Many of us struggle with the decision to get help, and there are different reasons why we put off getting help even when we know we need to. For some of us it may be a combination of things. We can be consumed by fear. We might be in denial. We might be convinced our…
For many of us, being disconnected from our spirits and inner selves was a major contributor to our struggles with addiction and mental health issues. The more we are able to connect with ourselves and understand ourselves, the more likely we are to take the steps to maintain our wellbeing. When we love and accept…
One of the things we learn in recovery is to take inventory of our character traits. The ones we feel are holding us back, that are hurting us and the people around us, are the ones we consider to be character defects. We have much to learn from these character defects, and working to improve…
Recovering from our addictions and mental health issues is more than just abstaining from the addictions that once ran our lives. It’s also about recreating our lives, creating lives that give us meaning and purpose, lives we are happy to live. Very often when we are in recovery, we are consumed with the serious, albeit…
No matter where we are in our recovery journey, whether we’re entering treatment for the first time or have had multiple attempts, one of the best things we can do for ourselves is seek out support. When we’ve been struggling with addictions, we’ve learned a lot about ourselves, our triggers, our behaviors and patterns, but…
Recovering from our addictions and mental health issues requires a tremendous amount of strength, courage and resilience. We are put to the test, and there is a great deal of emotional work involved. One important element of recovery that sometimes gets overlooked is the element of fun. We think of recovery as a serious thing,…
Being in a college is like being in a different world where you are completely on your own. Not everyone is comfortable or ready to enter that world and can feel intense moments of anxiety as a result. It is important not to let your feelings of homesick stay with you and to use college…
When we make the decision to get professional help with our recovery, there are some elements of treatment that are especially helpful. When treatment centers offer personalized care, it greatly helps our chances of recovery because we are being helped as an individual, not just as yet another patient. We’re seen for who we are,…
Depression and addiction very often coincide with one another, and for many of us, we are struggling with both at the same time. Working to heal our depression can work wonders for our addiction recovery. There is no magic solution to healing depression, and just like each of us has so many different experiences and…
Living with addictions and mental health issues can cause us to develop thought patterns that contribute to our emotional pain. We tend to worry, complain, think negatively and be pessimistic. One way to create new thought patterns that reinforce health and happiness is to develop a gratitude practice. In the midst of our emotional pain,…