Fear – Page 2 – Melissa Schlies

Why 2020 Makes Me Want to Swear, & I have a Feeling I’m Not Alone

Growing up in New England, sledding was often an every winter occurrence. One memory I have of sledding included me, my younger sister, and a boy from our neighborhood all pilling in our long, blue sled. We were at the top of a snow covered hill just down the street from home. Suddenly gravity took over and sent us careening downward. When our turn came, the boy sitting in front inched us toward the edge until suddenly gravity took over and sent us careening downward. Quickly, over the boy’s shoulder, I could see we were headed for the one big [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-04-21T15:36:49+00:00April 20th, 2020|Categories: Fear, grief, Health, Mental Health, perseverance, Social Distancing, Social Distancing Survival Guide|2 Comments

We Will Get Through This

When I was a junior in High School, I used to pray over my Chemistry Textbook. I’m not kidding. In the middle of doing my homework, with the book open on my desk, I’d lay my hands on its pages. Then I’d put my head down on my hands as if I was going to go to sleep, and I’d pray. I’d pray that whatever the book was supposed to teach me about Chemistry would magically enter my brain. That God would use osmosis or His incredible grace to help me understand the language of chemical equations my brain could [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-04-15T23:43:27+00:00April 16th, 2020|Categories: Courage, Fear, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Social Distancing|Comments Off

In Case No One Told You, The Rules Have Changed

I don’t need to tell you how much our lives have changed in the last month. How strange social distancing is or that now, going to the grocery store is like being in a sci-fi movie. All of us wearing our masks, and trying so hard to say six feet a part. But in all of this, I do feel like there is one thing I need to say. Friend, the rules have changed. Many of the ones we’ve followed daily for as long as we can remember, no longer apply. The expectations of others or ourselves that say we [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-04-13T12:16:58+00:00April 13th, 2020|Categories: Anxiety, Change, Fear, FOMO, Habit Making, Hope, Social Distancing|Comments Off

Reader Question #1: Can Someone Have Faith and Still Be Scared?*

Recently, a good friend and email subscriber reached out to me with this question: It is possible to have complete faith in God, and still feel fear? Or perhaps more specific to our current circumstances, can we simultaneously have faith that God is going to watch over us, while still being afraid of Covid-19? When it comes to life, faith, science—basically everything—we as humans want absolutes. And, we want ourselves to be resolute. Once we find what seems to be the right position on everything from the type of milk we drink, to politics, to our beliefs—we want to be [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-04-08T20:45:09+00:00April 9th, 2020|Categories: Anxiety, Courage, Faith, Fear, Hope, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Reader Question|1 Comment

A Social Distancing Survival Guide for Everyday (Free Download)

They say, you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. Right now, we’re all feeling the truth of this statement in a way we’ve never experienced before. It's amazing how much of our lives have changed in such a short period of time. Not only has the pandemic caused us to give up the majority of our social interaction for the foreseeable future, but it has also cost us many of the crucial components of our everyday lives. We’ve had to say a lot of goodbyes. Some forever, and some for an unknown amount of time. Some as [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-04-06T16:03:08+00:00March 30th, 2020|Categories: Acceptance, Anxiety, Change, Courage, Depression, Fear, grief, Habit Making, perseverance, Routines, Social Distancing Survival Guide, Uncategorized|Comments Off

What if We’re Homebound Because of COVID-19?

Hello Friends, this post was written very early in the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, its implications and our understanding of them, have only grown. All that to say, there is so much this post doesn’t address (the loss of jobs, the stress on hospitals, etc.). But as many of us continue to practice social distancing, the spirit of this piece still stands. Just when we thought the world couldn’t get any crazier, a flu-like virus is shutting down entire countries and giving almost 300 million students an unexpected, scary spring break. Companies are asking employees to work from home, or at minimum, [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-03-24T16:03:48+00:00March 16th, 2020|Categories: Anxiety, Creativity, Fear, Health, Hope, Mental Health, Preparation, Self Care|Comments Off

The Reasons We Don’t Create

Not too long ago, on a podcast, I heard a famous chef lament over what food has become in our country. She said Pinterest and Instagram have shown us how beautiful and fancy it can be. So much so that many of us home cooks wonder why we should even try. There is beauty in feeding others. Then she went on to say that there is so much more to making a meal than cooking a piece of steak perfectly. She talked about the beauty in feeding others. About the love one feels when a hot meal is placed in [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-03-05T16:26:17+00:00March 9th, 2020|Categories: Creativity, discipline, Fear, Habit Making, Identity, perseverance, Practice, Rejection|Comments Off

5 Things I’ve Learned About Love & Dating (repost)

This is one of my most read posts. So I thought I’d share it again on this year’s Valentine’s Day Eve. The other night, Tony and I were telling each other about some of the dates we went on in high school. I shared a time I went on a date with a guy even though I knew he wasn’t good for me. And he talked about borrowing his mom’s mini-van to pick up a girl for a dance, which reminded me of my first real date with a boy. He too picked me up in his mom’s mini-van. We [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-02-06T15:56:22+00:00February 13th, 2020|Categories: Fear, Friendship, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Marriage, perseverance, Relationships|Comments Off

A Single Person’s Bucket List

When I was in college, a relationship expert came to speak at our Chapel* one day. As the historical joke/motto for our school was to expect "a ring by spring” if you were dating someone, it seemed fitting. Though I went to college for my education (and maybe, to meet a boyfriend), many of my peers were already looking for a spouse. During the talk, the expert encouraged us to do something I’d never heard before: to write a list of the characteristics we wanted in the person we’d marry. To think long and hard about the qualities we wanted [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-02-06T15:39:52+00:00February 10th, 2020|Categories: Fear, Freedom, Hope, perseverance, Relationships, Self Care|Comments Off

In 2020, What If I Don’t Reach My Goal?

A few years ago, an author/influencer I follow was coming out with a new book. It would be her fourth or fifth one—yet the first of its kind. She had HIGH hopes for this book. She even told her followers that her dream was for it to make the New York Times Best Seller List. Only, when it released, Her book didn’t make it. She was crushed. And, as she had told all of her followers about her dream, she also had to tell them it didn’t come true. It’s almost like being a kid and telling your friends you’re [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-03-26T16:39:32+00:00January 27th, 2020|Categories: Adulting, Change, Courage, Failure, Fear, Habit Making, Hope, Making Decisions, perseverance, Start Here|Comments Off

Reader Question #1: Can Someone Have Faith and Still Be Scared?*

What if We’re Homebound Because of COVID-19?

The Reasons We Don’t Create

5 Things I’ve Learned About Love & Dating (repost)

A Single Person’s Bucket List

In 2020, What If I Don’t Reach My Goal?

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