Emotional abusers have many tactics. They include ridicule, name-calling, minimizing, discounting, manipulation, threats, ordering, and withholding. There is another one that isn't typically mentioned, and yet it is equally painful to experience. It is making you irrelevant.

Each of us needs to be understood and validated. We also need to belong to groups and to have relationships where we matter. When people make you irrelevant, they withhold these basic things when you have an expectation that you should be included. When this is used to punish and control, it can be devastating.

Recognizing this tactic can help you to decrease its power. Watch this video to learn how to respond to the emotionally abusive tactic of making you irrelevant. #emotional abuse #christianrelationshipadvice #irrelevant  #invalidation 

Karla Downing's passion is to see individuals, marriages, and families set free from dysfunction, scriptural misunderstanding, and emotional pain personally and relationally. Her Christian relationship advice includes messages, books, and classes that provide practical solutions grounded in biblical truths, bringing balance and clarity to life and relationship issues. She also desires to equip ministry leaders and counselors to reach out more effectively to those struggling with difficult relationships, including abuse. 

Watch this video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LQgoABXDxEI

What does it mean to have a healthy fear of God? Find out in this video that takes a very practical approach to this topic that will dispel unhealthy beliefs you have.

Karla Downing's passion is to see individuals, marriages, and families set free from dysfunction, scriptural misunderstanding, and emotional pain personally and relationally. Her Christian relationship advice includes messages, books, and classes that provide practical solutions grounded in biblical truths, bringing balance and clarity to life and relationship issues. She also desires to equip ministry leaders and counselors to reach out more effectively to those struggling with difficult relationships, including abuse. 

Watch this video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ChD9aHs8gh4

Dealing with your narcissistic adult children isn't easy. Listen to this video to give you guidelines that help you navigate the landmines.

Karla Downing's passion is to see individuals, marriages, and families set free from dysfunction, scriptural misunderstanding, and emotional pain personally and relationally. Her Christian relationship advice includes messages, books, and classes that provide practical solutions grounded in biblical truths, bringing balance and clarity to life and relationship issues. She also desires to equip ministry leaders and counselors to reach out more effectively to those struggling with difficult relationships, including abuse. 

Watch this video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ff2TMjgei4Q

Improving your communication skills improves your relationships. You can take a soft communication approach in your toxic, dysfunctional, and healthy relationships, and it will make a huge difference. 

In dysfunctional and toxic relationships, there is pent up emotional energy that comes out in all interactions and especially with conflict. Healthy people also react when something triggers defensiveness.  It is easy to react intensely to people without intending to which can spiral into more drama.

You cannot control what other people do or how they react, but you can control how you interact. Learning how to take a soft communication approach in all your relationships is a skill you need to develop. Watch this video to learn how.

Karla Downing's passion is to see individuals, marriages, and families set free from dysfunction, scriptural misunderstanding, and emotional pain personally and relationally. Her Christian relationship advice includes messages, books, and classes that provide practical solutions grounded in biblical truths, bringing balance and clarity to life and relationship issues. She also desires to equip ministry leaders and counselors to reach out more effectively to those struggling with difficult relationships, including abuse.  #communication skills #toxic relationships #dysfunctional relationships #healthyrelationship  #Christianrelationshipadvice 

Watch this video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gPGLaYlP3Nk

Karla Downing offers a vulnerable and honest evaluation of her parenting regrets, looking back from a place of change. With the hindsight that often comes after life moves on, she shares valuable insights that will help mothers and fathers raising minor children, as well as those whose children are grown. Her experience of being angry with her children offers lessons on the parenting mistakes you might have made or are currently making, even if they are not about anger.

Evaluating your parenting mistakes is one of the most painful things you can do. No parent starts out planning to hurt their children, but all of us do. Being able to face and admit those mistakes requires that a parent address the what and the why of them. And after that, to do the difficult task of forgiving themselves.

If you are having trouble forgiving your parents for their mistakes, it may even help you see their humanity and give you compassion toward them and help you to forgive them.  #angrymothers #parentingjourney #parentingtips #Christianparentingadvice #parentingregrets #forgivingyourself #forgivingyourparents

Please listen to this interview Karla has done in the hopes that it will help you.   

