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Thrive: Mental Health and the Art of Living Free


Jul 9, 2021

We are taking some time over the next few weeks to discuss what happens when you make a mistake.


Last week, we heard from Hope Carpenter. Hope shared how she nearly destroyed her family, her church, and her ministry by living a double life, but then God did something miraculous. Out of her brokenness, He made something beautiful.


If you didn’t get a chance to listen to the episode, go back and give it a listen.


In today’s counselor-on-call episode, I’m going to walk you through some tangible tactics to help you after you’ve made a mistake.


As always, this isn’t a substitute for counseling. Rather, these are suggestions and thoughts to help you on your journey.


We’ve all been there, maybe we said something we regret, maybe we made an error at work, or maybe something like Hope talked about last week - a catastrophic mistake like adultery.


I love Hope’s story of redemption. She is helping others find freedom and healing through her openness and honesty. Your mistakes can either make you burdened by guilt, shame and then you keep repeating behaviors. Or you can learn, grow, and change.


While this list isn’t exhaustive, I believe it’s a great start to help you find growth, redemption, and forgiveness.

  1. Own your mistakes - it’s easy to become defensive and blame others or take on a victim mentality. When you own your mistakes, you empower yourself to make the necessary changes for growth and development.
  2. Apologize to others (if appropriate) - be open and honest
  3. Reflect on what you can do differently next time - be curious
  4. Don’t ruminate - Instead of getting stuck in the past, practice forgiveness and focus on the present. It’s appropriate to feel remorse, but there’s a difference between remorse and rumination
  5. Be kind and offer yourself grace

What would you add to the list? Connect with me on Instagram and tag me in your stories.


I hope you’ve loved this episode as much as I did. If you did add some stars to the review and share with a friend.


Have a great week!


Melissa