Tag: stress

Focus Friday-Gratitude Again!

Posted on by Evangeline

Here’s a quick note about gratitude.

Yes, I know I’ve had quite a few posts about gratitude lately but this theme just keeps whooshing through my mind like waves at the seashore.

I hope this repeated focus on gratitude is something that will encourage you to interrupt the stress of  your day by being grateful for some simple things. I like thanking out loud God for parking spaces close to the building I need to walk to (especially when it’s 113 degrees outside), the 7 consecutive  green lights I drove through so I could be on time, the opportunity to do a random act of kindness for someone, favor that I received from someone, etc.

Gratitude helps to lighten the emotional and mental load you carry and it gives you something to smile about.

What’s something that you can be thankful for today?

Gratitude - EV turquoise 2

You’ve Got to Get the Kinks Out for the Blessings to Flow

Posted on by Evangeline

In an attempt to save a bush in my front yard from the scorching heat wave we were having, I pulled our water hose over to it to give it a good soaking. It did not turn out to be a quick and easy task. The hose had knots that I had to untangle (a sign that my husband was the last one to use it since he hates to neatly coil it when he’s done). The hose also had kinks in it, places along the length of the hose where it was bent and would restrict the flow of the water.

I tried to get as many knots and kinks out of the hose as possible, but it was 110 degrees outside and I was not going to take the time to make it perfect! When I turned the water spigot, water came out of the hose but not at the free-flowing rate I expected. The remaining kinks in the hose were restricting the flow to a trickle.

Life can be like that hose. Distractions and hardships in life (for example, infertility) can make us think that we have to do all we can to make something happen. They cause great stress in our minds and bodies.  Even our muscles can be like the hose and get kinks and knots in them when we are stressed. When we’re focusing on the problem and looking to ourselves or other people as the source of our solution, the resulting stresses can close off the supply of what we need, even though the supply is still freely flowing from the source, or should I say Source.

God really wants us to be blessed abundantly and He, as our Source, has made provision through Jesus to give us every good thing.  The Bible instructs us to look to Jesus– to move our attention away from the troubles and fix our attention on His love and provision (Hebrews 12:2). His supply is always flowing from Him but the kinks that we allow in our lives can restrict the flow to a trickle, or even just a drop, by the time it gets to us.

water hose kink

What would happen if we just relax in God’s arms and trust Him? What would happen if we rest in Jesus’ work as being sufficient? Could we more fully receive and enjoy His peace, faithfulness and provision? Surely the kinks in our lives would relax, opening up the channel of supply from our Source so that we can receive abundantly!

What kink will you remove from your life today so you can enjoy the blessings that are already freely flowing in God’s pipeline to you?

More on Follow Through

Posted on by Evangeline

Follow thru rockEarlier this month, I shared that I want to follow through on the things I need to do, for myself, my family and for you. This is a component of my effort to finish strong in 2014.

September is more than half over so I thought I’d let you know how things are going for me.

 

follow through- Falcon CrestI followed through on surprising my husband for his birthday with a trip to the cool pines of Payson, AZ for a weekend. He loved it! It was worth the torment of wanting to tell him all about the plans I was making but not being able to so that I could wake him up and say, “Pack a bag! I’m taking you away for the weekend.” It was our first time staying at a Bed & Breakfast. The Falcon Crest B&B was wonderful and the owners, Al and Linda, made it a very special time for us with their hospitality. As you can see, Linda baked a birthday cake for him!

 

Another big item that I needed to get done in September was my iHope Fertility Game Plan Teleseminar. I hosted the call on last Saturday. It was thrilling that over 35 people signed up for the call! If you were one of those ladies, I hope you got lots of encouragement.

On that call, I invited everyone to checkout my new online course, 50 Days of Unleashing Fertility Hope. To get the details about your opportunity to decrease the stress of infertility and increase your hope, click HERE.

Planning this course has been a joy for me because I know that it will help those who choose to use it.

50 Days of Unleashing Fertility Hope

I hope that you’ll see the benefit of taking advantage of this opportunity to:

  • Decrease the level of stress you experience everyday using specific tools I’ll share
  • Incorporate a daily strategy that can help you put worry on the run
  • Remove doubt caused by infertility’s mind-chatter
  • Anchor yourself in hope so you don’t give up
  • Focus on receiving the promised benefits of God

I’m SO glad I followed through on this desire to bring a course to you that you can access 24/7 AND have the opportunity to have weekly coaching calls.

Check it out. 

 

Right now, I’m about to follow through on getting a few smaller things checked off of my To Do list (like washing the dishes). 🙂

Praying that you’ve been able to do some follow through, especially on things that are important to you.

