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Relationships are incredibly complicated. It can be challenging to live alongside another person while still having the time and space to practice one’s individual interests. These kinds of relationships aren’t limited to romantic involvements. It can be just as complicated to learn how to be friends with a person, get along in group projects for school or professional goals or even live harmoniously with family members. Intimate relationships can affect an individual in profound ways, whether reshaping beliefs and goals or finding ways to empower and support each other. However, it is also possible that these relationships can become “toxic.” Toxic relationships can have the opposite effect on an individual, and there may be an unhealthy imbalance of needs or support. Identifying toxic relationships and understanding their perils can help avoid dangerous outcomes while addressing one’s mental health.

Recovery from addiction, trauma or co-occurring disorders is a very personal journey. Each individual will explore their own best practices when addressing their unique needs. Because of the personal nature of recovery, it is essential to have as many options as possible for each individual to find their own most effective approaches and explore new ideas that they can incorporate into their sober lifestyle. Neurofeedback is just one of these options. While neurofeedback may not be appropriate for every person, those suffering from co-occurring disorders or who have been through extreme trauma may benefit significantly from this approach. However, before an individual decides to try any therapeutic practice, it is crucial to understand the approach and its intended effects to determine if it will be pertinent. It is also essential to be able to measure the effectiveness through the process.

Most people have experienced what anxiety feels like since anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the US. Women are more affected by anxiety disorders than men, but it is estimated that 31% of people will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their life. With anxiety rates on the rise and ever more common, knowing how to treat anxiety is paramount, so it doesn’t infringe on your quality of life. Often making small lifestyle adjustments can result in significant improvements to someone’s anxiety, with some fixes so simple you can do them in your sleep. Medical professionals have been using weighted blankets for years to ease patients’ anxiety and stress during medical procedures and therapies. Just using a weighted blanket when you sleep or taking breaks to rest under a weighted blanket can help decrease feelings of anxiety.

Take a moment to pause and ask yourself what your relationship with control looks like. Do you believe that you can control what happens to you in life? Whether you’re struggling with addiction and self-control or recovering from trauma and want to control the world around you, people have varying beliefs about how much they can influence their own lives. By first cultivating an awareness of your relationship with control, you can then start working towards a more balanced relationship with life.

Journaling is one of the most common forms of writing therapy for those in recovery, and with good reason. It offers writers space to freely process and express themselves and their story, something which the emotional numbing of addiction works directly against. Beginning a regular journaling practice in recovery will invite a time for consistent self-reflection and self-development to help grow the connection to yourself. Journaling can make sense of the chaos in early recovery and continue to be a powerful stress-relieving tool in aftercare.

The onset of spring brings with it a wealth of new opportunities. As temperatures warm, new therapeutic options become available to explore for all those looking to either begin constructing new daily routines in their sobriety or looking for new ways to tackle the complicated and difficult process of maintaining one’s aversion to drugs or alcohol. Gardening, while a seasonal practice, can also be a profound therapeutic outlet that can reward an individual’s determination and effort, all while helping them continue to practice responsibility in their lives and adding a needed element of structure and consistency to a daily routine.

Feeling like you are living in a dream may sound like a good thing, but for those living with a depersonalization-derealization disorder, it is a frightening reality. Many who abuse substances can vouch for having experienced depersonalization or derealization before. However, when these feelings happen increasingly often, it can indicate a more severe problem. Identifying the difference between depersonalization and derealization from other substance use-induced symptoms helps to understand if depersonalization-derealization disorder may be affecting you.

After you’ve left the emotional strain of an abusive relationship, you may walk away with a fragile heart scarred from the deep emotional agony of the relationship. Many, out of protection, close their hearts off and may also feel scared, angry, hopeless, or depressed. In times like this, when your heart feels small and hurt by others, you have the greatest opportunity for creating heart space. Your heart space is a place of pure love and acceptance within you where healing for yourself and others takes place. Holding heart space in your life happens through nurturing love in what you choose to witness, listen to and become, and happens when you are aligned with your values. Only when your heart space is open can you have a full heart of love, joy, and gratitude.

Addiction looks different from one person to the next and believing that you don’t have a problem because you may not be passed out all day doesn’t mean you aren’t struggling with addiction deep down. People with functional drug addiction maintain some of the normalcy of daily life and still maintain busy careers, relationships, and activities, yet live a double life and conceal their addiction to substances. Their addiction is a big part of their life but can seem camouflaged by other aspects of their life to outside observers. Identifying the tell-tale signs of functional addiction can help bring the truth to light.

For those suffering from an addiction to alcohol, engaging in a recovery program can be invaluable for learning more about oneself and one’s goals within a safe, supportive and sober environment. However, it is essential to remember that the recovery sphere is a tightly curated setting that is intentionally devoid of specific stressors that a person may otherwise encounter in their daily lives. When making the transition back into the “real world,” or even when a person meets with family members, it is possible that aspects of drinking culture can seep their way into one’s mind. Addressing drinking culture is a crucial point in recovery. Therefore it is essential to identify what the culture looks like, how one intends to interact with it, and safe ways to avoid harmful practices or establish a new culture focused on sobriety as a whole.

Our modern lifestyles don’t offer us many ways to spend time outside naturally. Make a conscious effort this spring to get outdoors to enjoy the beauty this season offers. Spending time outside supports the health and well-being of every person. For those in recovery, the advantages of time outdoors bring an even more profound beneficial impact. Although time outside cannot cure addiction independently, it builds upon the healthy lifestyle that recovery encourages and provides a space for healing and connection. Here are some ways spending time outside promotes your recovery.

Living with alcoholism is already a battlefield. Coping with alcoholism during a global pandemic complicates sobriety. COVID-19 has forced millions into “locking down” in their homes due to job loss, providing home-schooling for children, or health issues. People are dealing with isolation from their friends and family. They find themselves with a lot of extra time on their hands. Due to the uncertainty of the pandemic, stress and anxiety rise, creating a perfect storm for leaning on unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with their scary “new normal.” For those already struggling with alcoholism, these changes can be a recipe for disaster.