Mental Health

Eating disorders are complex and complicated mental health issues which can become life threatening without treatment. Supporting a loved one who has an issue with one of life’s necessities, food, can be challenging. Help Them Stop Talking About Weight Since weight and body image has been such a hyper-focus for so long, it might feel like a natural area of conversation to bring up when your loved one is in treatment and recovery for an eating disorder. Learning not to focus on weight and body image is something they are working very hard at. Even if they had reached dangerously low weights through anorexia nervosa and you want to comment they are looking healthier as they gain some weight- try to avoid these comments in the beginning. On the other hand, if someone had gained a dangerously high weight through an eating disorder like binge eating disorder, try not to comment on how thin they are looking. Underneath the surface of obsession regarding weight and body image are serious psychological issues they are working hard to sort out. For now, encourage them to keep working so hard in treatment. Leave The Guidance To The Therapists Getting a call from a loved one in treatment is a special yet also a frightening moment. You want to support them and help them in every way you can. Making sure those ways you chose are healthy is important. Remember, that though you are a parent, a spouse, or a dear friend, you are not a licensed professional certified in treating eating disorders. What you can do is:

Social media gets a lot of attention because our lives are becoming increasingly intertwined in it. You can sign up for just about anything with a Facebook account login. All channels of social media somehow connect to one another so you can post across multiple platforms. Your phone can ring all day with notifications and alerts regarding activity within your social media world. Soon, Facebook has leaked, there will even be virtual reality hangout rooms where you can interact with your friends in a virtual space, interacting with mixed media and more. What about real space, where real people live? Reports of the way social media affects the human brain are varied. Some reports reveal that social media engagement, from receiving a “like” on a photo to scrolling through a news feed can activate our brains the same way drugs like cocaine do. Other reports have found that social media can boost our self-esteem. Contrastly, reports have found that social media is devastating for body image and confidence. Every list of sleep recommendations includes staying away from social media before bedtime. Productivity suggestions emphasize not getting on social media first thing in the morning. It seems there’s no right way to balance social media use and continue to maintain mental health. According to On The Mind, these are some of the key ways we are affected by social media use: “Likes” Various research has found that the power of the “like” function, or any other function on social media which indicates a positive reaction to something we posted, stimulates the brain. It creates a reward circuit pattern, not unlike drugs and alcohol. Essentially, the article explains, we’ve trained ourselves to react to those positive reactions. When we don’t receive the response we think we do, we feel insecure and lose that quick boost of self-esteem we had just achieved. Social Media For Good Social media has produced a lot of positive movements which have helped to shift paradigms and unravel decades old way of thinking. From body positivity to wider acceptance of mental health, trending hashtags and challenges online have helped create conversation that might have taken decades more to have. Social Media For Bad On a similar coin to how social media has promoted unity and acceptance it has also created divides. Hidden behind the strength and security of social media platforms and screens, people can act in ways they might not normally act. Primarily, that means they can become online bullies. Online bullying, broadcasting live videos of violent acts, and other troubling uses of social media have come about, harming people’s lives, costing people’s lives, and more. Avalon Malibu is a residential treatment center for primary mental health diagnosis as well as dual diagnosis substance use disorders. If you are struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, or bullying due to your social media use, help is available. Call us for a confidential assessment at 1 888-958-7511.

It doesn’t take a diagnosis of trauma or post traumatic stress disorder to create the experience of living and reliving difficult moments. We see them in our sleep, we see them as we mindlessly stare out the window. In our most calm moments, they creep in and play from a broken remote. Without a way to mae the pain, guilt, shame, fear, and sadness stop we are constantly left victim to negative thoughts, feelings, and memories. As a result we feel discouraged, unmotivated, helpless and sometime hopeless. For individuals who are working on recovery for their mental health through treatment, this is an especially discouraging occurence. Treatment is meant for healing and changing the mind from creating more and more pain. Thankfully, research is particularly focused on how to maximize positivity and increase the potential for efficiency in the brain. Negativity and ruminating negative thoughts are useful in what they can teach us when they don’t hold us back. One study suggests the use of self-guided positive emotional imagery training. Imagery techniques are neither new nor revolutionary. Creating positive visualizations in the mind also doesn’t work for everyone. Some people actually aren’t able to visualize images in their minds. However, for those who can make use of the technique, they find great benefit. Imagery and visualization are tools often used in cognitive behavioral therapy in order to “reframe” painful memories. By painting a different picture- quite literally- one is able to change the way they emotionally relate to that picture. Imagery Processing Techniques Some techniques are easier and more safe to practice alone without the clinical supervision of a therapist. Others might be triggering for underlying trauma.

It’s true. Recovery is a lifestyle change. Changing your life for the better might seem like a difficult choice to make. Here are some of the best reasons why you should choose recovery. Your Story Will Help Others You may not think you have much of anything to offer anyone right now. That’s understandable. You’re at the beginning stage of something you can’t even understand yourself: recovery. Here’s a crazy thing about it: the fact that you are even thinking about getting yourself some help is already a story enough. Should you choose to seek treatment and build a lifestyle of recovery, you are making a decision that millions of people shy away from every single day. Your ability to choose to help yourself and stop the struggling is monumental. Your story starts right here, right now. It is almost guaranteed that there is at least one person out there who can identify with just one part of your story. You’re Going To Keep Getting Better The coolest thing about recovery is that you don’t have to just stop recovering once treatment is over. Recovery isn’t just something you learn how to do, it becomes part of who you are. Recovery is ongoing. You will always be learning, growing, improving, healing, and changing. Who you are today will be unrecognizable in who you will be thirty days, 90 days, six months, or even a few years from now. Great changes come when we are willing to let them happen. You Aren’t Losing Money (Or Respect) Living with untreated mental health disorders can be a lot more costly than going to treatment. Drug and alcohol addiction, for example, can rack up quite the bill. Depression can cause you to lose a job, bipolar can cause overspending, and more. Most importantly, you are losing out on time, memories, and major parts of your life. You’ll Have Better Control Of Your Emotions Recovery is about gaining back parts of who you are. You will be able to feel like yourself again with better tools for managing, regulating, and understanding your emotions. Through therapy and treatment you’re going to learn how to be at peace with yourself, mind, body, and spirit. Recovery is always going to be better than suffering. If you or a loved one are suffering from addiction, alcoholism, and a dual diagnosis mental health disorder, call Avalon By The Sea today. Our residential treatment programs are available for dual diagnosis care. Healing is what we do. Call 1 (888) 958-7511 for a confidential assessment today.

