Mental Health

George Bernard Shaw once said, “Progress is impossible without change,and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” Change is inevitable. In fact, as it is philosophically said, change is the only constant we have in life. Sometimes it can feel like life is constantly changing. The truth is, we only get a glimpse of some of the smallest changes. For example, the earth is constantly rotating and making incremental adjustments to its tilt on the axis. Cells are constantly regenerating, right before your very eyes. Things are changing all the time that we can’t see and certainly beyond what we can control. Yet it is the changes which make themselves obvious to us which are the most difficult to cope with, especially living with a mental illness. Unpredictable or unchangeable moods, childhood experiences rooted in trauma, fears of abandonment and rejection- all of these things can create an uneasy relationship to change. For many people, change was a constant which was right in their face. Living in an unstable environment which might have come with abuse can make coping with change hard. Most people will experience traumatic events in their life which can make it hard to feel like there is any security in the world. Since change is unending, that means we have to learn to live with it and cope effectively.

Do you ever feel like your negative thoughts are a rogue sailboat who guides itself at sea? Look to these suggestions for taking back control of your mind’s ship and navigating new waters. Throw An Anchor Stopping the perpetual flow of habitual thinking can feel like trying to stop a river with a plastic bag- it just isn’t going to work. Instead of fighting against the stream, just try to throw down an anchor. You might not be able to make it stop right away, but you can find a pause in the middle of the flow to take a look at what is going on. Notice where the thoughts are heading. Can you tell where they are coming from? After taking a few deep breaths, spend a moment reflecting on your current situation. Examine all the environmental and emotional factors. You’ll discover some insight you couldn’t have found when all of your attention and energy was being directed toward stopping the thoughts. Check Your Routes Likely, you’ve taken this route before. You were in a similar situation which caused a similar reaction and brought you to this train of thought. That is how habits are born. If you can clearly see the path make note of this pattern. See what other influences cause you to come to this place. Before you can make any changes to the way you charter your course, you have to acknowledge where you want to go first. Go Boldly Where You Haven’t Gone Before Breaking habits can seem daunting. When our habits of thinking are negative, it seems silly to experience any kind of fear when it comes to changing them. Habits are comfortable, familiar, and sometimes protective, however, that doesn’t mean they can’t be changed. Courage and audacity is required to set sail in a new direction. You have what it takes. Take a few more deep breaths and hoist the sails. Live In The Mystery Heading into uncharted territory is terrifying and exciting at the same time. Adventures wouldn't be so adventurous if you knew all the details. Recovery is an adventure. You’re exploring and living life in a way you never have before. Live in that mystery and focus on the journey. Expand Your Mind’s World Each time you confront your thoughts and look for new options, you expand what is possible in your mind. Quite literally, you are drawing the map for the places your mind has explored and the ways it can get there. Continue to pioneer this new path in recovery, and remember that this won’t be the last time you’ll have to follow the wind a different way. We are here to help you learn how to live again. Through clinical treatment and holistic healing, our residential programs equip each client with everything they need to carry on in life clean, serene, and happy. For a confidential assessment and more information on our programs, call 1 888-958-7511.

A study found that lies which get out of control primarily benefit the self. Meaning, when lying about something is going to help you benefit in some personal way, even at the expense of other people, you are going to run with it. If a lie is only beneficial to someone else, it is unlikely that the lie will be told enough time to get out of control. Lastly, if telling a lie meant both you and someone else would benefit, you are the most likely to tell that lie over and over again watching it get bigger and bigger. In conclusion, the study found, “dishonesty escalated over time when it was self-serving, showing that the simple act of repeated dishonesty by itself is not enough for escalation to take place…” Essentially, if we are going to tell a lie and stick to it even when it starts spiraling out of control, “—a self-benefiting motivation must also be present.” Addiction as a Motivator Addiction is often that kind of a motivator for those who have become chemically dependent on a harmful substance such as drugs or alcohol. Lying is one of the stereotyped, stigmatized parts of addiction contributing to the characterization that addiction is an issue of immorality. Unfortunately, it is true that over time chemically dependent individuals tend to tell more lies which can get astonishingly intricate, all to serve the selfish need to continue using substances. However, the lying associated with addiction fits the bill. When drugs and alcohol take over the brain, the neurotransmitter dopamine has rewired everyday processes. Dopamine, a brain chemical communicating pleasure, changes the brain to need to feel the pleasure derived from using drugs and alcohol- not want; need. The reason this happens is because a part of the brain called the Midbrain is heavily affected by substance abuse. Survival operations like eating and sleeping live in the midbrain. Too much dopamine, however, encourages the midbrain to believe that using drugs and alcohol is its most important operation of survival. Few things could be more powerful of a self-benefitting motivation than that. Addicts and alcoholics lie to protect their ability to get high or drunk. They have to protect their ability to get high or drunk because they have become completely dependent on it. For their brain, it feels like a matter of life or death. Family Heartbreak For the family members, loved ones, co-workers, and friends who know the individual who is suffering, it is heartbreaking and disappointing to watch them go through this cycle over and over again. Interestingly, the lying might have something more to do with them than they realize. As the study pointed out, the highest occurrence of lying was when a lie would benefit the self and another. Though it may not seem that way on the outside, people who are suffering truly don’t want other people to suffer. Addicts and alcoholics know they are letting everyone down when they lie and try to hide their using. Guilt and shame which prevail from this cycle can be debilitating. Many recovering addicts and alcoholics will attest that they did their best to hide their drinking and using to save their family from getting hurt, upset, and disappointed. Though the action is still self-serving, there is a certain level of consideration involved as well. Despite feeling completely out of control of their drinking and using, an addict or an alcoholic truly doesn’t want to keep hurting other people. Like a lie that escalates out of control, they simple can’t help it. Avalon By The Sea offers premiere luxury residential treatment for drug and alcohol abuse at an affordable cost. Our beautiful estate sits atop the iconic Malibu coastline providing privacy and serenity for holistic healing. Avalon offers regular family counseling, family intensive programs, and more to allow the whole family to heal. For a private consultation or more information on our programs, call 1 888-958-7511.