Watch this video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/O4pZFH0Bm8E

Most of us live with a significant amount of unfinished relationship business. We get busy. We procrastinate when something feels stressful. We have priorities that don't reflect our values. The problem is that we pay a price for not dealing with important issues that should be addressed. The worst possibility is that something happens to the person, and the opportunity to say or do something you wish you had done is no longer there. Whether it is sharing your appreciation, feelings, or love; resolving a conflict, or apologizing for things you regret; spending time with the person, or doing something that you want to do, watch this video to get a new perspective on unfinished relationship business. #unfinishedbusiness #christianrelationshipadvice #resolveconflicts

Karla Downing's passion is to see individuals, marriages, and families set free from dysfunction, scriptural misunderstanding, and emotional pain personally and relationally. Her Christian relationship advice includes messages, books, and classes that provide practical solutions grounded in biblical truths, bringing balance and clarity to life and relationship issues. She also desires to equip ministry leaders and counselors to reach out more effectively to those struggling with difficult relationships, including abuse.

Watch this video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/x07_-1bqwXc

If you have difficult people in your life, you want them to change. Watch this video to find out what you can do to maximize that possibility.

Karla Downing's passion is to see individuals, marriages, and families set free from dysfunction, scriptural misunderstanding, and emotional pain personally and relationally. Her Christian relationship advice includes messages, books, and classes that provide practical solutions grounded in biblical truths, bringing balance and clarity to life and relationship issues. She also desires to equip ministry leaders and counselors to reach out more effectively to those struggling with difficult relationships, including abuse. 

Watch this video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Dd8LKAwT3zo

People who have learned helplessness display specific characteristics. To overcome it, there are specific things you need to do.

Karla Downing's passion is to see individuals, marriages, and families set free from dysfunction, scriptural misunderstanding, and emotional pain personally and relationally. Her Christian relationship advice includes messages, books, and classes that provide practical solutions grounded in biblical truths, bringing balance and clarity to life and relationship issues. She also desires to equip ministry leaders and counselors to reach out more effectively to those struggling with difficult relationships, including abuse.

Watch this video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qjgbqC4AMKQ

Difficult relationships are complicated because the dynamics are confusing and frustrating. While there are various causes of the dysfunction, there are common things that you should do and not do. Watch this video on the dos and don'ts for people in difficult relationships so you won't make your life even harder.

Karla Downing's passion is to see individuals, marriages, and families set free from dysfunction, scriptural misunderstanding, and emotional pain personally and relationally. Her Christian relationship advice includes messages, books, and classes that provide practical solutions grounded in biblical truths, bringing balance and clarity to life and relationship issues. She also desires to equip ministry leaders and counselors to reach out more effectively to those struggling with difficult relationships, including abuse. 

Watch this video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ivCM9jcjPeo

Do you wonder when it is time to move closer to a relationship problem and when to avoid it? Many people avoid dealing with issues for numerous reasons. Others confront everything aggressively. Neither of those approaches is healthy or good.

When a problem is long-standing, and both people are avoiding bringing it up, should you? There is often anxiety over issues that are lingering, and it affects your relationship. That anxiety can spill over onto other things and further complicate them. That's one good reason to do it. Another is that resolving conflict brings people closer.

When and how to bring it up is important for you to know. If you do it the wrong way, it could backfire. If you want to grow in your ability to resolve conflict, watch this video on when to move closer to a relationship problem.  

Karla Downing's passion is to see individuals, marriages, and families set free from dysfunction, scriptural misunderstanding, and emotional pain personally and relationally. Her Christian relationship advice includes messages, books, and classes that provide practical solutions grounded in biblical truths, bringing balance and clarity to life and relationship issues. She also desires to equip ministry leaders and counselors to reach out more effectively to those struggling with difficult relationships, including abuse.  #relationshipproblems #Christianrelationshipadvice #resolveconflicts 

Watch this video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zif3B7-3kDA