30 million Americans use sleep medication. That’s a lot of people who have a hard time falling asleep. During treatment for recovery from a mental health or substance use disorder, sleep can be challenging. Living with new thoughts and feelings, dealing with physical symptoms of withdrawal, and general restlessness can all cause a difficulty falling asleep. Maladaptive behaviors before bedtime and throughout the day can make sleeping more difficult as well- like that 5 pm coffee. Here are some best tips for getting to sleep without the use of a heavy sleeping medication. It’s important to note that using sleep medication during treatment is common and often encouraged. For many people, the medication quickly becomes unnecessary and causes more drowsiness the next day than it does quality sleep.

Obsessive compulsive disorders is one of the lesser understood mental health disorders and dual diagnosis with substance use disorder.

Winter is finally ending meaning springtime is right around the corner. With water starting to warm up and the ice melting away you have access to all new water activities that you didn’t before. What does water have to do with mental health recovery? Everything! For starters, the brain sits in a puddle of a water lie substance and is mostly made up of water itself. Our bodies are mostly water as well and so is the planet. Water connects us to everything that is life. Without water, we cannot survive and neither would most of the planet. Being connected to water is deeply healing. For example, the pH levels in the ocean match your internal pH levels, which can make similar feelings of being in the womb, causing you to feel calm and relaxed. Water helps us feel buoyant, relieving a lot of aches and pains. Water also makes us feel happier. Neuroscience research is diving deeper into water- literally- to get a better understanding of just how healing water is. Everyone likes to be near water, whether they know it or not. Even people with extreme phobias of water can overcome them because water is a wondrous thing. Go Kayaking Ocean kayaking can be extreme in the wrong conditions. On a flat day or in an ocean bay, it can be enjoyable. Find a nearby lagoon, lake, or channel where you can kayak. You’ll propel yourself along and focus on your breath while paying attention to the beauty all around you. Learn How To Surf There’s a reason people get “surf stoke”- surfing is fun! Springtime is a good time to start learning how to surf. Rent a wetsuit a board before heading out to the white water. Practice popping up and learning how to time the waves. Many lifetime surfers find the practice to be very zen and spiritual. Pick Up A Boogey Board If paddling out to the lineup and catching monster wages isn’t your thing, stick to the white water with a boogie board. Body surfing is always fun and is a great way to feel the rush of the power of the ocean without risking yourself getting too hurt. Take A Fishing Trip Going out on a boat across miles of open sea can be a transformational experience. Try taking an offshore fishing trip where you might see dolphins and whales along the way. Try Paddle Boarding Stand Up Paddle boarding is like a hybrid of surfing and kayaking. You can even do yoga on a stand up paddle board. Enjoy the power of the board with the power of your paddling as you cruise along, taking in the beautiful ocean around you. Create A Beach Collage If getting into the water doesn’t sound like your thing, you can still enjoy the bounties the water has to offer. Taking therapeutic walks on the beach can help your back, help your mindfulness practices, and keep you right next to the ocean. Along the way, you can find sticks, beach glass, and shells to collect. Make a beach collage with some sand so you can have a piece of the shore with you at home. Avalon By The Sea boasts its location in its name. Our stunning estate sits atop the iconic cliffside coast of southern california’s famous beach town of Malibu. During the warmer season we engage our clients in therapeutic water activities and beach activities making the most of our beautiful environment. For a confidential assessment and more information on our residential treatment programs for mental health and addiction, call 888-958-7511.

Most people who have walked into a treatment center for either a primary mental health disorder or substance use disorder have experienced some kind of trauma in their lives. A majority of people will experience trauma within their lifetimes, either directly or vicariously, like watching a terrorist attack (or even news coverage of a terrorist attack) on television. Only a small portion of people who experience some form of trauma will experience fully diagnosable PTSD or any symptoms of PTSD. Coping with PTSD can usually lead to the development of other disorders including depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, and substance use disorders. Trying to treat any kind of mental health disorder, including substance use disorders, without fully assessing trauma could be like putting a Band-Aid over a gunshot wound. You might be able to stop the bleeding, but you won’t have retrieved the bullet.

After you transition through the various stages of treatment are complete, you’re ready to make your final transition into independent living. You’ll need to create a safe system of trusted mental health professionals to keep you working on your program of recovery. Here are the different kinds of doctors you might need to work with.

Narcissism isn’t always a bad thing. Some of the common character traits associated with narcissism can be a plus, helping people to become leaders, become successful, and act with confidence. For example, high self-esteem, faith in one’s abilities, and a healthy focus on one’s gifts. According to Fast Company, “Where narcissism goes astray is when someone has such a high need for others' approval that it gets in the way of them working with people.” This is called vulnerable narcissism.

It’s true. Recovery is a lifestyle change. Changing your life for the better might seem like a difficult choice to make. Here are some of the best reasons why you should choose recovery.

Bipolar disorder can be a bewildering mental health disorder to understand, approach, and manage. If you or a loved one might be living with bipolar disorder, here are some often confused facts.