Loss is pain. Grief is pain. When we go through the motions of processing a loss, we are really going through the motions of grief, which is painful. Stress is caused by pain. Research has found that the brain reacts to emotional pain in an almost identical manner as it does physical pain. If you think about that gut wrenching, heart breaking feeling you experience after loss you can understand. Though nothing has touched you, the pain is great. Our Brains are wired with many processes to help combat both pain and stress. Thankfully, those processes usually involve eliminating the pain.

Walking depression is not a clinical term, but it aptly describes an in between phase of depression. Mental health disorders can be high functioning. Just because someone doesn’t look like they have a mental health disorder or act like they have a mental health disorder doesn’t mean they don’t have a mental health disorder. Upon learning a friend or loved one is struggling with a mental health disorder like depression, friends often have a comment to make. “You act so happy!” “You do so great in your job!” “You would never know!”. While meant to be supportive these comments can be damaging. Mental illness comes with a tremendous stigma attached to it. Some people are high functioning in their depression so that it isn’t noticed by other people. Stigma creates shame which leads many to hide their suffering. As a result, they continue to suffer without the proper psychological and pharmaceutical care. Negative Impact on Life Creativity Coach Alison Gresik writes that while someone is functioning well and taking care on the outside, “we’re doing it all while profoundly unhappy. Depression is negatively impacting our lives and relationships and impairing our abilities. Our depression may not be completely disabling, but it’s real.” Gresik cites these 8 signs as being indicators of a “walking” depression:

We know what lies ahead for you after treatment. Let Avalon By The Sea help you get there. We provide treatment to men and women at residential levels for both substance use disorders and mental health disorders. For a confidential assessment and more information on our programs, call 1 (888) 958-7511 today.

Eating disorders are finally being given the attention they deserve in the media for both men and women. Once reserved for the deathly ill, eating disorder treatment has broadened its horizon. Most treatment centers offer treatment services for eating disorders as co-occurring disorders with substance use disorders or other mental health disorders. Binge eating disorder has become a nationally known eating disorder as research, celebrities, and treatment centers have come forward about its presence. Recently, Harvard University Medical School conducted what is being called the first national census of eating disorders. The survey found that binge eating disorder is the leading eating disorder compared to anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

“Pink cloud” is the term used to describe the euphoric state of being sober. Pink clouds come and go. When a new person to sobriety is feeling good, optimistic, happy, grateful, and clear-minded, they are often told they are on a “pink cloud”. Unfortunately, at some point, the pink cloud evaporates and they are left with all the emotions from the other side of the spectrum. Not feeling good is not a favorite experience for people in recovery from both substance use disorders and mental health disorders. Especially those who have rewired their brain through substance abuse, not feeling any feelings which are pleasurable are especially triggering. After all, what is the point of staying sober if you can’t feel good all the time? It takes time to understand that “good” and “bad” are subjective experiences and that they are transitory. Each period of up will be followed by a period of down, or at least a little less up. This is the natural flow of life. As it is commonly said, “This too shall pass.”

