Our PODCAST talks about this skill in these episodes:

• E31 How Relational Skills Save the Day!
  • Why is it important to have relational skills? Why do we need to practice these skills regularly? Chris shares what happens in our brains and body when we are in upset and tells us a story to illustrate how relational skills can help.
• E37 What Am I Feeling?
  • Chris talks through the importance of noticing how you are feeling in any present situation, and we hear a story from Annie, who walks us through a time in her life when she went on that journey of discovery.
• E59 Return to Joy
  • We’ve referred to the skill of ‘Returning to Joy’ quite a bit throughout our podcasts, but today we focus on what this skill is, why it is so important, and how you can begin to develop it in your life.
• E67 What is Validation?
  • Special guest, Michel Hendricks, describes the amazing difference it makes in our interactions and relationships when we stay relational, notice and validate others emotions.
• E85 Validating an Emotion vs Agreeing with an Emotion
  • The tool we call “VCR” can be a life changing way to interact with our loved ones and even those who feel like enemies. Chris tells us stories about how to validate others’ hearts and feelings, even when we may not agree with them, so that everyone can end up in a place of God’s peace.
• E87 Why Recovering from Emotions Breaks Down
  • This episode discusses times when emotions can be hard to manage and why some situations are harder for us to return to joy from than others. Chris walks through how to tell if you have adopted some unhealthy coping habits for these moments and how to change that to better ways to connect with God and not feel alone when you have big emotions.
• E108 Jen & Kristy’s Returning to Joy Stories

  • In this extended episode, Kristy and Jen interview each other to wrap up the mini series of interviews with our team. They share some fun relational skill history and share with us their stories of ways relational skills have changed their lives in a transformational way!

• BOOK: 30 Days of Joy for Busy Marriage Couples
  • If you are like most married couples, your plate is full. Your calendar is booked. Your to-do list is long. Somewhere in the middle of all the hurry and flurry many couples feel their marriage has lost some flavor. This wasn’t planned, but joy levels are not what you want or dreamed they would be.
• BOOK: The 4 Habits of Joy-Filled People
  • 15-Minute brain science hacks to a more connected and satisfying life. Are some people just born happy? Most of us grew up thinking that joy is random and fleeting, instead of something we can actually count on and build our life around.
• DEEPER WALK BOOK: Journey Groups Level 1
• DEEPER WALK BOOK: Journey Groups Level 2

• ONLINE THEORY COURSE: Conflict: When Good Communication Isn’t Enough
  • Discover how to approach conflict with confidence and turn relational tension into opportunities for growth.
• ONLINE PRACTICE COURSE: Tools for Navigating Emotions
  • Deepen your ability to ‘Return to Joy’ after upsets. Practice interactive exercises and plug into the nearness of Jesus as you walk through this Skill 11 Habit Builder course step-by-step.
• ONLINE PRACTICE COURSE: Inviting Jesus Into Our Emotions
  • When you become skilled at navigating emotions, you’re no longer stuck in feelings you don’t understand. Instead, you can name what’s going on inside, share it in healthy ways, and even stay present when others have big emotions. This kind of emotional stability deepens your relationships and helps people feel safe with you. Strengthen your ability to navigate emotions and grow closer to Jesus by going through our second NEW Return to Joy Habit Builder course!
• SMALL GROUP RESOURCE: Returning to Joy

  • Do you lose your sense of ‘being glad to be together’ when difficult emotions enter the scene? What if your negative emotions could bring you closer to others rather than drive you apart? Joy is the sense of being glad to be together, but we need training to learn to get back to joy when we experience negative emotions.
• SMALL GROUP RESOURCE: Responding to Life’s Pain
  • Maturity means reaching our God-given potential, becoming the life-giving people God created us to be in our particular stage of life. When we build a community committed to equipping all member with the skills that are appropriate to our age, joy and peace increase and relationships flourish.

Premier Training: Our 5-day training brings together the foundations of relational skill brain theory with hands-on skill practice. We cover all 19 relational skills over the week and have a great time doing it!

• Learn more on our info page
• Watch the FREE WEBINAR: What is Thrive Premier Training?
  • Join Chris Coursey, THRIVEtoday President, and Michel Hendricks, Director of Life Model Consulting and author of “The Other Half of Church”, as we discuss the purposes and benefits of THRIVE Premier Training. Learn about the different training tracks offered and hear answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.
• Premier Training in July: Holland, Michigan
• Premier Training in October: Denver, Colorado

If you have questions about any of our events please don’t hesitate to contact us: info@thrivetoday.org

• PDF DOWNLOAD: THRIVEtoday Emotions Wheel
  • Use this resource to increase your emotional awareness and ability to put words to what you feel.
• PDF DOWNLOAD: THRIVEtoday Emotions Assessment
  • Discover how well you handle each of the Big 6 unpleasant emotions and reflect on where you can grow.
• FREE WEBINAR: Rhythms of Growth
  • Growth is a lifelong journey… but do you ever wonder why some seasons of growing in the character and love of Jesus feel easier while at other times, you can barely stay afloat? Listen in as we look at 3 essentials for growing into healthier relational followers of Jesus.
• FREE WEBINAR: Stories of Emotions
  • Do you ever find it difficult to face and manage your emotions or struggle with how to respond to others in their big feelings? Hear inspiring stories of learning to regulate emotions like sadness, fear, and shame, and be with others who are feeling big things. Other’s journeys model how relational skills help us grow emotional capacity and what it can look like to act like our true selves when big feelings are present.
• FREE WEBINAR: Fighting Fear
  • From the very beginning, God’s children have been fighting fear. In the Garden, Adam and Eve hid from their Creator instead of running to Him for help. Fear is one of the greatest weapons in the adversary’s arsenal to rob us from enjoying God’s presence and hinder us from reflecting God’s character. Fears are the arrows that poke holes in our joy balloons! Fears deprive us from reaching our full, God-given potential.
• FREE WEBINAR: Emotions that Energize
  • PART 1 | Join Kitty Wilder as she discusses positive and negative high energy emotions. Kitty will share some brain science behind these emotions as well as some stories that demonstrate how we can navigate them in healthy ways
• FREE WEBINAR: Emotions that Drain
  • Negative emotions are, well, negative! We don’t like experiencing them. In this webinar we discuss the “low energy” emotions of shame, sadness, hopeless despair and disgust. Kitty Wilder shares her insights and experiences about how to stay yourself and return to joy from these negative emotions.
• BLOG: Validate, Comfort and Re-Pattern
• BLOG: Return to Joy
• BLOG: Capacity & Recovery
• THRIVING MAMAS BLOG: Returning to Joy
• THRIVING MAMAS BLOG: Skills That Even Calm Darth Vader