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When beginning mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, it is crucial to ensure your treatment plan is holistic and integrates different modalities for optimal healing. At Avalon Malibu, located in California, we utilize several different modalities in treatment programming to meet you where you are, help you find what works for you, and what will help you along your recovery journey. Acupuncture is one therapeutic option that has many benefits.

If you have been thinking about beginning the process of recovery from trauma, mental illness, and/or substance use disorder (SUD), feeling good may feel like a foreign concept. If you are struggling with SUD and mental illness, you may get used to feeling like you are always struggling and believe that you are not worthy of feeling good. You might also question whether you are able to change your unhealthy ways of coping and living so that you can live the life you are meant to live and deserve. Starting recovery can allow you to begin changing the way you think about struggling, without letting it dictate how you live your life.

Cultivating a sense of playfulness in your life may feel challenging, especially if you have spent most of your life stuck in patterns of perfectionism, control seeking, and feeling anxious in your relationship to uncertainty. Perhaps it feels irresponsible to you to be more playful, lighthearted, and free-spirited in your life and relationships. Our society often discourages such notions and instead perpetuates the idea that we should be hard-working, serious, and constantly hustling. However, an integral part of holistic wellness involves redefining your relationship to play and rest.

Early recovery is a tumultuous time for those dealing with the effects of addiction, mental health disorders, or a combination of the two. Strength and willpower are often touted as noble efforts to be sustained through these difficult times. In recovery, you may hear that you need to "stay strong" to face the uncertainties of the recovery process. While this notion is birthed from a positive, supportive mindset, maintaining a facade of strength can also be detrimental. Navigating your recovery while maintaining a false sense of stability can work against your goals for recovery.

Codependency is often a learned behavior originating within an individual's family system. Just as the experience of trauma can be generational, codependency is often generational as well, meaning it is passed down from one generation to the next. It is frequently present within the relationships of individuals and families who have experienced substance use disorder (SUD), trauma, abuse, mental illness, and even physical illness. One-on-one psychotherapy or family therapy is a great place to begin healing from codependent relationships of any kind.

Living in a capitalist society means that we are consumers whether we want to be or not — otherwise, consumerism and capitalism would not exist. However, living in a capitalist society is correlated with increased rates of mental illness in the United States. Capitalism and feeling like you must always be consuming can lead to harmful narratives that you never have enough, leading to poor financial wellness and dissatisfaction. Choosing to intentionally shift out of consumerism and into what truly brings you joy and satisfaction can increase the presence of pleasure and fulfillment in your life. Doing so can lead to improved mental wellness and a focus on what actually matters to you.

Although you do not have to meditate to be mindful, meditation is a great way to bring mindfulness into your life. Beginning a meditation practice may feel challenging at first, but it can become more comfortable over time.

One-on-one psychotherapy is a powerful way to lean into self-discovery while cultivating self-awareness and self-acceptance. Even though psychotherapy serves as a launchpad for healing and growth, it can also feel intimidating and scary as it requires you to be vulnerable with someone you do not know well. Knowing that this experience is common and normal can be helpful as you begin meeting with your therapist.

The way you speak to and about yourself can either lead you closer to your goals or further away from them. Learning what "core self-talk" is, what yours sounds like, how it makes you feel, and how to shift it is essential to cultivating self-acceptance and self-confidence.

Recovery is a complicated and arduous process, and while it comes with a myriad of difficulties, it is possible for anyone willing to commit. There is a difference between managing some of the complications that accompany addiction and a dedicated approach to recovery. Addiction is a disease without any definite cure. Managing symptoms can help to mitigate some of the overwhelming stresses, anxiety, depression, or other mental, emotional, and physical aspects of addiction. However, in order to alleviate these symptoms long term, you must dedicate yourself to recovery. Responding to these symptoms can be the catalyst for a more impactful, transformative path ahead.

With the new year beginning, diet culture is running more rampant than during any other time of year. Diet culture is the sneaky way health and wellness culture disguises restrictive and obsessive diet and fitness trends that, more often than not, lead to eating disorders, disordered eating, and negative body image. According to the National Eating Disorders Association's (NEDA) "Collegiate Survey Project," 35% of "normal" dieters will progress to pathological dieting, and 20-25% of those within that group will develop some type of eating disorder shortly after. Instead of a rigid set of rules that encourages disordered eating, it is important to cultivate a healthy relationship with food, yourself, and your body.

The beginning of the new year can offer a feeling of having a fresh start and the opportunity to start the year off by prioritizing yourself, your goals, and your holistic wellness. With the energy the start of the year can offer, it can also be easy to get wrapped up in "hustle culture" and feel like you have to complete all of your goals within the first months of the new year. This can feel overwhelming and lead to burnout, chasing goals that may not align with your beliefs.