<![CDATA[Motivational Moments - MoMo634]]>https://momo634.comhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RxW0!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F84140e52-6509-41aa-8882-d65719b856e5_1080x1080.pngMotivational Moments - MoMo634https://momo634.comSubstackWed, 15 Apr 2026 09:27:27 GMT<![CDATA[Motivational Minute - ‭‭‭‭1 Samuel 12:24]]>https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-1-samuel-1224https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-1-samuel-1224Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:59:43 GMT

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]]><![CDATA[Understanding OCD’s Real Mechanics: The Lies That Get Stuck in the Brain and How to 'Unstick' Them]]>https://momo634.com/p/understanding-ocd-lies-sticky-thoughtshttps://momo634.com/p/understanding-ocd-lies-sticky-thoughtsTue, 14 Apr 2026 04:59:00 GMT

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Recently, I saw a scene in a television show where an adult was trying to explain Alzheimer’s to a child. The adult said, “[He] has a lie stuck in his head that makes him sad.” The child then asked, “How do we get the lie out of his head?”

That scene resonated with me because it’s also a way to explain the mechanics of OCD for those who live it.

OCD is, at its core, a lie that gets stuck in the brain. It isn’t a quirky preference, personality trait, nor is it a desire for neatness or order.

It’s a lie.

A lie that feels true in the body. One that hijacks the threat circuitry. One that refuses to leave, no matter how many times you check the lock, wash your hands, replay the conversation, or mentally review your moral character just to be sure you aren’t “that” person.

The paradox of OCD is that the person living with it knows it’s a lie. We know the stove is off. We know we didn’t run someone over. We know we aren’t secretly vile monsters. We know we are not our thoughts.

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Throughout the posts and podcasts here, I have described OCD as a broken amygdala problem because of the constant feeling of “fight, flight, or freeze.” But researchers are refining and reclassifying that, noting that the amygdala is actually reacting to a deeper circuit issue, which I hope to address shortly in another piece here.

Here’s what’s really going on inside: the brain’s alarm system, the cortico‑striato‑thalamo‑cortical (CSTC) loop, gets jammed. The “threat detected” light stays on, making the lie feel urgent, dangerous, and morally catastrophic.

So, the question becomes the same one the child in the TV scene asked: How do we get the lie out of the head?

The answer is both simple and profoundly counterintuitive: You don’t pull the lie out; you just stop feeding it.

Every compulsion, every check, every reassurance, every ritual, every mental review, is like giving the lie nutrients that help it grow stronger and dig deeper.

It has learned that if it screams loud enough, it will receive a response. We reinforce the negative behavior when we respond with the ritual or reassurance. The way out is learning to hear the lie without obeying it.

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This is the heart of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). Not exposure to fear, but rather exposure to uncertainty. Exposure to the possibility that the lie might whisper again. Exposure to the discomfort of not fixing, not checking, not neutralizing.

Then comes the response prevention: Choosing not to perform the ritual. Choosing not to reassure yourself. Choosing not to negotiate with the lie.

At first, it feels impossible. It feels like standing in front of a fire alarm that won’t shut off. It feels like you’re doing something dangerous.

This is the beauty of the word we’ve discussed so much here: neuroplasticity, where the brain learns a new pattern. When we retrain the brain in this way, the alarm quiets, the loop loosens, and the lie loses its power.

The lie is a glitch in a circuit. A misfiring in a loop. Faulty circuitry giving an error message that feels like a moral emergency. When we stop feeding it, obeying it, and treating it like truth, the brain responds in an amazing way: it begins to unstick itself.

If you’re someone living with OCD (or love someone who is) remember this: OCD is not a character defect, a moral failing, or personal weakness. It is a lie stuck in the head.

With the right tools, the right support, and the right kind of practice, you can teach your brain to let it go.

What have you tried to get your brain unstuck from a lie? Chime in below!

