By Jonathan Decker, Clinical Director, LMFT When I was young, my father and I bonded over archery. Dad taught me that I had to unstring the bow when I wasn't using it, allowing the wood to straighten and the cord to dangle loose. If I didn't allow the bow to rest, or in other words, if I left the cord tight and the wood bent, I'd ruin the bow. Over time, it’d no longer be taut. The wood would spli ...[Read More]
How to Balance Self-Care with Helping Others
Can You Really Stay Happy, No Matter What?
By Jonathan Decker, Clinical Director, LMFT One night, while stargazing near Brian Head, UT I noticed an especially bright star in my right periphery. Stunned by its brilliance, I shifted my gaze to admire it directly. It disappeared. Black space existed where the star had been. Thinking that I was mistaken, I looked elsewhere only to have it appear again, shining brightly once more in my peripher ...[Read More]
Why You Should Exercise for Sanity, Not Vanity
By Jonathan Decker, Clinical Director, LMFT When I was younger, working out was all about how I would look in my swimming trunks. In my 20's it seemed easier to find time for it. As I've gotten older, the challenges of balancing career, marriage, and parenthood have contributed to the mentality that I'm “too busy” or “too tired” to exercise. What's more, I've tried to justi ...[Read More]
How God’s Love Can Help You to Love Yourself
By Jonathan Decker, Clinical Director, LMFT Billions of people worldwide believe in God in some form or another. One of the most universal doctrines is that God loves everyone. Sometimes people settle into the idea that “God loves everyone simply because He's God.” To me, this is a lazy, impractical theology. If God just arbitrarily loves everyone, vaguely and collectively, then there' ...[Read More]