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“Pray, then, in this way…” – Matthew 6:9a Jesus’ disciples had often seen Him go off on His own to pray. Curious to learn more, they asked Him to teach THEM how to pray. Now, there’s no real mystery to praying; after all, you’re just talking to your Heavenly Father – it should be like talking to your best friend. But Jesus knew His disciples needed help, as we often do, so here is a summary of the conversation that followed: Address God as Father – Through Jesus, we can know God personally as our Father who is the embodiment of the ideal dad. Praise – Praise God’s name and character traits. This helps keep our problems in perspective when viewed in comparison to God’s matchless greatness! Pray for His will to be done – Share your concerns and requests with God, but remember to pray for His will to be done in your life and in the lives of others. Pray for daily needs – God wants to meet our needs, but don’t confuse needs and wants. Confess your sins – Ask God’s forgiveness when you sin and for God’s help in forgiving others when they wrong you. Ask for protection and strength in the face of temptation and evil.Jesus taught the basics of prayer, but prayer doesn’t end there. Whatever else you need to talk about with God, go ahead and tell Him. He wants to hear from you. Find a quiet spot and give it a try. And, remember, your prayer life gets better with practice.

Maintain a Routine

One of the best things that you can do to preserve your mental well-being is to stick to a routine. For example, if you’re used to going to the gym before work, try to wake up early and get an at-home workout in before you go to work or start your workday from home. Maintaining as much normalcy as possible with your daily routine can help keep your mood as lifted as possible, and prevent boredom and distress from taking over.

Get a Good Night’s Sleep

This suggestion goes hand-in-hand with sticking to a routine. While you’re at home, it can be easy to go to bed or sleep in later than you typically would. Breaking your normal sleep routine can have negative effects on your overall mental well-being, so you should try to stick to your typical schedule as much as possible.

Spend Time Outside

Unless health officials give you explicit instructions to stay in your home no matter what, try to get outside periodically throughout the day. This could involve going out in your backyard or taking a walk around the block, but shouldn’t include going to a park or other areas where large groups of people may be. 

Being outside also helps to promote higher vitamin D levels, a vitamin the body makes when skin is directly exposed to the sun. Many people are deficient in vitamin D, so exercising outside can be a great way to correct that.

Leverage the Power of Technology

When in quarantine or self-isolation, it can be easy to feel lonely. Fortunately, advancements in technology have made it easy to connect with others without having to physically be in contact with them. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recommends reaching out to loved ones with technology to reduce feelings of loneliness and anxiety, and to supplement your social life while you’re quarantining or social distancing. If you’re feeling down, use video calling technology or social media to get in touch with friends and family.

Don’t Obsess Over the News

It can be easy to become overwhelmed by watching the news and reviewing the updates of the COVID-19 situation. While it’s important to be informed of the situation, you should not obsess over the news. For example, instead of monitoring the news all day from home, consider checking for updates once in the morning and once at night. 

Practice Positivity and Gratitude

Taking five minutes a day to write down the things that you are grateful for has been proven to lower stress levels and can help you change your mindset from negative to positive. While you’re quarantining or social distancing, it’s important to build time into your routine to practice positivity or express gratitude to change your mindset on your situation and boost your mood.

Summary

Your mental well-being plays a huge role in your overall health and well-being, and it should be prioritized. These six suggestions may help you maintain your mental well-being during a quarantine, but shouldn’t be considered as medical advice.

“But he who listens to me shall live securely and will be at ease from the dread of evil.” – Proverbs 1:33 Fear is real, but God is bigger. Fear zeros in on the problem, while faith keeps it in perspective. Now, faith does NOT mean blindly running into danger or ignoring common sense. But it does mean turning to God every time fear begins to creep in. It means choosing courage rather than fear. So, what is courage? Courage is strength in the face of fear. In other words, to really develop courage, you first have to know fear. The great violinist, Isaac Stern, once observed an incredibly talented nine-year-old violinist. While clearly talented, Stern made the remark that, “You can’t really tell how an artist will be until the teen years, for that is when fear comes in. Then and only then can you see if the person has courage. You can’t learn courage until you know fear.” Fear can paralyze us. Courage frees us to live life to the fullest. Jesus epitomized courageous faith as He boldly walked God’s will – even to the cross. However, He knew very well the power fear could have on our lives and often reminded the disciples to cling to faith, not fear. One example of this is found in Matthew chapter 14. The disciples found themselves caught in a terrible storm, fearing for their lives. Suddenly, out of nowhere, they see Jesus walking out to them on the water. “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid!” (Matthew 14:27), Jesus said – speaking right into their fear. The comfort for Jesus followers in this story is this: Finding courage in the face of fear comes through putting our faith in Jesus Christ. Fear and faith do not mix – they’re like oil and water. When faith kicks in, fear moves out.  However, when faith disappears, fear rushes in like a tidal wave. The key to finding the courage to overcome fear is faith. Are you struggling with fear? Maybe it’s fear of economic or political uncertainty. Perhaps it’s the current coronavirus crisis or other health concerns. You could be struggling with the fear of financial insecurity or simply the unknown future.  Thankfully, no matter the panic, no matter the problem, and no matter the uncertainty, God remains in control. If you’re battling fear right now, take the time to pour out your heart to God in prayer. Then spend time meditating on who God is, what He’s done, and remind yourself of His promises found in Scripture: God is GOOD – even when people, circumstances, and events are not. Nahum 1:7, Psalm 107:1, Psalm 31:19, Psalm 34:8, Jeremiah 29:11God is POWERFUL – bigger than the biggest crisis, threat, or uncertainty. Psalm 56:3, 2 Samuel 22:33, Matthew 19:26, Luke 6:19, Psalm 147:4-5God is NEAR – even when He feels far.Psalm 34:17-18, Psalm 145:18, Hebrews 1:3, Joshua 1:9, Zephaniah 3:17God is in CONTROL – even when life appears to be spinning out of control. 1 Chronicles 16:11, Psalm 105:4-6, Romans 8:28, Proverbs 16:9, John 14:27

FARRIOR, REUBEN DEANTON	Kia Service	03/02/2020
JONES, PATRICK J	Honda Sales	03/02/2020
SOLOMON, HALEY N	Internet Southside	03/02/2020
STEVENS, KIRSTEN R	Internet Northside	03/02/2020
SILVA, SIMON	Kia Sales	03/03/2020
BRIDGES, RICHARD E	Chevrolet Sales	03/09/2020
WRIGHT, RITA A	Chevrolet Parts	03/09/2020
ALICEA, ABNER	Acura Sales	03/16/2020
NICKEL, TIMOTHY J	Chevrolet Service	03/16/2020
ORTIZ, MONTANA A	Administrative Staff	03/16/2020

Employee Name	Department Desc	HireDate	Years of Service
MILLER, W SHAWN	North Service	03/28/1995	24 years, 11 months, 22 days
BOYD, JERRY L	Chevrolet Detail	03/22/1996	23 years, 11 months, 28 days
PEDERSEN, STEPHEN J	North Parts	03/12/2001	19 years, 7 days
CORONA, JOSE J	North Detail	03/01/2007	13 years, 18 days
LEMASTER, CHRISTINA E	Administrative Staff	03/17/2014	6 years, 2 days
MILLICAN, MICHAEL	Kia Service	03/31/2014	5 years, 11 months, 19 days
ELLIOTT, ALAN E	North Parts	03/16/2015	4 years, 11 months, 4 days
DOLCE, CHRISTOPHER C	South Side Pre Owned	03/11/2017	3 years, 8 days
GORMAN, LEAH N	Chevrolet Sales	03/16/2017	3 years, 3 days
TATE, JOSHUA R	Chevrolet Service	03/05/2018	2 years, 14 days
MURPHY, KATHLEEN M	Chevrolet Service	03/21/2018	1 year, 11 months, 29 days
MULLINGS, CHELSEA C	Honda Sales	03/04/2019	1 year, 15 days
SLOCUMB, KAYLI B	North Service	03/11/2019	1 year, 8 days
MURPHY, SHANE J	North Side Pre Owned	03/15/2019	1 year, 4 days
DE JESUS, ALEX J	North Service	03/18/2019	1 year, 1 day
BLOMELEY, AUSTIN R	North Parts	03/25/2019	11 months, 25 days
HUTCHESON, RYAN M	Kia Sales	03/28/2019	11 months, 22 days
CANO, FREDDY J	Finance Northside	03/29/2019	11 months, 21 days

“Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life.” – James 1:12 There’s an African proverb that goes like this: “Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.” Have you ever thought of life in that way? All of us want life, work, relationships, and finances to be smooth sailing all the time, but life just doesn’t work that way. There are good times, sure, but eventually, we will find ourselves navigating difficulties and challenges. Hard times will come. Relationships can become damaged. Financial worries will lead to worry and anxiety. There will even be times of war, natural disaster, and sickness. Yes, we’ve all experienced these “clouds and storms” that really do roll into our lives, seemingly out of nowhere. Jesus knew this was the case and made sure to address it: “In this world, you will have trouble.” But the good news is, He didn’t stop there. “Take heart,” Jesus said, “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).  Trouble is a fact of life, but Jesus has given us a means of walking in victory–real victory–even during the hardest of times. Will  you allow God to provide for your needs both during the good and bad times? He’s willing and able to provide hope and victory, even when things look the darkest. After all, it’s usually through the storms of life that we grow the most.