Relational Skills in Real Life

Why is it important to practice relational skills? At THRIVEtoday, we value helping people build healthy habits by embedding these skills into our character so we can reflect Jesus in the best version of ourselves. Chris and Kristy compare practicing relational skills to exercising our bodies—simply reading about them doesn’t make them show up in real life. Through daily practice, we can form new...

At THRIVEtoday, we’ve been focusing on experiencing our profoundly loving God. As we enter the new year, we’re invited to reflect that love in our relationships. Practicing relational skills helps us grow in our capacity to reflect God’s presence and character, strengthening relationships, building community, and bringing forgiveness and hope—even in difficult moments and with the people we care a...

As this year comes to a close, we turn our hearts toward the year ahead. We reflect on what God has taught us over the past year and look forward with anticipation to what is to come.  When we seek God’s perspective, He helps us cultivate appreciation and discover the hidden treasure of peace He places in every moment.  Chris shares practical ways to practice peace, appreciation, joy, and Godsight...

Immanuel means ‘God with us,’ and what a gift that is during the busy, stressful, or grief-filled moments of the holidays. The relational skill of Godsight—Seeing What God Sees—helps us view life through God’s loving perspective and remember we are never alone. Someone is glad to be with us. Someone delights in us. This is the Jesus we celebrate. Thrive trainer Dana shares how he uses Godsight to...

The holidays can bring joy for some and stress or grief for others. Relational skills—especially the skill of quieting—help us stay grounded whether we’re navigating big joy or big emotions. Our friend Shannon shares how she planned intentional quiet moments into her family’s holiday gathering to help everyone connect more deeply. Stay tuned to the very end as Chris coaches us how to implement thi...

During the holidays, we talk about joy, look forward to joy, and surround ourselves with decorations that highlight joy. But how can we use the brain skill of "sharing joy" (aka Skill 1) to genuinely increase joy in our own lives and in the lives of those we love? This episode dives into the “share joy” brain skill and provides practical ideas for putting it into action during the holida...

In this episode, Lynn shares how she uses the skill of appreciation to experience the presence and love of God. Chris also explains how relational skills can help you overcome barriers to sensing God’s peace, and he offers guidance on discovering which skills will help you most—and how to practice them in your daily life. 🔗 Learn more about Skill 13 - Godsight: https://www.thrivetoday.org/skill13...

Appreciation is all about remembering the good things, feeling the good things, and sharing the good things! Chris shares some fun activities he did with a group of friends in person to help them build joy and remember meaningful moments in their lives. These exercises can help us live with greater joy and peace, strengthening our ability to handle tough situations and conversations—even on hard d...

We all want to live as the best versions of ourselves—the way God designed us to be—even when we’re experiencing big emotions. But that takes practice! Our friend Rivers shares stories about times when he felt overwhelmed and stressed, how he recognized what was happening, and what he did to respond with peace and strength instead of reacting from that stress. Hearing these real-life stories—ones...

One of the skills that is learned in the child level of maturity is to discover what satisfies us, so that we can become adults who know how to fulfill our needs and desires in a life-giving way and live a life of contentment. Do we, as adults, have this skill? How can we help our children learn? This episode shares stories about recognizing true satisfaction and how to step through that process,...

Chris and Jen share an update on their year, offering a perspective shaped by appreciation. They walk us through how they’ve learned to recognize gratitude, even in situations that initially feel discouraging. They also offer a glimpse into how they continually practice the skill of appreciation, helping them remain rooted in hope and connected to Immanuel. 🔗 Visit https://thrivetoday.org/skill4...

In this episode, Kristy shares her personal journey through the complex terrain of shame—how it shaped her and how she found healing. Then, Chris dives into various signs that we struggle with this difficult emotion, and shares practical, compassionate strategies for breaking free and growing through it. If you've ever felt weighed down by self-doubt or hidden pain, this episode is for you....

A new, and increasing common trend in our society, has been to turn to AI companions for validation and friendship. Is this healthy and helpful longterm? Why is this happening and what do people need? Chris takes a look at the underlying needs that everyone has. 🔗 Joy Starts Here: https://bit.ly/joystartsherebook 🔗 Habit Builder Courses: https://thrivetoday.org/skill-practice-courses/ 🔗 Thrive...

