Deep Breathing Therapy

2. Practice deep breathing
“It sounds like an oversimplification,” says Owen, “but increasing your oxygen levels lowers the physiological effects of anxiety on your body.”
In other words, your heart rate goes down, your muscles relax, and your mind slows down — all of which can aid in reducing worry.
Here’s a deep-breathing exercise to try the next time you find yourself worrying:

1. Choose a comfortable place to sit or lie down and close your eyes.
2. Breathe in through your nose, imagining a sense of calm filling your body.
3. Slowly breathe out through your mouth, visualizing all of your worries and tensions leaving your body.
4. Repeat this process as many times as you need.

This is an excerpt from an article Kevon Owen is a featured contributor in. To read the entire article please visit this link. To make an appointment with Kevon call 405-740-1249 or you can visit this appointment page.



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How To Beat Perfectionism

Immaculate woman buttons up her blue shirt

Being perceived as a perfectionist might seem like a compliment, but often it doesn’t lead to that much success. Perfectionists strive to be extremely hard-working, diligent and willing to do whatever it takes to get something right, but it can ultimately become unhealthy.

Is it possible to beat perfectionism? With the help of enough counseling and an entire change in the thought process, there is a chance to turn things around. Here are a few basic tips on getting started.

Always be realistic

Everyone should have a goals. A perfectionist usually has goals that are attainable, and then goals that are pretty much impossible to read. Be realistic with how much time is available to reach any goal.

By setting more realistic goals, more focus can be put on doing whatever possible to reach them. It’s much easier to have success reaching three very distinct goals rather than attempting to somehow reach 10 in a short amount of time.

Reduce social media use

Social media has its advantages for sure, but for perfectionists, it can lead to a lot of unneeded stress. Going on Instagram, Facebook or any other major social networking site is going to show the very best of each individual’s life. It might seem like everyone is vacationing and getting promotions to a new job, but it’s important to know that only the highlights usually make for interesting posts.

Getting caught up in trying to be better than others through the lens of social network is just not worth it. Resist the urge to check constantly, and even consider not checking it at all.

Learn to fail, and learn to fail in front of others

This is actually a two-step process for people who are really struggling to get over being a perfectionist all the time. The first step is to simply learn how to fail, and then be comfortable enough to do it in front of others.

The most important thing to remember is, failure can lead to success later on. Think about learning a brand new instrument. It is simply impossible for a person with no musical background to play piano at a high level without a decent amount of practice. It involves a lot of failures along the way, but ultimately initial frustration and a lot of patience can lead to success.

One of the hardest things for a perfectionist to get over is the fear of being wrong in front of others. In an ideal world, it would be great to always have the best opinion and the answer to everything. It’s just not realistic. Speak up on topics that you might not be an expert on. Jump out of your comfort zone. You don’t always have to be the right one in a group of friends.

Seek professional help

Realizing that being a perfectionist can actually be an issue takes time. In order to actually get over it, consider seeking a counselor locally. We provide options for anyone looking for individual counseling Edmond Oklahoma or Christian counseling Oklahoma City Oklahoma. Those in the area always have an opportunity to sit down and go over a number of ways to reduce stress levels and live a healthier life. Call Kevon Owen at 405-740-1249 or you can visit him on the web at https://www.kevonowen.com.

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How to Tell Someone You Like Them (20+ Great Tips and Examples)

Handsome young man and pretty blonde woman couple in park

Confessing your feelings to someone can be quite tricky. After all, you never know what the outcome could be.
So, we asked experts to give us an idea on how to tell someone that we like them.
Kevon Owen, LPC

Clinical Psychotherapist and Relationship Expert
It is such an exciting part of the progression of a relationship to reveal that your feelings have grown. To reveal that you’re so interested that you’re willing to reveal your like. There is a lot to be said for the classics.
Notes and just saying it never goes out of style. Simplicity in something that can be so complicated is often be appreciated. Grand gestures are cool, and for some, they’re a standard. However, I always recommend people set a standard they’re willing to keep up and make sure you don’t raise the emotional stakes too quickly.
Kevon Owen is a featured contributor to this article. To read the entire article please click this link.



