S8.Bonus 14 | A Candid Update from Carla
Join Carla Arges in this candid bonus episode of 'Affirming Truths' as she shares heartfelt insights into her personal journey, the direction of the podcast, and how faith plays an essential role during times of change. From touching on her new educational endeavors to discussing her son's latest milestones, Carla opens up about her struggles and triumphs. Dive into a conversation that exemplifies the transformative power of words, the pursuit of growth, and the importance of rooting one's identity in Christ. Whether you're a long-time listener or new to the podcast, this episode offers a unique blend of personal reflection and spiritual encouragement.
Did you know that Carla is a Christian Mental Health coach?
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Key Takeaways
Connect With Carla:
Inquire about 1:1 coaching ---> carlaagreswellness@gmail.com
Renewing Hope Course —-> https://www.carlaarges.com/renewing-hope
Come hangout on IG with me @carlaarges
Check out the blog
Resources:
5 Steps to Building Resiliency
Affirming Truths Facebook Community
5 Tips for Overcoming a Negative Body Image
Who You Say I Am Biblical Affirmation Cards
TRANSCRIPT
Carla Arges [00:00:08]:
Hey friends, welcome to affirming truths. I'm your friend and host, Carla Arges. This show is a safe place to share our struggles, grow in faith, and root our identity in Christ. My hope is that you will leave each episode feeling encouraged in your journey. Subscribe so you don't miss an episode.
Carla Arges [00:00:27]:
And it would mean the world to.
Carla Arges [00:00:28]:
Me if you would leave a review. I am so glad. Here, let's get started.
Carla Arges [00:00:36]:
Hey friends, welcome to this bonus episode of affirming Truth. I am your host, Carla Arges, and today I want to use today's episode just to give you guys a life update. I want to update you about certain things that are going on in my life. I want to update you on the near future of the podcast and just give you guys a lay of the land, so to speak, and hopefully help you in your own assessment of your life and where you're at and what you need and what God's calling you to. All right, so first things first. Season eight is coming to an end. Next week will be the last two episodes, a regular episode and a bonus episode of season eight. And then I'm going on a little hiatus for the full month of May, and the podcast won't come back until June.
Carla Arges [00:01:42]:
And I don't know what it's going to look like when it comes back. I have been wrestling a little bit with the podcast and with God and seeking his will, and it will come back. I just don't know exactly how it's going to look like because my schedule is getting a little fuller, which is exciting because I am going back to school, which is not anything that I expected, but I'm still looking forward to. I am getting my certification as an integrated trauma practitioner. And I'm really excited about that because a lot of the women that I work with, one on one, who come with their mental health struggles, what we're seeing is that there's really a root of trauma there and that we have to get to the source of the trauma and process it so that we can be on better footing going forward. I'm already trauma informed. I already have a great skill set in that. But I'm really interested in deepening that skill set and learning more about somatic practices, EMDR, which is just a transformational trauma therapy practice.
Carla Arges [00:02:58]:
And I'm really excited about that. But that's going to add about ten to 12 hours of work to my week between live classes while virtual, but they're live and homework and whatnot. So I'm thinking that June the the return of the podcast is June is going to look like one episode a week rather than the two that you're getting now. In other life news, I have been alcohol free for over a month now, and this has been a very different journey for me than any other time I tried to tackle removing alcohol from my life. And I shared a little bit about this in a past episode where I really talked about the power of words and how I switched from saying, I'm trying to quit drinking, or I'm trying to cut back on drinking, or I'm trying to do something and actually changing the language to a definitive statement. I don't drink. And that has been so powerful and so powerful. In fact, I have had the fewest amount of cravings than I've ever had in trying to pull back from alcohol.
Carla Arges [00:04:17]:
And I will say my biggest craving came on my wedding anniversary. We just celebrated a couple weeks ago, 18 years of marriage, and I typically associate celebrations with a glass of prosecco. And that's always how I've loved to celebrate, is have a glass of prosecco. And so my brain had this connection of celebration equals Prosecco. So while we were out for our anniversary dinner, I really had a strong craving for Prosecco. And I knew that I had to redefine what celebration meant in my brain in order to overcome that. I could have easily just said, yeah, it's a celebration, I'm going to have one glass. But that would have been reinforcing a behavior that I don't want to reinforce.
