Life By Design Counseling

06/03/2026

Spiritual abuse is real.

And it can leave people feeling confused, afraid, and deeply disconnected, from themselves, from their faith communities, and even from God.

When faith is used as a tool for manipulation, coercion, control, or deception, it doesn’t just hurt in a surface way. It creates a wound that can shake the very places we once went to for safety, meaning, and belonging.

If you’ve experienced this, you’re not “too sensitive” or “too broken.” There is a reason it feels disorienting. There is a reason it lingers.

And there is also a path forward.

Healing often starts slowly, with space to question what was taught, to notice what never felt right in your body, and to gently rebuild trust in your own ability to hear from God, to walk with the leading of the Holy Spirit, and to allow God to heal your wounds.

You don’t have to rush your faith, abandon it, or force it to look like it used to in order to heal.

Sometimes healing is simply beginning to make space for truth, moving differently in your faith, and trusting God to show up faithfully, despite what may have happened in a specific faith community.

https://www.lifebydesigncounseling.com/

06/01/2026

Today is World Narcissistic Abuse Awareness Day.

Narcissistic abuse rarely begins with shattered ornaments and darkened rooms.

It begins with a beautiful Christmas tree.

Full of warmth. Character. Color. Light.

Every bulb glowing. Every ornament telling a story.

Then, over time, a light goes out.

You barely notice.

And when you do, you tell yourself it's normal.

Light bulbs burn out. Relationships are hard. Nobody is perfect.

Then another goes dark.

And another.

Eventually, an entire strand is gone.

The tree that once filled the room with warmth now feels dim, but you can't quite explain why.

Some ornaments have fallen and broken. Others were carefully removed and never returned.

You keep trying to make the tree look whole.

You keep blaming yourself for what seems to be missing.

You wonder why you don't shine the way you used to.

Until one day, a realization arrives:

The lights didn't burn out.

They were unscrewed.

One at a time.

So slowly, so subtly, that you were taught to doubt your own eyes while it was happening.

That is what makes this kind of abuse so confusing.

The injury is not only to your confidence, your voice, or your sense of safety.

It is to your trust in yourself.

But here's the part they never planned for:

The light was never in the bulbs.

It was in the tree.

And once you see what happened, something remarkable begins.

You stop searching for the version of yourself you lost.

You start rebuilding trust with the version of yourself that survived.

One boundary.

One truth.

One brave decision at a time.

And little by little, the room gets brighter.

Not because someone else came along and fixed what was broken.

But because you remembered what was yours all along.

Until one day, you look around and realize:

The lights are back on.

Not because someone else restored them.

Because you did.

And maybe the most beautiful part of healing is this:

You don't become who you were before.

You become someone who knows their own light can never be taken away again.







https://www.lifebydesigncounseling.com/

05/30/2026

What would it look like to evaluate a job based on more than salary and hours worked?

What if the cost/benefit analysis also included:
• your mental health
• your physical health
• your nervous system
• your peace
• your relationships
• the version of yourself you become there

Sometimes the hardest part isn’t realizing a work environment is harming you.
It’s giving yourself permission to imagine something different.

What is one small step you could take today toward a healthier work life? 🌿
https://www.lifebydesigncounseling.com/

05/29/2026

Burnout isn’t always caused by workload alone.

Sometimes it’s the emotional toll of unpredictable, unstable, or emotionally reactive leadership that keeps your nervous system in a constant state of stress.

That’s what can lead to:
• Sunday night dread
• anxiety before work
• feeling emotionally exhausted
• constantly walking on eggshells

And often, it’s hard to explain exactly why the environment feels so draining. 🌿
https://www.lifebydesigncounseling.com/

05/27/2026

05/27/2026

Toxic workplaces often train people to stay loyal to the system at the expense of their own instincts, boundaries, morals, or values.
Over time, you may begin to second-guess yourself, silence your concerns, or normalize behavior that once felt wrong.
Healing isn’t just leaving the environment.
It’s learning to trust yourself again. 🌿
https://www.lifebydesigncounseling.com/

05/26/2026

Therapy Myth: “I should be able to handle this on my own.” 🚫

Reality: No one is meant to do life alone! Needing support is NOT a failure—it’s strength. 💪

What’s a mental health myth you wish would disappear?

05/24/2026

Our earliest attachments shape how we connect, trust, and respond in relationships.
Awareness is where healing begins, and patterns don’t have to stay patterns.
Can you see any repeating themes in your relationships? 👇
https://www.lifebydesigncounseling.com/

05/24/2026

If you’re constantly questioning your competence at work, it may not be your failure. It may be your fawning to survive in an unhealthy system.
https://www.lifebydesigncounseling.com/

05/22/2026

Narcissistic abuse doesn’t just happen in relationships.
It shows up in workplaces too.
Carrot dangling. Gaslighting. Strategic favoritism.
Have you experienced this at work?
https://www.lifebydesigncounseling.com/