Mental Health Archives - Page 3 of 4

Happiness Is A By-Product, Not A Goal

Posted on June 1, 2017June 1, 2017 by JohnAdmin

It’s a pretty simple assumption that people suffering from addiction aren’t happy. To be happy, is to be content. It’s to be satisfied. Happiness is making peace with things, and having no regrets. It’s being able to look at your situation in life, to be able to look yourself in the mirror, and decide that this is just fine.

It’s not perfect, sure. But nothing is. It’s not ideal, but the fewest things are. It could be better, but it isn’t – and it doesn’t have to be. Finding that sort of bliss is rare, difficult, and something we all strive for. And even the happiest among us run into moments of sadness, anger, and even a few moments of desperation – because without them, happiness isn’t anything.

But when you’re struggling with an addiction, you don’t even possess the chance to be happy. Happiness exists outside addiction, in sobriety. Why? Because you’re not entirely oblivious. Most people will realize at some point or another in their addiction that they’re struggling to control themselves, and that the consequences of their illness are dire, and can be worse. With something like that hanging over your head, being content or satisfied isn’t in the cards. Happiness isn’t pleasure. Pleasure is part of happiness, but to be truly happy takes more than the high of a hit of heroin.

However, just because addiction makes happiness impossible, doesn’t mean that sobriety is the golden gate of joy itself. Sobriety can often begin as quite the opposite. It’s just a single step towards being happy.

Sobriety & Happiness

Being sober isn’t being happy, that much is clear to anyone who’s gone through withdrawal and come out the other end, struggling with recovery. Early sobriety is a rollercoaster of emotions, an unbottling of suppressed thoughts and the consequences of addiction. Once the initial bumpy ride subsides, what’s left isn’t some substantial insight into life – it’s just life itself, with all its struggles.

However, sobriety is a gateway to happiness – the first step to being content with who you are, in all honesty. It starts with simple sobriety, but to establish yourself in recovery, you need to set goals and meet them, take care of your responsibilities, and find a purpose.

If you can combine your career and your purpose, all the better – otherwise, make sure your career is a means to fulfilling your purpose.

Happiness Is a Unique Journey

Everyone’s definition of happiness – of being content, and having found a purpose – is different because we all have a different idea of where we see each other. Some of us dream of success; others dream of a loving family, and the perfect home. While sobriety is all about confronting life, real life isn’t without the ability to pursue your dreams. In fact, pursue them. Find what it is you’re supposed to be – whether it’s an athlete or a parent or a café owner – and reach for it.

But, know your limit. Some people never find happiness. They’re never content. They reach and reach, constantly pushing higher. While it’s never wrong to continue looking for new goals and new adventures, there’s a difference between exploring new challenges in life and being content. Some of us wish for a life we can’t achieve, one outside our control. If you can’t bring yourself write that book, then maybe that’s not what truly drives you. If you can’t build the business empire you wanted, then maybe what you’re after is something else. Understand that what you wish for now might not be best for you – that’s why you must keep looking for what your passion really is.

There’s nothing wrong with dreaming, and pursuing your dreams is a big part of learning to enjoy life. But don’t fall to despair if you don’t get as far as you might’ve hoped – it’s a big world, and there are other possibilities. And if you’ve managed to fight your way out of the rock bottom of addiction and towards your bigger goals, then you know there’s always a way up, even if it’s to places you least expect.

Happiness Is Not Absolute

Happiness isn’t exactly a form of enlightenment – it’s not like you sit under a tree, let go of your material wants, and find some eternal form of being contented. No one is happy forever. We can go through momentary lapses of happiness, or we can hit major lows. Happiness is more like the equilibrium we strive to achieve – just like how the body works hard to constantly remain in chemical balance, when the only constant thing in biology is change.

Don’t think of happiness as an end goal. Think of it as your natural state. Think of your own form of happiness as something you should normally feel. It’s important to be go through your emotions, and react honestly – but emotions become a problem when we stray from happiness too long. When sadness becomes the new normal, you fall into a depression. When you’re constantly angry, you seize up and strain yourself, and develop a chronic stress problem.

The idea of working towards discovering the best, healthiest, and happiest version of yourself is very helpful for long-term sobriety. Being happy is a powerful deterrent against addiction. It’s most definitely a powerful deterrent against depression, as well. But again, it’s not a perfect defense – the loss of a loved one, a tragic injury, or any other significant trauma could potentially tip the scales and tear down our world – take all the order we’ve come to be content with, and descend it into chaos.