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How to Not Raise a Jerk

No matter how you slice it, being called a “jerk” is not a good thing. Whether you define it as “an annoyingly stupid or foolish person” or a “cruel, rude or small-minded” person, the term is far-reaching. It applies to everyone from the person who cuts in front of you in the supermarket line or the schoolyard bully who makes your kid’s life miserable.
No parent wants to raise a jerk, but it’s not enough to just hope for the best. You have to put in the work if you don’t want your child to fit into anyone’s definition of the term. Here are 13 tips from professionals and parents on how not to raise a jerk.
Kevon Owen is a child and adolescent therapist in Edmond Oklahoma and a featured contributing author in this article. To read the full article please click this link. To consult with Kevon about your child and adolescent therapy needs call 405-740-1249 or click here.



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Chris Watts, David Berkowitz and Other Infamous Killers Who Found God in Prison

Convicted murderer Chris Watts in a February 18, 2019 photo from the Colorado Bureau
of Investigation. Photo: Courtesy of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation

Chris Watts, David Berkowitz and Other Infamous Killers Who Found God in Prison

• Author
  Laura Dorwart
• Website Name
  aetv.com
• Year Published
  2019
• Title
  Chris Watts, David Berkowitz and Other Infamous Killers Who Found God in Prison
• URL
  http://bit.ly/2WtfbYt
• Access Date
  June 06, 2019
• Publisher
  A+E Networks

The harrowing story of Chris Watts—the Colorado man serving three life sentences for the brutal murder of his wife Shanann and daughters Bella and Celeste—got even more complex earlier this year. Claiming to have had a religious conversion behind bars, the killer offered an expanded version of the grisly murders.
After his arrest in 2018, Watts initially claimed he strangled his wife in retaliation for harming their daughters, after Watts admitted to an extramarital affair. But in February, Watts sat down with investigators to explain how and why he killed his family and hid their bodies. Lawyers for Shanann’s family claim Watts made his admission because he has become an evangelical Christian behind bars and that his deep faith has inspired remorse.
Kevon Owen is a featured contributing author in this article which is available at this link.



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HOW TO USE SELF-AWARENESS TO BECOME BETTER VERSIONS OF OURSELVES

And at the same time better relate to others.

Answering the simple question, “Who are you?” is often complicated. Depending on the context of the conversation, you might respond with a fact about yourself, an aspect of your worldview, some adjectives, a series of letters or a single number.

But who are you, really? Without the context.

The question is big, and the answers highly individualized, especially in Western culture.

The journey to knowing ourselves starts “the moment we start to have awareness of self,” said Nadine Hanchar, a Victoria, British Columbia-based counselor and Neuro-Linguistic Programming Trainer.

Early-on in development, we start gaining self-awareness through steps like recognizing our face in the mirror, which happens during the toddler years. As we grow and change, we also grow in our self-awareness. Hanchar has noticed individuals wanting to dive deeper in knowing themselves during the working years of life.

“I think there are more people age 25–65 that are ready to explore self-awareness,” Hanchar said, adding, anyone at any age can benefit from learning more about themselves through avenues like taking a personality test.

Why do we seek to know more about who we are? Experts say we’re wired for wanting a deeper understanding of ourselves, so we can work to become better versions of who we are and better relate to others.

“It’s kind of like our fascination with a mirror,” said Oklahoma City-based Clinical Psychotherapist Kevon Owen. “As people, we want to know how we look to others. [We] want to know if there’s an explanation for why we are the way we are. Strangely enough, we want to be unique individuals, but we want to know we can experience the connection that comes through being understood.”

Kevon Owen is a contributing author to this article. For the complete article please click this link.



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7 Tips for Worrying Less

But what exactly is worrying?

Worry is defined as distress caused by something that you might possibly experience in the future. The object of worry could be anything from a presentation you have to give in 30 minutes to developing a serious health condition 20 years from now.
While there’s no way to completely rid yourself of these thoughts, it is possible to significantly reduce their negative effects.
Here are seven tips to keep in your back pocket for keeping your worries under control.

1. Try mindfulness meditation

Practicing mindfulness meditation involves focusing your attention on the present moment. This can help tame racing thoughts. Clinical psychotherapist Kevon Owen explains that mindfulness meditation is “designed to take you out of your mind.”
The next time you are feeling overwhelmed, follow these steps:

1. Find a quiet place where you can relax comfortably.
2. Close your eyes and take a deep breath.
3. Notice your thoughts without passing judgement on them.
4. Gently return to your usual pattern of breathing.
5. Continue letting your thoughts pass for 10 minutes while you sit comfortable with your eyes closed.

Kevon Owen is a contributing writer in this article. It is available to read at this link.



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