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NOTE: The ideas offered on this podcast should not be substituted for medical or psychiatric advice.

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]]><![CDATA[Motivational Minute - ‭‭‭‭Joshua 23:11]]>https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-joshua-23-11https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-joshua-23-11Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:59:39 GMT

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]]><![CDATA[Motivational Minute - ‭‭‭‭Psalm 32:8]]>https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-psalm-32-8https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-psalm-32-8Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:59:36 GMT

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]]><![CDATA[An Introduction to Building Personal Trackers for Anything]]>https://momo634.com/p/building-personal-trackers-introhttps://momo634.com/p/building-personal-trackers-introFri, 10 Apr 2026 04:08:13 GMT

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Over the past year I’ve built a number of trackers, journals, and notebooks with cheat sheets. They have been invaluable tools for helping me to track progress and reaching goals I’ve longed for.

I’ve used Canva, OneNote, Copilot AI, and Notion. They each have pros and cons, and I’ve learned a lot through trial and error; lessons I’d like to pass along to others who may find it helpful.

Of course, not everyone loves technology. Though I’m a gadget girl, many of these can be created in a physical notebook or binder.

I’m hoping to create some articles and possibly some screencasts or videos. Here are some introductory questions to help me shape the arc of this series:

  • What would you like to track?

  • Do you want a physical or digital version?

  • What specific information would you like to capture?

  • Do you want to “Keep it Simple, Sweetheart” or do you want reports, and other bells and whistles?

  • What’s your comfort level with digital tools or do you want to do everything manually (including any checklists, etc)?

  • Do you need to have access to it anytime (such as on a device or in the cloud, or a notebook small enough to carry with you) or something that can be updated after the fact?

  • What is your budget for the tools (notebooks or apps, etc.) or do you want something completely free to use?

What other questions or considerations do you have? Let me know your thoughts about all of this below, and I’ll use your input to guide future posts in the series!

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NOTE: The ideas offered above should not be substituted for medical or psychiatric advice.
]]><![CDATA[Motivational Minute - ‭‭‭‭Psalm 71:17‬]]>https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-psalm-71-17https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-psalm-71-17Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:59:46 GMT

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]]><![CDATA[Motivational Minute - ‭‭‭‭‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬]]>https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-1-corinthians-6-11https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-1-corinthians-6-11Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:59:40 GMT

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]]><![CDATA[Motivational Minute - ‭‭‭‭Deuteronomy 4:39‬]]>https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-deuteronomy-4-39https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-deuteronomy-4-39Tue, 07 Apr 2026 10:59:13 GMT

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]]><![CDATA[Let the Sun Shine In: The Virtues of Positive Thinking]]>https://momo634.com/p/sun-shine-positive-thinkinghttps://momo634.com/p/sun-shine-positive-thinkingMon, 06 Apr 2026 16:59:00 GMT

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I’m dating myself here, but as a kid I watched The Pebbles and Bamm Bamm Show, a spinoff of the Flintstones cartoon.

On the Flintstones, I remember the episode with Pebbles and Bamm Bamm singing “Open Up Your Heart (and Let the Sunshine In),” a positive little ditty encouraging focusing on the good while Satan tries to trip you up. In the spinoff, there was a character named Bad Luck Schleprock. He was known for saying, “Oh no, we’re doomed” and “Wowsie wowsie woo woo.”

He was always bemoaning the bad, waiting for the other shoe to drop. As a person who has had a lifelong battle with depression and anxiety, I tend towards seeing the world through Schleprock lenses. Like Christopher Robin’s friend Eeyore, I have had difficulty with positivity. I looked for ways to focus on uplifting thoughts. Neuroscience touts the benefits of positive thinking, as well.

Because of some changes I’ve been making for my neurological health, I have a much better outlook now. While I can’t say I will ever be “perky,” I’m a very different person than even a few short months ago.