In this eye-opening episode, Chris Coursey and Kristy Harrang explore the surprising blessing of unpleasant emotions. From anger to hopeless despair, they look at how our most difficult feelings can become unexpected gifts. Through stories from their own lives, they reveal how embracing emotional discomfort can guide us toward growth, healing, and deeper connection. 🔗 Join our upcoming online eve...

What are high energy emotions? When do our brains go to these high energy responses and why? Chris answers these questions and more as he looks at how God designed our brains and bodies to work and how we can develop life-giving response patterns to the stresses of life.  🔗 Check out our Return to Joy (skill 11) courses: https://thrivetoday.thinkific.com/collections/skill-11 🔗 Our Premier Traini...

In this episode Chris discusses the topic of low energy emotions, which emotions fit into this category, and signs that we are experiencing them. You will also hear from Amy, as she shares a story of a time she was feeling the low-energy emotion of sadness.  🔗 Check out our Return to Joy (skill 11) courses: https://thrivetoday.thinkific.com/collections/skill-11 🔗 Learn more about Premier Trainin...

In this episode, Chris makes the connection between awareness and conscientiousness, which is a more important character trait than we may have thought.  Our ability to distinguish finely between our emotions results in increased flexibility when regulating emotions and a decreased likelihood that we'll turn to alcohol when stressed or retaliate against people who hurt us? Listen in and learn...

There can be some grief that accompanies growing in maturity. When we begin to grow, we start to notice how our growth has been stunted by missing maturity needs and tasks. That can bring up sorrowful feelings, both for ourselves and for our lack of ability to pass on good things to our children. Listen in to hear what is it like us, as mature people, to do when these feelings come up, and how to...

What creates the lens for how you understand God? In this episode Chris will look at how our past relationships with people can affect how we understand, view, and interact with God - a skill we call "Godsight". 🔗 Learn more about Skill 13 - Godsight: https://thrivetoday.org/skill13 🔗 Check out the Skill 13 Habit Builder Course: https://thrivetoday.thinkific.com/courses/skill-13-godsig...

Are there patterns in your life that you get stuck in? Are there situations and emotions that knock you out? Everyone struggles with different things and there are good reasons for that. Being able to see some of what God sees when we are having a hard time can be a game changer, and this is the brain skill of 'Godsight' that we can practice and learn. Come on the journey with us to disc...

In this episode, Chris shares the fascinating science about how our relationships affect our bodies and emotions. He also shares examples of ways that we can practice staying relational and keeping the relationship bigger than the problem when dealing with tough situations. 🔗 Learn more about Skill 0 - The Relational Circuits 🔗 Learn more about Skill 11 - Return to Joy 🔗 Watch our latest webina...

In this episode Chris reflects on why the church needs relational skills and how we can spread relational skills in our congregations and communities. You'll also hear perspective from Karen, a pastor and graduate of the 3 Premier Training Tracks, as she has actively sought to spread these skills in the church and through her outreach.  🔗 Do you have a small group looking for the next resour...

Quieting is an often under-rated skill that some regard as a waste of time. Chris explains the fascinating science behind quieting, and why it is a critical skill that is a life-long predictor of mental health, as well as many other life-changing benefits. We also hear a story from our friend Gina about how her knowledge of Quieting impacted a time she was at work.  🔗 Learn more about Skill 2 (Si...

We all go through season and transitions in life. These can be hard to navigate because our brains use our memories of the past to predict what the unknown future might be like. The resulting anxiety and stress can keep us from being our best, relational selves. This episode shares how practicing relational skills can help us grow, thrive and connect with Jesus even when we are outside our comfort...

Today we hear from Eric & Jiayan who saw a tangible difference in their marriage when they started learning and practicing relational skills together. As they enter parenthood they are so thankful for a stronger bond. Chris weighs in on what a blessing it is when you are relational in your most important relationships. 🔗 Read The 4 Habits of Joy-Filled Marriages . Perfect to read as a couple...