Having an addiction to porn means an unhealthy relationship has grown between an individual and the sexualized media they consume. Here are some other things to know about porn addiction: Porn Is Easily Accessible It doesn’t take a shady trip to a darkened store front purchasing items in black plastic bags to buy porn anymore. Porn is everywhere. Porn can be accessed from any connection to the internet on a laptop, computer, smartphone, tablet, or any other device. Porn is a multi billion dollar industry.  All it takes is an email address and an age verification to access porn. Like stumbling into a first drink or hit of drugs, porn can just happen to people out of curiosity. While Porn Addiction Isn’t A Diagnosis, Many Experience It As Real Recently, there has been controversy as to whether or not porn addiction is real. Clinical psychologists and the American Psychological Association has concluded that sex addiction and porn addiction are not clinical diagnoses. However, to the thousands of people who struggle with sexually related impulses, the addiction feels very real. The obsessive need to watch porn can take over someone’s life, causing problems in relationships, jobs, and more. Porn Addiction Is Non-Gendered Stereotypically, porn addiction is stigmatized to be a male-centric disorder. However, plenty of women suffer from porn addiction as well. Porn has a lengthy list of categories, appealing to many kinds of people. Porn Addicts Can’t Have Real Sex During Their Addiction The fantastical world of pornographic sex is unrealistic in many ways. Consuming an excess amount of porn makes it difficult for porn addicts to relate to real life human partners in real life human sex. Physical and emotional intimacy simply does not feel as pleasurable. Recovery From Porn Addiction Recovery from any kind of sex related addiction requires a complete overhaul on one’s relationship with sex. A loved one will have to deeply analyze what sexual activity has meant to them and what they want it to mean to them in the future. Their habits and behaviors have caused them to develop a certain sexual identity which they now realize they have the power to change. For some, recovery from porn addiction might require time spent abstinent in regards to sex. Recovery from any sex related addiction does not mandate sexual abstinence. It is entirely possible, and is often the goal, for someone with porn addiction to be able to have regular, healthy, intimate, sex again. Porn is often a coping mechanism for deeper underlying issues. Treatment and therapy can help with discovering what lies beneath the obsessive and impulsive need for porn and heal the addiction. Avalon By The Sea offers primary care treatment for process addictions including porn addiction. For a private consultation and more information on our residential treatment programs, call 1 888-958-7511.

Bipolar I Disorder

One of the easiest ways to cause ourselves anxiety is to set expectations that are way too high. New year’s resolutions are often a time people do this for themselves. The start of a new year can make you feel like you are on top of the world with a host of new opportunities. January 1 is just another day, like the day before, and the day after. It is important to continue taking care of yourself. The ultimate new year’s resolution when living with anxiety would be to stay committed to self-care and anxiety management. There is no reason to feel pessimistic about the new year as if nothing can change. Just because someone is living with anxiety does not mean they are not capable of creating new routines and habits. How those routines and habits are embarked upon is the difference. Each day is like starting a new year. You always have a chance to change direction, shake it off, and start anew. Here are some basic new year’s resolutions if you are living with anxiety to help prepare you for whatever comes your way this year. This Year, Stop Feeling Guilty For Having Anxiety You didn’t choose to have anxiety, and if you could choose to not have anxiety, you probably would. Mental health conditions are faced by millions of people everyday including people in government, celebrities, and performers. Anxiety is incredibly common. You are not alone in your struggles. To stop weighing yourself down for having anxiety, practice embracing the fact that it is part of what makes up your life. It’s your special challenge which motivates you to take extra care of yourself. Walk Through Your Fears Having anxiety usually means having a lot of general, as well as specific fears. Anxiety doesn’t mean you can’t do things that scare you, but it does mean you have to do them a certain way. This year make a list of fears you’d like to walk through. Know that you don’t have to complete them. However, setting up an intention can help inspire you to do what it takes to prepare yourself to walk through what you feel you can’t. As a result, you’ll find anything is possible, even with anxiety. Avalon By The Sea is a mental health treatment center offering primary care to those with mental health conditions such as anxiety. For a private consultation or more information on our residential treatment programs, call 1 888-958-7511.

Problematically, causal negative talk about body image during normal conversation doesn’t stay at the conversation. Instead, it follows us and impacts us on a deep level. According to Refinery29, “these comments don't just affect the person making the complaint — studies suggest that so-called "fat talk" is associated with increased body dissatisfaction,” and, they continue to explain, “these types of disparaging remarks from peers "can reinforce those [media] messages to the point that we internalize them." Negative remarks about body image, even when it isn’t about our own, exacerbates a point that society and mainstream media goes out of their way to make all the time. Bodies are flawed and worth being discussed all the time. Additionally, we ought to feel bad about the fact that none of us have “perfect” bodies and likely never will. Here are some of the ways Refinery29 cites to dissect negative body talk to protect yourself and a loved one: