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You’ve probably experienced a “gut feeling” or a “gut reaction” to something. People have been talking about the “gut-brain connection” for a while now and research keeps pouring in about the connection between a healthy brain and a healthy gut. While this topic is trending, and for good reason, what does the gut-brain connection really mean and how can you use it to your advantage? In this article, we’ll unpack the details and science behind the gut-brain connection and talk about some practical ways you can use food to increase digestive health and overall happiness.

Exploring the world of yoga and its many options. There’s something for everyone. Yoga has become mainstream, and for good reason. It’s a great exercise for the body, offering increased flexibility and strength. It’s also an incredible way to connect the mind and body, as yoga is all about connecting with yourself and your breath. The word yoga actually means to yoke or to unite. In the practice of yoga, we’re uniting our movements with our breath and therefore, fusing our minds and bodies. This is why yoga is considered a great way to unwind. Now that yoga has become so popular, we have access to several different kinds of yoga. Whether you’re looking to unwind, increase your spiritual connection, or get a serious workout, there’s truly a kind of yoga for everyone. Some people are more anxious and need to unwind with more relaxing, slow-paced movements. Other people want to feel like they’re in constant motion, moving along with the music and breaking a sweat. This is a guide to understanding some of the different types of yoga. You might want to try several different kinds before you settle into a routine. Additionally, there are days when you’ll want a more relaxing practice and days when you’ll need an energizing flow.

It’s normal to feel down and out every once in a while. Recovery is an emotionally-charged time and our brains are adjusting to our substance-free life and new environments. After having relied on our substance(s) of choice, it can be difficult to know how to find those happy feelings without drugs and/or alcohol. This is where endorphins come into play. Endorphins are substances found in the body that relieve feelings of pain while increasing positive feelings. There are many simple, natural, and safe ways to increase endorphin activity in the brain. Here, we’ll examine some lifestyle habits to employ if you’re looking to boost positivity and overall happiness.

Control is something that so many of us struggle with on a daily basis, and it makes sense - the tragic and upsetting events of our lives can sometimes feel so out of grasp, that we’ll hold onto anything to try and feel like we have some firm grounding. For many people, alcohol is viewed as a way to control situations - or, rather, to drown out painful feelings associated with not having any control over what’s going on around us. It’s these instances that we must learn that we can’t always control what happens to us - all that we have control over is how we choose to react to it.  A few years ago, writer Raven Ishak shared with Bustle Magazine her own insecurities with wanting control: “I tend to be a victim of my own insecurities, which often holds me back from fully living a happy, carefree life. I worry about the what-ifs instead of focusing on the present. But forcing situations to happen because you believe they should happen exactly the way you want them to is just not healthy.” When we’re feeling the urge to get angry or to feel like a victim because life doesn’t go the way we planned for it to, there are a number of steps we can take to keep that desire of control “under control”:

As human beings, we thrive on connection, love, and community. We need people around us who can make us feel loved and cared for - and when it comes to addiction recovery, we really need people who can uplift us in tackling some of the most challenging moments of our lives. Recovery is about healing, restoration, self-growth, becoming stronger and most of all, developing the tools we need to live happier and healthier. Whether you’ve just begun your recovery path or you’ve been working on recovery for several years now, there’s one major denominator that always stays the same: the importance of social support for every phase of your life.

Grief has been defined as, “Deep sorrow, especially caused by someone’s death.” Grief can be an incredibly deep and emotional experience that everyone goes through when a loved one has passed away, or even when a traumatic event has occurred. We can’t really predict how much an event will affect us until we’re in it - and in all cases, it’s crucial to surround ourselves with people who can love and support us through the pain.  Addiction recovery is already an experience filled with ups and downs, and to receive news that a loved one has passed can sometimes feel “too much” on top of everything else we’re going through. For loved ones of those in addiction recovery, what is said can have a huge impact on a person’s wellbeing. Self.com, a website that publishes information related to fitness, food, health, love and beauty, notes several key phrases that should truly be avoided when trying to support a loved one in recovery who’s gone through grief:

We don’t talk about it that often, but there’s more to addiction than simply being consumed by thoughts of drinking or using drugs. In many cases, substances can make their way into areas of our lives that never would’ve entered before - such as the workplace. The government explains that there are many negative effects that drinking on the job can have, including:

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:

One of the worst feelings is not being able to sleep at night. You start tossing and turning, you can’t get your mind to “shut off”, you awaken easily, or you’re just too tense with too many things to do to actually get to sleep. For many Americans today, this sleeping problem is quite common. We become stressed out, or overly worked, or simply have health issues that translate into difficulty relaxing and staying asleep.  At the beginning, it may even feel like a few minor changes will fix it - we try going to bed earlier, taking some Tylenol, or even talking to a close friend or family member about our stressors to try and ease some of the discomfort. When these minor solutions don’t work in the long-run, however, it becomes easier to rely on what we feel must work - in many cases, sleeping pills. Even adults who reach out to their family doctor may find that they’re being prescribed sleeping pills as a way to relax - and, if taken exactly as recommended, along with trying holistic practices alongside it, can work well - but if medication is abused, the potential for addiction becomes very apparent.

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.

Color psychology may sound a bit silly, but it’s not - as research has shown just how much of an impact colors can have on our mood and mentality. The colors we wear, the colors that we incorporate in our daily living environments and the foods we eat can have an impact on our perceptions and, in some cases, how we feel. Very Well Mind, a website that publishes information related to cognitive psychology, behavioral therapy, developmental psychology and personality psychology explained that when used in therapeutic settings, colors can have significant therapeutic influences:

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.