Carla Arges [00:05:08]:
I don't want to reinforce the neural pathway in my brain that associates celebration with Prosecco. That's not how I want to associate it. I want to associate celebration with the people around me. I want to associate celebration with closeness with my husband or my friends. I want to associate celebration with laughter and love and not something that is not serving me, because even one glass at Prosecco does not serve me. And I've really come to recognize that one glass, just one glass of wine, gives me a worse sleep, makes me more prone to depression for a couple days after that one glass, the amount of enjoyment I get out of it in a social setting does not compare to the damage it does to me in terms of my sleep and my mood. And I follow. I don't know if you guys have heard of doc.
Carla Arges [00:06:18]:
Amen. I follow him on Instagram, and he does oftentimes look at brain scans of people that have just occasional drinking. And it affects the brain. It affects the brain. I can no longer find one positive aspect of having alcohol in my life now. Does that mean I am never going to have alcohol again? I've learned never to never. And I've learned never to put that pressure on myself. But as it stands right now, I do not drink.
Carla Arges [00:06:55]:
And it has been amazing and also amazing for our pocketbook because now when we go out for dinner, it's so much less money. Right? Benefits all around. So that is a positive thing of what's going on. One of the things I'm struggling right now in this stage of motherhood is my son entering the dating world. So Caleb has his first girlfriend and I am navigating that, I hope, with wisdom and grace. And I gotta tell you, it's a tricky situation him dating at. He's almost 16. At 16 is not my ideal.
Carla Arges [00:07:40]:
He is not dating a Christian, which is not my ideal. And we're having some really big, important conversations about that and I know that he himself feels conflicted because the Holy Spirit is at work in him and we know that we're called to be equally yoked. And I've just been having conversations with him that even nice people that don't have a Christ lens point us away from Christ because anything that does not point us to Christ points us away from him. And so we're having these conversations while at the same time trying to keep the door open. Right. I don't want to negatively impact my relationship with Caleb. I still want to be someone he comes to and wrestles with those questions with. I want to be someone who he will accept wisdom and influence from.
Carla Arges [00:08:34]:
So we're, we're navigating that. And I've been in a lot of prayer about that. And my prayer for Caleb's life doesn't just start now. I have for years been praying for Caleb's future spouse, that God is just keeping her safe and growing her in relationship with him. I've been praying that he has being protective of her heart and protecting her. And I have to ultimately trust that God is sovereign, that the Holy Spirit that lives in me lives in Caleb. And it's the Holy Spirit's job to sanctify and convict and do all that. And I'm just here to be a guide.
Carla Arges [00:09:20]:
And so we're walking through that right now, too. And that's a big thing for me to navigate. And there's just been a lot. I am so blessed that I have had so many amazing women come and work with me one on one. If you don't know, I do one on one coaching. And the women that God has been bringing to me has been incredible. And the work that he's doing in their lives has been incredible. Just the healing.
Carla Arges [00:09:57]:
And when we heal, we are transformed. Our relationships are transformed, our motherhood is transformed. The way we view ourselves is transformed. And how we view ourselves, the identity in which we root ourselves in changes our life because it changes our behavior. It changes how we show up. So as these women are learning not to identify with their trauma, not to identify with their fears and anxieties, not to identify with what has been spoken over them and learn to root their identity in Christ, it is literally life changing. And it's so beautiful to see. And I'm just so grateful for growing that and growing, hopefully renewing hope.
Carla Arges [00:10:48]:
Renewing hope is my course. It's gotten off to a rookie start, but I'm just trusting God with it. The content is amazing and I feel confident saying that I take you through what I would take a one on one client through on a high level. So it's a great introduction to your own own healing, and we'll see what happens with that. What God's will is my heart for this year is just to continue to walk in God's will. If it's not a yes from God, then it is a no from me. And I'm really trying to adopt that and get away from finding my worth and my productivity. Like, don't we do that? We find our worth and our productivity.