This space at MoMo634.com was, and still is, my way of giving myself a focal point for each day. As a believer whose faith has been my bedrock through many difficult times, this space over the past almost three years has been a place to focus on the intersection of faith and mental health. Though I’m not a therapist, I saw a gaping hole for people of faith who struggle with mood and neurodivergence.

The 634 in the name of this site is a reference to Matthew 6:34, which says, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.’’

Each day, God grants us 24 hours, 1440 minutes, and 86,400 seconds. With God’s help, we can breathe right through each of them. We only have to get through this day.

Regulars here know I’m a big fan of belly breathing, also called diaphragmatic breathing because it’s been a tremendous tool for helping to calm, ground, and center me.

So take some deep breaths, focus your thoughts on something positive, and use the precious gift of time today wrapped in uplifting thoughts.

How do you remain positively positive each day? Chime in below!

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NOTE: The ideas offered on this podcast should not be substituted for medical or psychiatric advice.
]]><![CDATA[Motivational Minute - ‭‭‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26:9‬]]>https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-isaiah-26-9https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-isaiah-26-9Mon, 06 Apr 2026 10:59:43 GMT

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]]><![CDATA[Pierced for Our Transgressions]]>https://momo634.com/p/piercedhttps://momo634.com/p/piercedFri, 03 Apr 2026 17:12:30 GMT

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John 19

Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns, set it on His head, and dressed Him in a purple robe. And they went up to Him again and again, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and slapping Him in the face.

Once again Pilate came out and said to the Jews, “Look, I am bringing Him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against Him.” When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

As soon as the chief priests and officers saw Him, they shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

“You take Him and crucify Him,” Pilate replied, “for I find no basis for a charge against Him.”

“We have a law,” answered the Jews, “and according to that law He must die, because He declared Himself to be the Son of God.”

When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid, and he went back into the Praetorium. “Where are You from?” he asked.

But Jesus gave no answer.

So Pilate said to Him, “Do You refuse to speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You and authority to crucify You?”

Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed Me over to you is guilty of greater sin.”

From then on, Pilate tried to release Him, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who declares himself a king is defying Caesar.”

When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat on the judgment seat at a place called the Stone Pavement, which in Hebrew is Gabbatha. It was the day of Preparation for the Passover, about the sixth hour. And Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your King!”

At this, they shouted, “Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him!”

“Shall I crucify your King?” Pilate asked.

“We have no king but Caesar,” replied the chief priests.

The Crucifixion

Then Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified, and the soldiers took Him away. Carrying His own cross, He went out to The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.

There they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle.

Pilate also had a notice posted on the cross. It read:

JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Many of the Jews read this sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but only that He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’ ”

Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided His garments into four parts, one for each soldier, with the tunic remaining. It was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it. Instead, let us cast lots to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill the Scripture:

“They divided My garments among them,

and cast lots for My clothing.”

So that is what the soldiers did.

Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother and her sister, as well as Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” So from that hour, this disciple took her into his home.

After this, knowing that everything had now been accomplished, and to fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there. So they soaked a sponge in the wine, put it on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted it to His mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit.

It was the day of Preparation, and the next day was a High Sabbath. In order that the bodies would not remain on the cross during the Sabbath, the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and those of the other.

But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. The one who saw it has testified to this, and his testimony is true. He knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.

Now these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of His bones will be broken.” And, as another Scripture says: “They will look on the One they have pierced.”

Afterward, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus (but secretly for fear of the Jews), asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and removed His body. Nicodemus, who had previously come to Jesus at night, also brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. So they took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen cloths with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom.

Now there was a garden in the place where Jesus was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. And because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and the tomb was nearby, they placed Jesus there.

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MoMo634 MOtivational MOments is audience-supported. Love it? Become a premium subscriber, visit Buy Me a Coffee, or shop for inspirational gifts at the MoMo634 shop!

