When living with addiction and mental illness, fun and adventure are often among the things that most get sacrificed, that we most lose out on. We become so occupied with the pain of our mental and emotional challenges, the difficult circumstances we’re living with, and the daily issues we have to contend with, that adventureRead More
Our breathing is something we do mostly unconsciously, and as such it is considered an involuntary physical action. We can become more conscious of our breathing, though, and apply mindfulness to it in order to help ourselves heal from our various mental, emotional and physical afflictions. When we practice conscious breathing, we connect our minds,Read More
When people use substances, they have different reasons for starting. Some began with prescriptions, innocuously thinking they could control pain that quickly spiraled into addiction. Others suffered trauma or neglect and used substances to numb out. Other people have tried substances as a way to get high and found they liked the euphoric feeling, onlyRead More
Coming to believe in a power greater than ourselves can take time- sometimes as much time as it took to finally reach “bottom” and come to step one. Fully experiencing and integrating step two of the twelve steps can be a similar journey. Admitting that we are powerless over something in our lives and thatRead More
The second step of the twelve step program of Alcoholics Anonymous reads “Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” By looking at the step more closely we find a few key concepts. First, we are told that a belief in a Higher Power is something that we canRead More
Healing from addiction is not easy. The journey is filled with challenges. Even when a person is mentally positive, they might need an extra boost to get some support. Getting outdoors has some benefits. Nature is a great way to experience peace and calming after a challenging day or just to get outside. The mentalRead More
Whether you’ve just begun your journey to recovery or you’ve been working hard for quite a while now, there’s no gainsaying the fact that recovery is all about lifestyle. Addiction causes us to lose focus of what’s most important to our mind, body, and spiritual growth; recovery brings us back to that place. Yes, recoveryRead More
Holistic practices such as meditation, acupuncture, art therapy, massage therapy, and yoga have become widely used in addiction recovery treatment centers due to the many benefits they bring clients as they work to restore their mind, body, and spirit. Yoga is an therapeutic practice that provides many benefits, as emphasized by the American Osteopathic Association:Read More
Mental health professionals are known to experience a lot of stress, particularly as they come into a lot of exposure to individuals with complex histories of trauma, stress, illness, and more. Compassion fatigue is a term often utilized in this and other healthcare fields, as professionals can become worn down with emotional thoughts and reactionsRead More
If you’ve been diagnosed with a mood disorder, you can likely relate to the unpredictability that each day brings. Intense highs or intense lows can affect nearly every aspect of life, making work, social relationships, and general functioning quite challenging at times. Thankfully, there are several effective strategies that can be used for treating moodRead More