.

Your need to feel in control might come out in different ways than mine. Perhaps you vocalize more than internalize. Perhaps you extend your controlling efforts externally rather than internally. But it's the same thieving trio–fear, pride, and shame–eroding your peace, dimming your light, and keeping you in a rut.

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.

Can we go there–to the root of our unruly inner dialogues–so we can find peace and strength and mental relief? That's my invitation to you today.

Our inner thoughts have had too much say for too long. They keep us in the shadows, thinking small. They sabotage our friendships and our focus. Cloud out the voice of God so we think we're on our own.

Where do we start? Here, with five easy-to-implement practices to keep our self-talk in check.

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.

Maybe there's a similarly pesky voice of perfectionism following you around inside your head, telling you that you should be able to get incrementally better. Every. Single. Day.

It's relentless.

You're worn out from all your undue try-hard.

But also, maybe you carry a bit of shame around with your perfectionism.

You're told you worry too much.

Focus on the wrong things.

Care too much about your work.

Can we talk about you? How you can be a perfectionist and have peace of mind? How you don't have to turn off your desire to do your best? How your perfectionism can be an asset, not just to you or a supervisor, but for God's kingdom?

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.

Self-doubt surfaces quickly when it's thinly veiled behind borrowed confidence and temperamental self-esteem. Maybe this is your story.

To others, you appear secure, but you feel deeply insufficient inside. You can take the lead, finish the work, maintain a high standard of excellence, and pass as having it together. But you can't outrun the voice that whispers,

If only they knew how little you know, how long you've been in this role, or how lost you feel . . .

If only they knew how un-brave and undeserving you actually are . . .

If only they knew how meticulously you mask the peculiar aspects of your personality . . .

If only they knew the 14-year-old inferiority you never outgrew . . .

I've given ground to similar, self-sabataging thoughts. Spun in circles fueled by incessant overthinking. Second-guessed my way to the safest way forward.

I admit I've dismissed myself before anyone else could. Pulled away from friendships, convinced I'm more burden than blessing. Deflected praise because I disbelieve my own worth.

If you are nodding your head to any of this, there is hope. I wish we could sit down together and remind each other of what's irrevocably true of us. But maybe the reason we don't believe it yet is because we've skipped a step, so let's start there.

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.
3. Stuff I'd Only Tell God by Jennier Dukes Lee
4. Sacred Prayers by Ann Voskamp

To you, Googling "how to be a better person." You, longing to be the sort of neighbor who effortlessly welcomes others into your home, leans into conversations with sincerity and delight, and spills over with hopefulness. You, with your burgeoning summer calendar and dwindling blank space. You, feeling squeezed between ideals and actual life.

You don't need an out-of-reach plan, additional demands on your time, or an annoying voice filling your head with "shoulds." So here are some simple summertime tips that will fill you up rather than deplete you.

Links mentioned:

1. If baby steps are your pace, get a quick tip in your inbox each week to help you connect with your neighbors and let your faith ripple into your neighborhood.

2. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days

3. Read the written version of this episode HERE.