Holding Space | Praise Podcast - Christian Podcasting Network

Listen now | What does our title even mean? We have a lot of terms for this common process and even how it looks. Tune in for a definition and a peek at one iteration.

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00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 What does our title even mean?

00:00:03 --> 00:00:07 We have a lot of terms for this common process and even how it looks.

00:00:08 --> 00:00:12 Tune in for a definition and a peek at one iteration.

00:00:12 --> 00:00:18 Hello and welcome to MOMO 634,

00:00:18 --> 00:00:24 the daily podcast chock full of faith-filled inspiration and motivation.

00:00:25 --> 00:00:27 Please like, share, and subscribe.

00:00:28 --> 00:00:33 MOMO 634 Motivational moments just for today.

00:00:47 --> 00:00:52 Just having a Christian worldview makes me very careful and

00:00:52 --> 00:00:53 intentional about

00:00:53 --> 00:00:54 certain words,

00:00:54 --> 00:00:55 expressions,

00:00:55 --> 00:00:56 and phrases.

00:00:57 --> 00:00:57 However,

00:00:57 --> 00:01:00 as mentioned during OCD Awareness Week,

00:01:00 --> 00:01:04 and one of the reasons I get a little bent out of shape about

00:01:04 --> 00:01:05 the assumption of

00:01:05 --> 00:01:08 monk as the definitive personification of OCD,

00:01:09 --> 00:01:12 is that there are actually a number of subtypes,

00:01:12 --> 00:01:15 and some have very little to do with cleaning.

00:01:16 --> 00:01:21 In fact, one avoids it altogether because of contamination fears.

00:01:22 --> 00:01:26 There's even one subtype that gets very concerned around

00:01:26 --> 00:01:27 religious themes,

00:01:28 --> 00:01:28 words,

00:01:28 --> 00:01:29 and expressions,

00:01:30 --> 00:01:30 and,

00:01:30 --> 00:01:33 as mentioned in those OCD Week episodes,

00:01:34 --> 00:01:36 getting things just right.

00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 So with that in mind,

00:01:39 --> 00:01:43 and seeing myself rapidly approach the intersection of old

00:01:44 --> 00:01:45 fuddy-duddy and you kids

00:01:45 --> 00:01:46 get off my lawn,

00:01:47 --> 00:01:51 you'll note I tend to use the term positive prompts instead of

00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 affirmations in

00:01:53 --> 00:01:56 combating automatic negative thoughts or ants.

00:01:57 --> 00:02:00 Not that there's anything wrong with the term affirmations,

00:02:00 --> 00:02:03 but for my scrupulosity subtype,

00:02:03 --> 00:02:07 it stays a little too close to the new agey line for my comfort.

00:02:09 --> 00:02:10 Earlier this week,

00:02:10 --> 00:02:16 I mentioned a grief-aversary and holding space to process the loss.

00:02:17 --> 00:02:21 In yesterday's episode, I mentioned the term holding space once again.

00:02:22 --> 00:02:23 So,

00:02:23 --> 00:02:26 lest it seem a little new-agey,

00:02:26 --> 00:02:30 here's what the term actually means and why I think it's a

00:02:30 --> 00:02:31 pretty accurate description.

00:02:32 --> 00:02:35 I often say that when you experience a loss,

00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 you are missing part of you,

00:02:37 --> 00:02:41 so now you walk with a hole shaped like the one you lost.

00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 Maybe that's part of the attraction for the phrase holding

00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 space because I'm

00:02:47 --> 00:02:50 holding on to that space and processing it.

00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 Holding space refers to the act of creating a safe and

00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 supportive environment for

00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 someone to express themselves,

00:02:58 --> 00:02:59 process their emotions,

00:03:00 --> 00:03:04 or work through challenges without fear of judgment,

00:03:04 --> 00:03:05 interruption,

00:03:05 --> 00:03:06 or unsolicited advice.

00:03:07 --> 00:03:12 It's kind of like what Job's friends did initially as they sat with him,

00:03:13 --> 00:03:16 yet afterward kind of blew the idea behind it when they

00:03:16 --> 00:03:17 violated the core tenets

00:03:18 --> 00:03:18 behind the thought,

00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 which are active listening,

00:03:22 --> 00:03:26 attending to the other person's words without distractions or

00:03:26 --> 00:03:27 preconceived responses,

00:03:28 --> 00:03:29 non-judgment,

00:03:29 --> 00:03:33 accepting the person's feelings and experiences as valid,

00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 even if they differ from yours.

00:03:37 --> 00:03:40 avoiding the temptation to step in and fix it,

00:03:41 --> 00:03:46 resisting the urge to solve problems unless explicitly asked to do so,

00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 displaying empathy and compassion,

00:03:50 --> 00:03:54 not jumping in to make it about yourself and your experiences,

00:03:54 --> 00:03:57 but rather providing support and understanding.

00:03:58 --> 00:04:02 Even though I mostly processed the grief-aversary alone this week,

00:04:02 --> 00:04:03 intentionally,

00:04:03 --> 00:04:07 I used it as a time of reflection and processing,

00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 where one takes time to grieve,

00:04:10 --> 00:04:10 revisit,

00:04:11 --> 00:04:11 reflect,

00:04:12 --> 00:04:13 and process.

00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 Since grief is not a linear progression,

00:04:17 --> 00:04:19 sometimes we process a loss anew,

00:04:20 --> 00:04:23 while other times we recall happier memories.

00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 Whatever term you use,

00:04:26 --> 00:04:30 it's important to recognize the need to acknowledge loss and

00:04:30 --> 00:04:31 the journey that is

00:04:31 --> 00:04:36 the continual adaptation of life without a significant someone.

00:04:37 --> 00:04:42 Today's Momoism says we all experience grief differently and in

00:04:42 --> 00:04:43 our own time.

00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 That's okay.

00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 The only thing I'd say about that is that it's possible to get

00:04:50 --> 00:04:51 so stuck in that

00:04:51 --> 00:04:56 space that we eventually begin to experience signs of clinical depression.

00:04:57 --> 00:05:01 If you find yourself or a loved one unable to process the grief,

00:05:01 --> 00:05:02 reach out to a friend,

00:05:03 --> 00:05:04 your tribe,

00:05:04 --> 00:05:05 a grief counselor,

00:05:06 --> 00:05:07 someone in your faith community,

00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 or medical professional or crisis line.

00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 Whatever you call this process,

00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 I'd love to hear what that looks like for you.

00:05:16 --> 00:05:17 Chime in below.

00:05:20 --> 00:05:26 Thanks for listening to Momo 634, motivational moments just for today.

00:05:26 --> 00:05:27 Please subscribe,

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