Sex Addiction Group

Joshua Nichols

Marriage Counselor, Family Counselor, Sex Addictions Therapist

The Journey Toward Self-Love

Sat, 03/12/2011 - 00:00 -- admin

Learning to love ourselves is not an easy process. In fact, many people spend a lifetime trying overcome self-hatred, but are never successful. Valuing oneself or having a healthy sense of self-worth is an important componant when trying to function in this world. Husbands and wives deserve a spouse that loves themselves. Children deserve to have parents that value themselves. Bosses and companies deserve to have employees with a strong sense of self-confidence and competance. We owe it to ourselve and those around us to love ourselves. Here are some tips to help you get started:

Identify and process your strengths. Understanding what you are good at and why you are good at it is an important step in your journey toward self-love. Too many times we are so focused on the negative aspects of our being that we don't recognize the positive characteristics of our existance.

Understand your weaknesses. Althougth we want our strengths to be our main focus, we still need to have a better understanding of our weaknesses. Having this all-around understanding allows us to better prepare ourselves for the tasks and challenges life presents to us.

Forgive your shortcomings. The realilty is that we all fall short from time to time. We live as imperfect beings; and in that imperfection we often say or do things that we regret. We cannot allow our shortcomings to define us. We have to learn to forgive ourselves.

Let go of the past. Not only do we need to learn to forgive ourselves, we also need to work toward forgiving others. When we hold on to the hurts others have caused us, we end up harboring bitterness and resentment. When we do this, the only person we punish is ourselves. Thus, forgiving others is as much or more about our healing than the one how has sinned against us. Anywho.....I believe it is necessary in moving toward self-love.

Keep in mind that loving yourself doesn't mean you have to be self-absorbed. Loving and serving others should always be a high priority for you. However, I find it hard to believe that we can effectively love and serve others if we aren't loving ourselves first. God obviously valued us enough to send his son to die for us. It is about time we start seeing ourselves in that same light. I hope these tips will be a blessing to you in your journey toward learning to love and value yourself. God bless.

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Individual Counseling

Do you struggle with feeling anxious or depressed? Have you experienced more than your share of injustices? Have you experienced an agonizing loss with loneliness, helplessness and guilt? If so, you might consider working with a professional counselor.

 

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Marriage Counseling

Are you looking to connect with your mate on a deeper level? Do you want to restore intimacy or repair the hurt caused by infidelity? If you feel like your relationship is one of high conflict, and resolving problems seems like an unachievable task, then please consider couples counseling.

 

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Family Counseling

Whether you have adult children or children still living in the home, as long as you are a parent, it is never too late to make changes. If you desire to have a better relationship with your children; or, if you need help in areas such as discipline and boundary setting, then please do not hesitate to call me to set up your first appointment.

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Seminars

As a licensed marital and family therapist, I have extensive training and experience in working with couples and family.  For more than a decade I have devoted my career and ministry to serving couples and family in the professional counseling setting. I have developed these seminars based on my clinical expertise and experience in working with marriages and families over the years.  I currently offer the following seminars:

Parenting R.I.S.K.S., LIfelong Rewards. Building Relationships that Last a Lifetime

The 5 Myths of Marriage

The V-Factor: Marriage Seminar (in development)

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Special Speaking Engagements

I have experience speaking to religious organizations, academia professionals, non-profit and self-help organizations. I have spoken on mental health topics such as anxiety and depression, self-injury, control, and teenage drug and alcohol addiction. I have presented on relational topics, including but not limited to communication, sexuality and intimacy, blended families, parenting and the parent-child relationship, and forgiveness.

I am also available to speak on other mental health and family-related topics. Please contact me if you are interested in having me speak at your event.

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