Your free therapy session begins now with a licensed professional counselor who has a lot of experience with helping students and couples who are hurting. He's this week's guest on a podcast that we hope you subscribe to - for weekly inspiration and entertainment! I start this one with a tribute to my wife on our wedding anniversary and some clues for "Stuck In My Head" before closing the episode with my singing rendition of that song that you may know.

(5:06) Jon Ebert, who now has a private practice in GA called Single Stone Counseling & Consulting Services, talks about how to deal with high stress and anxiety in the face of personal or national tragedies, like the COVID-19 pandemic. Self-care is part of that healing. (9:08) So is faith in God! The name of his LLC comes from the Bible story of David and Goliath. God is with us in the face of giants! Mental health struggles are common but there's a stigma.

(14:16) Jon opens up about his own battle with alcohol; how he was a functioning alcoholic with a job, married with kids, but carrying around brokenness; how his wife and faith in God (serenity prayer) pulled him out of it. (22:26) Now, he has a passion for helping others hurting because of anxiety, depression, addiction, and especially a fast growing number of students with severe mood disorders post-pandemic.

(27:04) So when and why do you go to counseling? There are misperceptions about therapy. A counselor like Jon asks questions and empowers people to decide and make change, instead of just giving solutions.

(37:34) We talk a lot about marriages, ineffective communication, keeping score vs. doing what Jesus modeled for us as a servant. (42:39) Schools are changing the way they're handling mental health, and Jon is part of that. (45:15) Churches are also part of the solution.

(49:34) Jon gives you red flags to look out for in the mental health struggles of family members, friends, co-workers. (57:50) Exercise, fishing and more can also help with stress and anxiety. Jon closes us in prayer. (59:49) I sing a little "Shoulders" and have some parting gift inspiration from a well-known pastor.

Thanks for listening! And please share it with your friends using #RunTheRace podcast. Also, write a quick review about it. For more info, go to www.wtvm.com/podcast/.