Recovery

Anxiety affects millions of people each year, and unfortunately, many people don’t seek the treatment they need to manage it effectively. The Mental Health Foundation, a UK-based organization, explains that anxiety is based on fear - the thought of a threat or a worry that something will go wrong in the future. In many cases, the argument of anxiety can feel so incredibly real that it’s difficult to determine what the truth is in a given situation. In addiction recovery, the way a person manages their anxiety can mean the difference between having a mental breakdown or sailing through a situation in a productive way.  The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) notes that those with anxiety disorders are two to three times more likely to battle a substance use disorder (SUD) at some point in their lives, and while there has certainly been some debate as to which comes first - anxiety or substance abuse - the fact remains that both can have a significant negative impact on a person’s livelihood. If not careful, anxiety can lead to a few serious problems in addiction recovery:

Meditation has become so much more popular in the United States than it ever was before, and this is largely due to the fact that Americans have picked up on the importance of these practices in their daily lives. Meditation has been shown to not only reduce stress but can help a person control anxiety, experience enhanced emotional wellness, increase their self-awareness, lengthen their attention span, reduce age-related memory loss and so much more. If you’ve been contemplating practicing meditation, one of the first steps you can take is to familiarize yourself with some amazing meditation gurus to learn more ways that meditation can benefit your life - especially as it pertains to addiction recovery. Born in India, Swami Vivekananda was the first Hindu monk that Americans were really exposed to - and with a goal to bridge the gap between India and the United States, he worked effortlessly to teach Americans about philosophies related to yoga, meditation, and better living. Yet another renowned meditation teacher is Paramahansa Yogananda, who was once told as a young man that he was meant to be a messenger of Kriya Yoga to America. Eventually, he went on to create self-realization centers, with beautiful meditation gardens and more located throughout the United States. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is another prominent individual who led the Spiritual Regeneration Movement which influenced meditation all over the world. He once stated, “The important thing is this: to be able, at any moment, to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.” The teachings of these amazing gurus can help us connect more deeply with meditation, and can help us find a more firm grounding in addiction recovery. The road to happiness, healing, and wellbeing is ultimately a lifelong one - but meditation can bring us so much grounding in return. If you’re ready to embark on a beautiful journey through meditation, yoga and other holistic practices that will aid in your recovery, speak with a professional from Avalon Malibu today.

Addiction can take such a huge toll on our livelihood, and, over time, it’s quite possible that a person can become disconnected from their mind, body and/or spirit. When one area of emphasis is disconnected, the other parts begin to feel “out of whack” too - and it’s during these times that individuals often find themselves stuck in a negative cycle. Even when addiction isn’t present, self-compassion can be incredibly hard to achieve, whether it’s due to the lingering pain from trauma or the aftermath of mean comments people have said, difficult circumstances or mental illness.  If you’re currently on the road to addiction recovery, you’ll find that self-compassion is crucial for a healthy, well-rounded approach to life. Without it, we’re likely to criticize ourselves for the smallest mistakes - and, since we’re only human, it’s a natural part of life that we need to learn to accept. Even the most shameful moments of life can be tended to with self-compassion, and this is what helps us to grow and become better people over time.

Summertime is a major season for traveling, whether it be for work, vacation or to visit family. While this would be considered a “normal” excursion for some people, there are some additional concerns for those in addiction recovery - because traveling and vacations are often associated with drinking or drug use. If you are a bit worried about an upcoming trip, know that not only are you not alone - but there are also steps you can take to ensure that you enjoy sobriety without feeling pressured to abuse substances.  Last year, writer Holly Glenn Whitaker shared her experience with traveling and being tempted with drinking. She stated: “...Italy felt impossible. I’d never in my adult life vacationed without drinking and it was unfathomable to me. I was terrified that something would snap in me while I was there...I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy myself…”

Sleep quality and quantity are incredibly important to living a happier, healthier life, but unfortunately, too many of us miss out on this more than once a week. Addiction recovery comes equipped with many ups and downs, especially as we’re trying to navigate what works for our mental/physical/spiritual health versus what doesn’t. Earlier this year, Tuck, a website that is dedicated to promoting research on better sleeping habits, explained that those who struggle with addiction are 5 to 10 times more likely to have a comorbid sleeping disorder. Naturally, this may lead one to contemplate what exactly contributes to this albeit discomforting experience? There are several reasons why a person in addiction recovery may be sleep-deprived, with one being that substances like drugs and alcohol can yield significant effects on the brain’s structure and functioning - which, of course, includes sleep. In February of this year, a study conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital found that vivid dreams regarding relapse are more common for those in addiction recovery; Dr. John Kelly, the author of the study, stated, “Given that these dreams can be deeply unnerving, more information could help treatment providers, those in recovery and their families know what to expect moving forward.” Therefore, it’s not uncommon for a person in recovery to experience disrupted sleep for several months up to a year upon entering treatment - and while this may seem disappointing to know, there are several steps that a person can take to help their mind, body, and spirit get back on track with sleep.