Carla Arges [00:11:36]:
Or me as a business owner and coach, do I find my worth in worldly measures of success? Because kingdom success looks differently and ultimately affirming truths, the podcast and the coaching and the courses is all kingdom business. And learning that kingdom success in the upside down kingdom looks different. And detangling myself from my sense of worth to what that looks like, right? And this goes back to myself. Even having to root my identity in Christ and really understand where my worth comes from. It's not something that I can earn. It's something that's been given to me by God and no one can take it away from me. And I can't lose it because it's a gift from God that covers me. I was once a sinner.
Carla Arges [00:12:32]:
I am now new. I am a new creation in Christ. My worth now is new in Christ. I am a joint heir of Christ, right? That means I am a joint heir of heaven. And I have to constantly remind myself of that position, that my worth is a gift that I cannot earn and that I cannot lose. And that changes everything as well. So as I don't want to ramble, I don't have any notes for this. I had no intention with this bonus episode other than just to give you a little bit of a life update on what I'm navigating with my alcohol freedom, my motherhood, navigating, being a student and going back to school and so excited for what that brings.
Carla Arges [00:13:23]:
And also let you know what to expect from the podcast, that there is going to be a six week hiatus. I've never taken a hiatus that long before, but I really need it to. I've been feeling a little bit, I don't know, confused is not the right word, but a little bit, I don't know, like lacking direction with the podcast, I'd say. I think because I'm going to be totally honest with you guys, the podcast is me talking to you, right? It's a one way conversation. I don't hear back from you guys. And so sometimes it's hard to know if there's value in it. When I invite people to my email list or when I invite people to like, my webinar that's happening next week through the podcast, nothing happens. Nothing happens.
Carla Arges [00:14:18]:
Like, so I don't know, is anyone listening? Is this podcast impacting people? I'm willing to do it, even if it impacts just one. Right? God leaves the flock for the one. So if God's calling me just a podcast to the one, I'm here for it. But sometimes when you don't know if what you're doing has any effect, it can be a little disheartening, and that's probably the right word. I think I've been feeling a little bit disheartened towards the podcast in, and God's got to work that out in me, and that's something I'll definitely be praying over in those six weeks hiatus. Like, God, do you need to change my heart towards the podcast? God, do you need to change my expectation towards the podcast? Like, what needs to change? So I'm not disheartened, and I am renewed in my excitement and my joy in coming and meeting here with you each week. And that's just being transparent with where I'm at. It's hard to speak into a void with no feedback coming back.
Carla Arges [00:15:29]:
And I'm navigating that. I'm navigating that, and that's been challenging for me. And so the next six weeks, I'll be seeking God on the future of the podcast. I am committing to coming back in June after the hiatus, but I don't know what that will look like. And that's just me being real. If you want to stay in touch during this hiatus, come follow me on Instagram at Carla Dot Arges. I post there regularly. I'm always in my stories.
Carla Arges [00:16:03]:
The podcast also has an Instagram page affirming truth. I'm not as active on there. I need to get better. I'm not as active on there, but there is a Instagram page for the podcast. But if you really want to interact with me, Carla Argis is where it's at. I will still be sending out my weekly newsletter, so if you want daily or not daily, I do not send out a daily email. If you want weekly encouragement, get on my email list any of the links below that offer freebie, get you on the email list or just go to carlaarges.com. There will be a pop up that you can join the email list and we can stay connected that way.
Carla Arges [00:16:49]:
Because for those of you who have been here for eight seasons, oh my goodness, eight seasons. Two and a half years almost. It'll be three years in September. For those of you who have been around, thank you. I appreciate you. I pray that this podcast has been a blessing to you and yeah, that's it guys. This is just unscripted my heart to your heart. Two more episodes of season eight next week.
Carla Arges [00:17:22]:
I hope that they will bless your heart. I hope that they will encourage you and challenge you. And I hope that you continue to grow in Christ even through the struggles that you are facing and the challenges that you are walking through. God is sovereign and he loves you and he will not fail you. Alright guys, I'll talk to you later.
Carla Arges [00:17:49]:
Thanks for joining me today. I hope we're already friends on social.
Carla Arges [00:17:53]:
Media, but if we're not, come find.
Carla Arges [00:17:55]:
Me on Instagram, arlaarges or at affirming truth. Can't wait to see you back here next week.
Carla Arges [00:18:02]:
Bye friends.