NOTE: The ideas offered above should not be substituted for medical or psychiatric advice.
]]><![CDATA[Motivational Minute - ‭‭‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭5‬]]>https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-isaiah-53-5https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-isaiah-53-5Fri, 03 Apr 2026 10:59:39 GMT

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]]><![CDATA[Motivational Minute - ‭‭‭‭Revelation 22:12]]>https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-revelation-22-12https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-revelation-22-12Thu, 02 Apr 2026 10:59:37 GMT

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]]><![CDATA[Neurodivergent-Friendly Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Tools That Actually Work]]>https://momo634.com/p/neurodivergent-emotional-regulation-eq-toolshttps://momo634.com/p/neurodivergent-emotional-regulation-eq-toolsThu, 02 Apr 2026 04:23:42 GMT

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In the episode, Why Other People’s Anxiety Feels Like Chaos (and How to Stay Out of Their Tornado), I mentioned emotional regulation-building and social skills practice through games. Here are some of the games I used.

Premium Subscribers: Scroll to the end for a printable worksheet outlining all the games.

The EQ Game is a simple, powerful framework for strengthening emotional intelligence through real-life scenarios. It teaches participants how to:

  • Interpret social cues with nuance

  • Identify and regulate emotions

  • Understand how meaning shifts across neurotypes and contexts, and

  • Practice gentle, supportive communication

It’s especially helpful for neurodivergent communicators who want tools that honor depth, authenticity, and nervous-system safety.

How to Use the EQ Game in Daily Life

  • During conversations: notice cues, pause, interpret with nuance.

  • After stressful moments: use Regulate Radar + Quiet Reframes.

  • In leadership or parenting: use Gentle Engagement to build safety.

  • In self-reflection: use Cue Switch to understand your own patterns.

Why This Matters

The EQ Game can help you:

  • Reduce masking

  • Build emotional clarity

  • Strengthen relationships

  • Understand neurodivergent and neurotypical communication differences

  • Create internal safety and external connection

It’s a framework that honors depth, nuance, and nervous-system literacy — especially for those who communicate differently but feel deeply.

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MoMo634 MOtivational MOments is audience-supported. Love it? Become a premium subscriber, visit Buy Me a Coffee, or shop for inspirational gifts at the MoMo634 shop!

NOTE: The ideas offered on this podcast should not be substituted for medical or psychiatric advice.

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]]><![CDATA[Motivational Minute - ‭‭‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12:9-10]]>https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-2-corinthians-12-9-10https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-2-corinthians-12-9-10Wed, 01 Apr 2026 10:59:12 GMT

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]]><![CDATA[Why Other People’s Anxiety Feels Like Chaos (and How to Stay Out of Their Tornado)]]>https://momo634.com/p/other-peoples-anxiety-feels-like-tornadohttps://momo634.com/p/other-peoples-anxiety-feels-like-tornadoTue, 31 Mar 2026 20:00:58 GMT

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PREMIUM SUBSCRIBERS: Scroll down for your companion printable!

MoMo634 MOtivational MOments is audience-supported. Love it? Become a premium subscriber, visit Buy Me a Coffee, or shop for inspirational gifts at the MoMo634 shop!

NOTE: The ideas offered on this podcast should not be substituted for medical or psychiatric advice.

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]]><![CDATA[Motivational Minute - ‭‭‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭8‬]]>https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-2-corinthians-9-8https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-2-corinthians-9-8Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:24:03 GMT

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]]><![CDATA[Motivational Minute - Deuteronomy 11:1]]>https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-deuteronomy-11-1https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-deuteronomy-11-1Mon, 30 Mar 2026 10:59:34 GMT

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]]><![CDATA[Motivational Minute - 2 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭11]]>https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-2-corinthians-13-11https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-2-corinthians-13-11Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:59:42 GMT

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]]><![CDATA[Motivational Minute - ‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭40]]>https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-lamentations-3-40https://momo634.com/p/motivational-minute-lamentations-3-40Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:59:40 GMT

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