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Don’t Be a DownerIn the early 2000s, Saturday Night Live ran a sketch starring Rachel Dratch as “Debbie Downer”. Each sketch basically had the same arrangement: a collection of people were gathered together for a fun, special occasion, such as going to Disney World, a Thanksgiving dinner, a wedding reception, etc. While everyone else is working to have a good time, Debbie still manages to take every positive thing going on and find the negative in it. It wears very thin, very quickly with everyone else. By the
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Hypnosis as a Self-Help ResourceHypnosis can be a useful therapeutic resource to promote change, improvement, and goal achievement. It can be a great way to work on any particular area you know you could spend some time working on. With most issues, cares, concerns, challenges, or problems you have struggled with and know you need improvement with, personally and relationally. When used for therapeutic purposes, clinical hypnosis, our church is OK with hypnosis to promote improvement (as opposed to stage hypnosis, which our
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Keeping an Eternal Perspective on MarriageIn our lives as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we have often been told that we need to “keep an eternal perspective on things”. But what does “keeping an eternal perspective” mean? It means thinking of and approaching every notable circumstance/decision in this life with a consideration of how our approach to it will matter one way or the other both now and in the next life. In the eternities. After the days of our mortal existence have ended. The idea and hope is
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Why We Pick Who We PickThere is a lot of pressure regarding who we pick to marry as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Not only do we have a very marriage and family centered church, but temple marriages are, ideally, supposed to last forever when we are sealed together. In fact, a famous quote by Elder Bruce R. McConkie states the following: “The most important single thing that any Latter-day Saint ever does in this world is to marry the right person, in the right place, by the right
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April 2021General Conference: Guidance for SinglesEvery April and October, we members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints enjoy the immense benefits of general conference. We get to enjoy the guidance, direction, and instruction from the main prophet/president of the church, as well as other prophets, apostles, and inspired leaders. This represents the latest, most relevant inspiration for the members of the church. The will of the Lord is mainly shared through his prophets. We learn from Amos 3:7 that “…Surely the Lord God will
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Overcoming SelfishnessTo be “selfish” is to be overly focused on one’s own wants, needs, feelings, and desires, regardless of how such actions or attitudes may harm or effect another. To be selfish is to do what we feel like doing and not doing what we don’t feel like doing—without consideration for other people taken into account. Therefore, it is no surprise that selfishness erodes and can eventually destroy relationships and marriages. President Gordon B. Hinkley has emphasized fidelity in marriage and well as
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The Psychology of Color in Fashion ChoiceWhen going out on a date, the fashion choice you select sends multiple messages to the other person. One message comes from the color of clothing you wear. Different color choices convey different meanings, set different moods, or create different impressions. In this article, a brief review will be given of the different messages sent out by different colors in the outfits you may choose to wear. Now, the colors you wear probably won’t be as important as, say, how you communicate with the
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Temptations to Warn OthersSome people have an ex-boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife that was very troublesome in their past relationship together. Perhaps they were cheaters. Maybe the were physically, emotionally, and/or psychologically abusive. They may have been neglectful or even possessed a personality disorder. Many exes are exes for a reason: because they have notable problems that led to or at least contributed to the demise of your previous relationship together. However that relationship ended, perhaps you can
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Low Libido?As you know, single member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are expected to keep the law of chastity, which basically states that we need to reserve sexual expression within the confines of marriage only. And with the “do you keep the law of chastity?” question as a part of the temple recommend, we are regularly reminded of the importance to reserve sexual expression for marriage. OK. But at the same time, what about your sexual libido? It is understandable for your libido as
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Castaway: A Complete Grieving ProcessOne of the reasons I sometimes suggest that my clients watch the 2000 movie Castaway is because it is the best movie I’ve seen showing a complete grieving process from beginning to end. Tom Hanks plays “Chuck Noland’, a man who survives a plane crash and ends up on an island by himself, trying to survive and escape. This can make for a good illustration for those still grieving their last relationship and help them see how the process progresses and ends. Also, seeing this comprehensive
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A Naturally Excellent WomanOver the years, clients have occasionally asked me who they think represents an ideal woman in the movies. Women have also sometimes asked me who I think an ideal woman is to strive to be like in a relationship and who represents the ideal. Men have also sometimes asked if an ideal woman exists in the movies as well to help them know what to look for and who to choose. I have thought about it and out of all of the women I have seen in the movies, one woman to me represents the ideal woman, wife
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Social Anxiety: A Problem to ManageSocial anxiety is a common and troubling challenge among most people, especially single members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is often a misunderstood, frustrating issue. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to give a brief introduction to the disorder, as well as offer some ideas and suggestions to help you lessen and control this problem. Social Anxiety can be defined as follows: The defining feature of social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, is
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Elder Jeffrey R. Holland QuotesSome general authorities have a reputation for giving strong emotional support, warmth, empathy, and guidance. One such general authority is Elder Jeffrey R. Holland from the quorum of the twelve apostles. In this article, several of his quotes will be shared that can have particular importance, relevance, and applicability to singles. I would encourage you to read these quotes, take them to heart, and find ways to apply this wisdom and direction to your life. You will be glad you
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Q&A: How Can I Trust My Choices?Question: Hi Randy: How do you get over the discouragement and mistrust of your own judgment? I did everything I was ever supposed to do and still ended up married to a very not good person. I've never had a drink, a cigarette, done drugs, always been active in church, did my callings, served a mission, stayed chaste, I knew my husband for over a year before we got married, and we were married in the temple. I even did therapy to deal with past trauma before marriage. I did everything I was
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Being Less Socially AwkwardBeing socially awkward is a common problem for singles, including single members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. What does it mean to be “socially awkward”? It basically means coming across as nervous or tense around others in a social situation. This generally makes others feel uncomfortable, even repelled. Social awkwardness is basically a combination of a lack of social skills in combination with social anxiety. Taken together, it tends to create an unpleasant atmosphere
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Applying Nephi’s Teaching to SinglesThere are many teachings from Nephi in the Book of Mormon that can give special insights, direction, and instruction for single members in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This brief article will review three particular lessons from Nephi that you can hopefully apply to your life. Please review and enjoy: Lessons from Nephi: 1) You can do anything you are commanded to do. That includes your callings, keeping the commandments, your search for a spouse, and anything else the
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