If you do some research on addiction recovery treatment options, you’ll likely come across two main categories: traditional treatment and holistic treatment. Traditional treatment options tend to fall along the lines of medication, psychotherapy (also known as “talk therapy”) and similar options. Previous research has shown that these methods are incredibly effective - but as with any treatment approach, there are some gaps that another route, such as holistic treatment, can fill.

When our everyday lives become flooded with worries, responsibilities, and a host of other experiences, it becomes easier than ever to put our health on the back-burner. Why wouldn’t it be? After all, everything else seems to feel more important, to take greater precedence than our own mental/physical/spiritual health. What often happens in these moments, however, is we begin doing things that, rather than contributing positively to our wellbeing, detract from it - and before we know it, we’re engulfed in a lot of unhealthy patterns of behavior. Addiction is just one of many factors that can worsen our health all around - but even if you’ve had trouble making the time for yourself before, you can still change your routines to get back on track. First and foremost, you have to remember that the excuses you make can severely damage your abilities to take care of yourself in ways that are needed; the following are the most common excuses we make to neglect ourselves of healthy food, proper sleep and exercise, positive relationships and more:

We can’t escape those moments when someone - or something - aggravates to the point of no return. Anger begins to boil within, and sometimes it feels almost uncontrollable; despite having such an intense urge to act in a hateful manner, however, we do have choices. In these moments, the choices that we take in how we decide to think and act can have major consequences and can influence our lives greatly. Our society often depicts anger as solely a bad emotion, but did you know there are some good sides to it - as well as some productive ways that it can be utilized? According to the American Psychological Association (APA), Dr. Howard Kassinove, a researcher that has been published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, explained that: “...While assertive expression is always preferable to angry expression, anger may serve an important alerting function that leads to deeper understanding of the other person and the problem.” Even when anger makes us feel like we’re about to boil over, we can use it in a way to influence actions that are for ours or others’ benefit in the long run. Last year, contributor Frances Bridges told Forbes Magazine that there are several ways to use anger to our benefit:

The language we use in our daily lives involves more than simply exchanging conversation; it’s a symbolic interpretation of what different things mean to us as individuals and as a society, and certain words that are used can have the power to change an entire nation’s point of view on a particular subject. Unfortunately, when it comes to the world of addiction recovery, there are a number of words that are used that only perpetuate negative views of others - and, in turn, further promote discrimination of people who’ve battled addiction but who are trying to improve their lives in the best ways possible.

If you haven’t realized this by now, our moods tend to hold some pretty heavy weight when it comes to how we navigate daily life. A good mood versus a bad mood could yield in extremely different experiences - that is, unless, we know how to manage our emotions effectively. Even the most stressed individual could essentially channel positive energy towards the present moment, giving them strength even the most upsetting of situations.  Tiny Buddha, a website that publishes information related to love and relationships, healthy habits, letting go, meaning and passion, and more, recently published an article related to this exact topic; the writer described energy as: “...Anything that evokes a reaction inside you. In other words, anything that makes you tick, ponder, feel or react. Energy comes to us in different forms. The chair you’re sitting on, the music you’re listening to, or the book you just finished reading, all provoke some sort of reaction within you.” Energy can be positive or negative for us, inciting feelings of rage or annoyance all the way to utter joy and gratefulness. A lot of it depends on how we choose to translate the situations and messages being sent to us, and it also depends on how we choose to live our lives. If you’re wanting to harbor more positive energy on a daily basis, consider incorporating more of the following holistic activities that are absolutely wonderful for your mind, body and spirit:

Everyone in recovery can benefit from having people in their recovery network to learn and grow from; just as a student may speak with a graduated alumni from a college program to receive tips and tricks for succeeded in school, this connection can foster a healthy, ongoing interaction of support between people. A 2016 study titled, “Implementation of a Substance Use Recovery Support Mobile Phone App in Community Settings” found that alumni of addiction recovery treatment can help build awareness and interest to various components of recovery – and recovery tools, such as through mobile apps, can become more accessible to those beginning their recovery journey when they’ve been given the opportunity to learn from alumni.

Earlier this year, website Happier Human, which posts articles related to happiness, health and overall wellbeing, explained that gratitude is a sense of feeling happy – which stems from appreciation. When we’re feeling more grateful, we’re likely to be in a better mood and to experience more positive emotions: Gilbert K. Chesterton once stated, “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” Gratitude is a powerful force for many in recovery because it’s all about acknowledging the people, places, circumstances, thoughts, emotions, and otherwise series of events that have led us to where we’re at today. When we express gratitude, we send out positivity into the world – and rather than expecting to have received help from someone, or from assuming that we deserve everything that comes our way, we acknowledge all of the life forces that have come together to get us to where we’re currently at in life.