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Behind Mild Epiphanies

My song Mild Epiphanies is a reflection of a journey that I’ve been taking over the past year fighting depression. I tried to cover up a lot of things that I needed to change by working harder at school, but it became harder and harder to function each day. I was frequently waking up at 5 after going to bed after midnight. I woke up sad, and sometimes struggled to get through conversations or performances. 

I started changing a lot of little things about my life. I started going to a counselor who taught me about the power of going through sadness, rather than being ashamed of it. I cried a lot, especially when I was playing music. I learned how to make sleep a priority and grew fond of saying, “I take my teeth out at 10.” 

I learned how to talk through the issues that I had with other people. I didn’t tell every person I met about fighting depression, but I learned how to tell some people.

Small things can lead to huge growth.  I had to learn a lot of small things in my life, and it was easy to get discouraged by the feeling that I wasn’t good enough to get things right the first time. 

I had to learn that:

1. My worth comes only from God, not from any work I do. 

2. Little steps are often how God works in us to change us. 

Mild Epiphanies is about growing through the little things, and embracing the feeling of finding something to change rather than revolt against it. It’s the beginning of a series I’m writing on how I’m growing and lessons I’m learning. 

Thanks for joining my journey, I’m looking forward to sharing more things with you soon. 

Love, 

Anne Mary

How to Meet New People

Last semester I spent a lot of time working on being friendly to other people. I had a lot of anxiety, so meeting new people was an uncharted experience for me. I still have lots of lessons to learn, but here are a few things I learned to practice when meeting new people:

Smile.

When your face says that it’s happy to see other people, the rest of you will begin to follow. In the same way, if your face is terrified, the rest of you will be too. Plus, if you’re scared, it can make the other person nervous. If both people are freaking out, the conversation is much more likely to fail.

Introduce yourself first.

You don’t have to be ridiculous about it, but don’t wait around to introduce yourself. The longer you wait, the more awkward it will get. I made a goal in the fall to introduce myself immediately to new people, and it made the terror much easier to manage.

Ask lots of questions.

I’ve heard this advice from a lot of people, and it’s super helpful. A good idea is to ask a question, then really listen to their answer. Then, try to ask a thoughtful follow-up question. For example:
You: How many siblings do you have?
Stranger: 2. I have a brother and a sister.
You: Oh, are you the oldest?
And so forth. When I first tried this, it felt fake and uncomfortable, but it has gotten easier with repetition. This has the added benefit of learning about the other person.

Learn their name.

This can be easier said than done, but here are a few tips:

  • Introduce yourself using your name. When they respond in kind, try to remember it.
  • Write it down. Don’t be awkward, but if you get the chance, jot their name down. You can also type it into your smart phone.
  • Ask again. If you lose their name partway through the conversation, just ask them to remind you at the end of the conversation. They’re more likely to be happy that you care than offended.

Some people recommend making word associations for people’s names. I don’t do this often, but I’ve seen it work well for others.

Embrace the awkward.

Meeting new people is really hard, but push through it. Remember: the other person may feel just as awkward as you do. Focus on helping them enjoy the conversation, and don’t worry about it being weird.

I hope these tips help you when you’re meeting new people. Maybe you’ll even start (gasp!) enjoying it. If you set up a relationship by being friendly and positive, it’s much easier to build it up.
What are your tips for meeting new people? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments section.

What I Believe

We all sin (disobey God). There are obvious sins, like murder, and “smaller” sins, like gossiping. All sin, regardless of how bad it seems, separates us from God. Because of our sin, we deserve death.

Because God is perfect, and cannot leave sin unchecked and unpaid for, one sin separates us from Him completely. We cannot earn our way into God’s favor again. At the same time, He loves each of us and wants us to have restored relationship with Him. To save us from our sin and satisfy His righteousness, He sent His Son, Jesus. Jesus lived a perfect life, and died for our sins, paying the penalty for our sins. Jesus was dead for three days, and then God raised Him from the dead, defeating death’s power over those who are in Jesus. Those who are in Him will be raised with Him to heaven to live with Him forever, without sin.

We are in Jesus when we repent of our sins (turn away from them) and believe on Jesus’s payment to save us. When we do this, we have a  fixed relationship with God through Jesus’ work on the cross, and receive the promise of eternal life with God, free from sin. Believing on Jesus doesn’t make all of our problems suddenly disappear. It doesn’t mean that we are now perfect.  We will continue to fight sin until we are with God in heaven. But now we fight sin out of gratefulness for what Christ has done to defeat sin, and out of a desire to be more like Him, not to try to earn favor with God. We are sealed in salvation.

God is the most important thing in my life, and I want to live more and more in way that honors Him. Not to earn favor, not because I feel like I “have to,” but because I love Him and am thankful for what He has done, and want to grow closer to Him. If you ever have questions or want to know more about the gospel, please email me at noteofalltypes@gmail.com. Or, if you know me in “real life,” feel free to talk to me in person. I love you guys, and I would be honored to talk to you about Jesus.

Hillsong Giveaway

I recently went to a presceening of the film HILLSONG- LET HOPE RISE, which comes out Friday, September 16th. I don’t listen to Hillsong United a whole lot, but I thought this was a great film to get to know the band better. Because  I liked the movie so much, I am doing a Hillsong Giveaway. On behalf of Grace Hill Media, I’m giving away two electronic movie vouchers for HILLSONG- LET HOPE RISE, and a copy of the official movie soundtrack. To enter to win, just comment with your favorite Hillsong United song.

 

Here’s the trailer for HILLSONG- LET HOPE RISE