Mental Illness

The stories you tell yourself can either empower or oppress you. They can either lead you closer to your goals and desired reality, or further away from them. Recovery is an intentional time that asks you to rewire your mind and rewrite the stories you tell yourself to experience liberation and freedom.

Many, if not all, humans have a voice inside their heads known as the "inner critic." Although what this voice sounds like differs from person to person, it is common for this voice to keep you stuck in patterns of self-judgment. It also can block you from cultivating self-acceptance and making peace with yourself.

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.

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.

Let's face it, 2020 has not been our year. Between the coronavirus, ongoing wildfires, and the deaths of George Floyd and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, it feels like we're living in a poorly-scripted movie. Most of us have reached our wit's end looking for ways to cope with the fallout from these events, but this year has been far worse for some than others. If you struggle with mental health or substance abuse problems, the added stress and uncertainty can take a greater toll and make it even harder to get through the day. Not all hope is lost, however. The silver lining among all of this may be increased access to mental health care. With concerns rising over the impact of social isolation, heightened anxiety, and increased drug or alcohol use during the pandemic, mental health has become a priority and efforts have been made to make treatment more widely available. Most providers now offer both on-site care and telehealth services, increasing treatment options, and accessibility for those with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders.