Mental Health

Our mental health is essential to our physical and emotional well-being. However, we can shy away from beginning therapy because we don’t want others to think we are “crazy.” The fear of being labeled or what happens in therapy can keep us from addressing our mental health needs.

Covid-19 and its variants have changed how we interact with each other. As a result, we think about the health implications of our actions and social interactions. For example, the prospect of returning to quarantine or social distancing practices can affect our mental health.   We can’t seem to get away from news about the coronavirus or its variants. We don’t know what to do with so much information. As the Delta variant spreads throughout the country and discussion about mask mandates and lockdowns increase, we can wonder what will happen; will we need to isolate ourselves again socially?

Sobriety has many benefits. One of those benefits is waking up in the morning aware of what we did the night before. Another is not worrying about having to apologize to others for things we said or did.    When we were using a substance, we tended to act recklessly. We did what felt good on the spur of the moment. Sometimes we didn’t understand our thought process the next day. Sometimes we didn’t remember why we thought we needed to say what we said or did what we did. Many times upon realization of our actions, we felt shame, guilt, or embarrassment. Maybe we went through the events of the night before and realized we owed apologies.

Your perception of well-being may exist in your mind, but the things happening outside of your head have a tremendous influence over the current state of your mental health. Sometimes a change in scenery can do wonders for our mental health, and that can be due to our everyday surroundings impacting us in ways we do not realize. Whether it’s the people you are around everyday, the memories certain places hold, or the clutter in your own house, all of these things can have an effect on your mental health.

Personality disorders are a subset of mental health disorders that revolve around unexpected or illogical thought and behavioral patterns. They can alter the way that one handles personal and social situations. Personality disorders fundamentally change the way that an individual addresses and perceives the world around them, develops relationships, and/or copes with daily stresses.    One of the most difficult kinds of these disorders is narcissistic personality disorder, or NPD. It has an incredibly detrimental effect on one’s relationships and mental health state. Identifying traits of narcissistic personality disorder and taking the first deliberate steps toward addressing the condition is crucial to begin the journey of repairing relationships and creating a healthier, more secure worldview.

Your body and mind respond to situations and circumstances, but you can use willpower to mold your choices. Willpower is highly contagious, especially in treatment and especially when it creates positive results. Many people understand that by using your strength and mindset, you can achieve anything. Willpower gives you the motivation to pursue a goal in life and offers self-control, but how does willpower work with addiction recovery? Can it influence others?

When jumping into the ocean of recovery, you are not expected to know how to swim right away. You may feel terrified of the waves when looking upon recovery and fear drowning. Fortunately, recovery is your lifeboat. The experience of a tranquil and comfortable environment in addiction recovery centers renews your sense of peace and serenity, all while providing you healing and enlightenment to live a fulfilling life.

Getting in a thought cycle of rumination, worry, obsession, or repetitive, looping thoughts all cause a person extreme frustration. It can take up all of your energy and mental capacity, making it feel impossible to think about anything else. These looping thoughts feel charged with emotion, causing you more distress the more energy you give them. When you find yourself in the middle of this circular thinking, you need to do something to disrupt the pattern and change the course of your thoughts outside of this hard-to-control thought loop.

Therapists and sponsors play essential roles throughout the entire addiction recovery journey. They provide support, information, and a caring shoulder through even the toughest days, helping to guide through crucial turning points in each individual’s life.  It’s crucial to find the right support for a particular part of a journey. Just any sponsor or therapist will be a good fit for each individual, and there may come a time when an individual realizes that their sponsor or therapist isn’t providing the kind of care they need.  Being open to new ideas and approaches throughout one’s recovery journey is essential. It is not required that every person agree or find success in everything a sponsor or therapist suggests. Some signs may indicate the need for a change in support personnel. While the decision to fire one’s sponsor or therapist is not easy, it is paramount to understand that such a possibility exists and may be necessary for continued healing.

The term “depression” is often used to encompass many different conditions or behaviors. However, depression is more than just one thing and can present itself in unique ways.  Different forms of depression can have episodes that last varying lengths of time and unique symptoms. Moving past the idea of “depression” as a “one-term-fits-all” idea and understanding the nuances that characterize different types of depression can help each individual create an effective recovery plan for their unique needs. Major depression, persistent depressive disorder, seasonal affective disorder, atypical depression, and postpartum depression are all common and are just a few ways in which depression can manifest and affect a person’s life.

Living with social anxiety causes someone to experience a great deal of discomfort in many different social settings due to feeling extremely uncomfortable in the presence of other people. For those suffering from social anxiety, the intrusive worry of being perceived negatively by others creates extreme distress while in their company. Talk therapy, mindfulness practices, or certain prescription medications are all excellent options for overcoming your social anxiety, but unfortunately, all too often, people turn to substance use or avoidance to treat the symptoms of their social anxiety. The Problem With Substance Abuse and Social Anxiety Comorbidity Using substances to dial down or mute the uncomfortable feelings caused by social situations is not a sustainable approach to treating social anxiety. One of the biggest problems posed by using substances to treat social anxiety is that continual substance use builds tolerance and requires an ever-increasing dose to achieve the same effects. Using substances to cope with social anxiety might build dependence and a cycle for substance abuse, only compounding the original problem for a person and distancing them further from any social circle. As is often the case of substance abuse, many people turn to avoidance behaviors to escape feelings of nervousness, anxiety, and fear in the presence of others. Choosing to avoid social situations that promote anxiousness only perpetuates your anxiety, gives power to irrational fears, and prevents you from ever learning that your negative beliefs are not true. Only by dealing with your fears head-on can you truly overcome social anxiety. Finding the Proper Treatment Just because you regularly experience severe social anxiety doesn’t mean that has to be the case forever. Given the correctly tailored treatment approach, you can treat your social anxiety and finally live your life free from worry, fear, and anxiety. Treatment options available include talking therapy, like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which aims to identify irrational thought patterns and correct them by replacing them with realistic thinking. Part of CBT treatment for social anxiety may include exposure therapy, where a person gradually increases their exposure to a situation to desensitize themselves. Certain medications like antidepressants can be used in whole or in part for the treatment of social anxiety. Drugs like benzodiazepines should not be used by people with a history of substance abuse. Trying to escape your social anxiety doesn’t work and will only cause you further problems. By directly addressing your social anxiety through proven treatments like therapy or medication, plus treating any co-occurring substance abuse, you can finally experience lasting relief from nervousness, worry, and anxiety. It’s time to take the first step and end your struggle with mental health difficulties or addiction. At Avalon Malibu, our caring team of professionals will provide you with support and the right tools you need to overcome your mental health concerns or addiction. Allow us to heal your mind, body, and spirit with our unparalleled offerings of holistic and clinical treatment options. Call us today at (844) 857-5992.

In recovering from codependency, detaching with love is the central pillar to finding healing for yourself. The principle of detaching with love is not just limited to use by people who struggle with codependency; its message can be translated and used by anyone in recovery from unhealthy behaviors, addictions, or someone struggling to watch a loved one continually abuse drugs or relapse. At the core of detaching with love is allowing someone else to make their own mistakes but not at your expense any longer. Permitting yourself to detach opens up space for you to put your needs first and welcome self-preservation into your life.