On what one thing that you still need to follow through?

Infertility Encouragement

Posted on by Evangeline

Infertility Sucks coverToday, I’m sharing an excerpt from my book, Infertility Sucks!How to Maintain Hope in Your Marriage During Infertility.

Infertility is stressful. No doubt about that! When you look for articles with helpful information, most articles about the impact of infertility on marriage are full of doom and gloom. They tell you to expect breakdown in communication, permanent loss of joy in sex, etc. As predictors of what can happen, they fall short of supplying any hope for a loving, long-lasting, and strong marriage after this struggle has “run its course.”

BUT, THERE IS HOPE!!!

Here are three of the 7 tips I share in Infertility Sucks! that will help you manage the stress of infertility:

  1. Discuss how you can help each other feel safe in sharing difficult and emotional thoughts. This may take time to achieve, depending on how you’ve dealt with them so far and how open your lines of communication are right now.
  2. Pray together. If you’ve not done this before, it may feel awkward at first. To help reduce the awkwardness, write out the prayer you want to pray and use it as a starter. Consider scheduling the time and then be sure to respect your spouse and keep the appointment. Husbands, I encourage you, as the spiritual leader of your family, to be open to initiating these prayers. The side benefit of doing so is that your wife will find it VERY sexy!
  3. Be proactive. Take some time to think and then discuss with your spouse what your response will be to troubling circumstances. Define and put in writing your “will do’s” and your “will not’s”. For example, decide now that divorce is not an option. Infertility can begin to put a squeeze on your finances as well and that adds another level of pressure that must be addressed with open and honest communication. Seek God for direction as you make decisions about managing your money wisely as you continue to have doctors visits, procedures and treatments. Setbacks from these things can bring about an enormous amount of stress. Be proactive and secure your relationship on a foundation of commitment to each other and to Jesus.

Of course you’ll find lots of other tips, activities, practical examples, and encouragement in Infertility Sucks!

I’m honored to give you another opportunity to hear some words of encouragement tonight (1/23/14). Sonja Sells will interview me on Blog Talk Radio’s Breath Inspired broadcast. You can listen on your computer or mobile device. Here’s the link:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/breathinspiredradio/2014/01/24/inspiration-for-today-w-hope-coach-evangeline-colbert-advocate-sheryl-tate Breath Inspired Logo

Join us tonight at 8pm EST.

Thanks for your support!

Infertility Sucks! – ebook

Posted on by Evangeline

Infertility Sucks cover

I’m pleased to announce that my ebook, “Infertility Sucks! How to Maintain Hope in Your Marriage During Infertility,” is done!  This book encourages couples whose lives are affected by infertility. It gives practical tips on  how to manage stress in the midst of infertility, how to address the spiritual aspect of infertility, and how to make sure their marriage not only survives but thrive.

“Infertility Sucks!” will hit the virtual bookshelves on 12/1/13.

And, because you have been great about supporting me, you get to take advantage of a discounted price on Smashwords.com. Just go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/379472, enter the coupon code PR93P on your order, and you’ll receive a 30% discount!

Please help me get the word out:  “SHARE”  this post (using the buttons below) so that others on Facebook , Twitter, Google+, etc., are made aware.

You never know who in your sphere of influence is silently suffering through infertility or who may know someone else who is. This book could be just what they need.

Thanks for your support!

And the Winner is…

Posted on by Evangeline

Many thanks to all of you who voted on what the cover of my next book, Infertility Sucks! How to Maintain Hope in Your Marriage During Infertility, should look like (see my 10/22/14 post) .

Too many marriages end up scarred and sometimes broken due to infertility. This ebook, which will be released before the end of 2013, will give you practical tips about how to manage stress in your marriage in the midst of dealing with infertility. It will also encourage you, strengthen and increase your hope, and will give you meaningful affirmations to speak over your life as you wait with confident expectancy for the blessing of a child.

You can request a FREE excerpt of Infertility Sucks! How to Maintain Hope in Your Marriage During Infertility  at www.evangelinecolbert.com. Soon, the ebook will be available to purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes.  When you visit my website, be sure to also request information about our upcoming iHope Infertility Retreat in Spring 2014 and iHope Coaching (our spiritual empowerment coaching service).

Now, back to the cover.

The winner, by a 2-to-1 margin, is:

Infertility Sucks cover FINAL

[FYI– the subtitle will be added to the cover design.]

Thanks again for all of your comments. They will help me make this book the best it can be!

And now, a question for you: What kind of information are you looking for about maintaining hope during infertility?

I’d love for a future post/ book/article to address your specific concerns and needs. Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below or, if you prefer, email them to me at Evangeline@evangelinecolbert.com.

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