We limit ourselves and hold ourselves back with all the ways in which we put ourselves down, mentally, verbally and emotionally, all the ways in which we self-harm and abuse ourselves, all the ways in which we allow ourselves to be mistreated. We give away our power, and we stop believing in ourselves. Learning howRead More
When we are suffering from our addictions and mental health issues, one of the most painful emotions we commonly feel is a sense of disconnection. We feel disconnected from our inner selves, from the people around us, from the people we love, and from the world. We feel isolated and alone. This is compounded byRead More
Addiction very rarely operates strictly on its own. More often, it is accompanied by other illnesses, many of which are quite serious, including depression, anxiety, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Common addictions to drugs and alcohol are also often accompanied by other kinds of addiction where we are addicted to a behavior, in what isRead More
Therapy can be one of the more intimidating elements of addiction recovery treatment for many of us. We are often skeptical about its effectiveness. We assume we won’t be able to connect with our therapists in any real way. We doubt we’ll want to open up to them about the most problematic issues in ourRead More
Sometimes we think of working with affirmations as repeating empty, meaningless statements that we don’t actually believe. We don’t have faith in the things we’re saying, so we doubt their effectiveness and their ability to help us heal. We might start repeating affirmations and practice them for a little while, thinking we’ll notice change immediatelyRead More
Our struggles with addiction and mental illness make it very hard for us to reach out for the support we need. We resist asking for help because we’re prideful, because we’re afraid to be seen as weak or vulnerable, and because we don’t feel ready to do the hard work it takes to get sober.Read More
Throughout the course of our struggles with addiction and mental illness, we find ourselves up against all kinds of obstacles. We have difficult life circumstances to contend with. We have intense emotional issues that can feel as though they’re taking over our lives. We can feel as though the challenges we’re dealing with are comingRead More
When approaching recovery, we’re often still lacking the very important self-belief required to really heal. We’re filled with self-doubt, anxiety and insecurity. We feel worry and trepidation when undertaking the recovery journey, rather than confidence and faith. Our capacity for healing and transformation is directly proportional to how much we believe in ourselves. If weRead More
When we’re in the middle of a panic attack, it can feel like the world is ending, like we’ll never get back to normal. A great practice for handling a panic attack is panic journaling. We journal to release all of our pent-up panic and distress. We let ourselves write freely, without worrying about makingRead More
Our ability to be resourceful is one of the things we struggle with most when living with addiction and mental illness. We find it increasingly hard to take care of ourselves, to think positively and to figure out solutions to our problems. We stay focused, even fixated, on our pain to the point where we’reRead More