Healthy Living

Most people have struggled with racing thoughts at least once in their lives, some more so than others. Too often, days are spent rushing. We are constantly ten steps ahead of the present moment and our minds are filled with “to do’s” and “what if’s.” No matter how far down the checklist we get, there is always more to worry about. Unfortunately, this mindset keeps us stressed out and tense, with no time to relax and take a breath. It even infiltrates our sleeping moments, keeping us up all hours of the night, perpetuating the vicious cycle the next morning.   Addiction only intensifies this experience. Characterized by an obsessive mindset, individuals in recovery from substance use can take this incessant worrying to the next level. Unfortunately, this stress puts an extraordinary amount of pressure on a recovering addict, especially if their sleep is affected, putting them at greater risk of relapse. A major piece of the recovery process is learning to cope with stress and anxiety in a healthy way in order to enjoy the present moment and support long term sobriety. There are many ways to calm and clear the mind so that you can get back to living your life. Here are a few of our favorites.

Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual exercises that developed long ago in ancient India. It’s a spiritual discipline that bears many benefits. Not only does yoga exercise your mind and spiritual practice, but it also exercises your body. It is a type of movement that is quite simple to ease into for people who may not already do physical exercise. For individuals in recovery from addiction, yoga can be a great form of self-care since it works towards balancing the mind, body, and spirit.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has turned our world upside down. Unfortunately, those of us struggling with mental health disorders face compounded challenges during these uncertain times. Not only are we experiencing a collective trauma that can be triggering for those of us in recovery from mental health and/or substance use disorders, but the pandemic calls for social distancing and isolation which tends to intensify mental health symptoms. While things may feel difficult, it’s important to remember that there are still many ways to stay connected and maintain our mental health. Below are some resources can be helpful during this unprecedented time.

Most people have experienced anxiety in one form or another. Sometimes it is experienced as a feeling of stress and overwhelm associated with a certain situation. Other people struggle with anxiety disorders and chronic anxiety. Panic disorder is another mental health disorder in which the sufferer experiences frequent panic attacks. In the last decade, panic attack awareness and available treatment have increased. While panic attacks may seem similar to general anxiety, understanding the differences between the two is important and plays a big role in ensuring proper diagnosis.

Meditation is a practice in which you use different techniques to focus and calm the mind. Consistently practicing meditation improves attention and awareness, helping to achieve improved mental clarity and a peaceful state of being. It is unsure if meditation came from India or China. Regardless, it is an ancient practice that is common today. Meditation can help with any problem that you may be experiencing and the benefits are endless. There are three main types of meditation: vipassana, chakra, and yoga.

Addiction recovery is so much more than just healing physically from addiction. The journey of sobriety provides space for people to get to know parts of themselves that may have been unrealized for years due to drinking and/or using. During this process of self-discovery, many people also uncover passion and purpose, two things that had most likely been missing from their lives prior.

Technology has taken over many of our kids’ lives. While they can gain a lot of information from the internet, the fact is that mobile apps, movies and more can be damaging to a teen’s mental health, especially if the user isn’t properly monitored. All too often, parents battle with limiting their teens’ use of technology, thinking that they’ll grow out of it. The reality is that our teens’ mental health is connected to their physical health. If they’re spending more time staring at screens than outside getting exercise, this could be a recipe for disaster.   Previous studies have found that exercise can help our teens and their mental health in a variety of ways, such as:

When you view life, people or situations as “all or nothing”, that is known as black and white thinking. For many people, these thought patterns appear from time to time, especially when they’re feeling upset, angry, disappointed, hopeless or frustrated. This type of thinking also occurs quite often for those who have borderline personality disorder (BPD). Understanding why black and white thinking occurs, and how to cope with it, can have a positive effect on the progression of your recovery.

Addiction recovery is a time for you to focus on getting your mind, body, and spirit in the best shape of your life. It’s not just about treating the addiction itself. Instead, it’s about restoring what was once damaged from addiction. Physical health is incredibly important because your body serves as a temple to your life. Without your physical health, you wouldn’t be able to rejuvenate and replenish. If you’re looking for an activity that will boost your physical health – and, subsequently, your mental and spiritual health – consider incorporating stretching into your daily routine.   Numerous studies have found that stretching provides so many benefits to those who do it consistently. Stretching promotes flexibility, it improves posture, and it prepares muscles to recover from potential injuries. Additionally, stretching increases blood supply – which means that nutrients are better able to reach the places that they need to go. Ultimately, stretching is great for several things affecting the mind, body, and spirit.

Acupuncture is an extremely common practice across the world and it offers several healing benefits. For many Americans, however, acupuncture seems like a terrifyingly painful experience. Acupuncture and other holistic practices are more mainstream in Eastern countries, like China. The approach between Eastern and Western practices differs based on use. Specifically, Western culture tends to rely on medicines to treat illnesses, whereas Eastern traditions rely heavily on various modes of medicine for proactive wellbeing. However, the Western world has slowly been evolving to include holistic healing options, due to their many restorative properties.

Have you ever felt incredibly angry, lonely, depressed, or frustrated? Has this feeling ever occurred while you were in the middle of lunch, dinner, or when you were about to have a snack to keep you going throughout the day? If so, do you recall eating too much? Too little? For many people, emotions can certainly affect the way they eat. Similar to the way people abuse substances, food can be used to escape, control or numb uncomfortable emotions.  Previous studies have sought to explore the effect that emotions can have on eating, and they’ve found that many people who are experiencing troubled mental states often struggle simultaneously with disordered eating behaviors. The instant gratification experienced through food offers a sense of immediate comfort to the sufferer. Unfortunately, if left untreated, disordered eating can get significantly worse, severely impacting mental health and quality of life.

The rapid increase in the use of prescription and non-prescription opioids in the United States is known as the opioid crisis. The epidemic was largely a result of the over-prescription of opiates, as well as insufficient risk education surrounding these pain medications. Many people found themselves addicted to opiates as a result of an injury or accident, at which point they were given these medications by a doctor. Unfortunately, these individuals were largely unprepared for the detoxification process and withdrawal symptoms they would soon experience. Often, the shock of dependency leads to stronger, more deadly illegal street drugs. Regardless of the source, opioids are highly addictive and extremely dangerous. The overdoses and deaths that have taken place, as a result, have led to a decreased life expectancy overall for the average American citizen.