When moments like that come around, we can’t cling to our happiness – we must cling to our ability to keep seeking our happiness. That’s what matters – how much you’re willing to forgive, to work, to fight and to live to ultimately be happy again. If you’re struggling to find a reason to stay sober, then think of this: what is happiness worth to you? What is being content worth to you? Because without sobriety, you’ll never get that far.

Sobering Truth About Compulsive Optimism

Posted on May 31, 2017June 1, 2017 by JohnAdmin

Optimism is good. It’s debatable whether it’s completely better than pessimism, but it’s good. It really is – in all avenues of life, looking at the bright side of things will help you get further. You can avoid victimizing yourself for no good reason and avoid feeling sorry for yourself or pitying your situation, and instead, spend valuable time picking yourself up after every unfortunate incident and look ahead at the next opportunity for something better.

To be optimistic is to open yourself up to the possibilities of something better, again and again, even if you’ve been disappointed in the past. However, there is a downside to optimism – just like there is a downside to everything in life. And in the case of optimism, that downside is being dogmatic with it.

When you have to force yourself to be optimistic at all times, then you’re missing out on the opportunity to feel things that need to be felt. By focusing entirely on optimism, you remove the opportunity for regret, despair and anger to emerge and let loose – and you effectively hide how you really feel behind a false wall.

It’s definitely beneficial to be optimistic most of the time – especially when you’re dealing with addiction recovery, where positive thinking can help. But it isn’t a good idea to bottle up your negative emotions without ever giving them a little room to breathe and escape you.

Forcing, Faking Happiness Is Unhealthy

When you’re fresh out of an addiction and still coping with the early stages of post-rehab recovery, then hiding the way you feel in order to continue feeling great is already a red flag behavior. It’s no secret that the first few weeks out of an addiction after the initial withdrawal period is an emotional rollercoaster, with a lot of lows and a few highs. You have to go through that period – and reflect on your emotions as they come, and not try to force yourself to put on a happy face when you’re really itching to resolve some anger or cry it out.

It’s not about being completely at the mercy of your emotions, though. It’s about being open and honest with yourself and about the way you feel, thus putting that honesty at the forefront of your emotional well-being. To stop being sad, you have to first acknowledge that you’re sad, and figure out why. You don’t just ignore the fact that you’re feeling down by forcing yourself to pretend like everything is going great – that dishonesty will only pile up and cost you your recovery in the future.

Avoid the Pink Cloud

Often enough, when the initial shock of getting over an addiction subsides, the exact opposite begins to kick in – total joy. This feeling of freedom and defeat over the subjugation of addiction and the newfound opportunities of a life worth living is known as the pink cloud – and that’s a negative term.

Early on in your recovery, if you come to terms with the challenges of life and manage to look on the bright side of things, then you’ll be greeted with a multitude of emotional rewards, including hope. But there lies danger in so much joy – the crash. Early recovery isn’t just mired by depressive symptoms and negative thinking, but there is the possibility that you’ll go through a sort of manic depressive phase where you shift between extreme enthusiasm and a total lack of motivation. Without drugs, life can be a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, and every emotional trigger can set off a chain reaction of negative or positive feelings.

When we advise you to avoid the pink cloud, that doesn’t mean not being happy – neither does it mean not putting your negative thoughts in check. It means being realistic. It’s good to hope – in fact, it’s important, and it’s extremely important to get your head out of the past and away from resentment. But it isn’t a good idea to look too far ahead into the future – or you’ll trip and stumble over what you can’t see right ahead of you, in the present.

In other words, look ahead, but not too far. Focus on what’s really relevant to you in the moment, and take things one step at a time. Don’t worry about being happy, or excited – but don’t let it consume you and take you places you might not actually go to.

Allow Yourself to Feel

At the end of the day, there is no way we would deny the effects of optimism and positive psychology for bouts of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and addiction itself. Positive thinking is fundamental to maintaining the motivation and inspiration to power through the early stages of recovery, and maintain the passion to keep struggling against addiction long afterwards.

But you have to allow yourself to feel the full range of your emotions. You have to sit down and reflect honestly on how you feel. You have to consider your true thoughts and what they mean, how they reflect the way you feel about yourself and your choices. You have to allow yourself to regret before you fight to stop regretting, you have to allow yourself to feel sad before you recover.

There’s nothing wrong with crying it out or getting angry – for a little while. It’s the dosage that makes the poison. Sometimes, feeling what we need to feel is ideal for stress relief, and can help you think more clearly and better tackle a situation. But when something like resentment or grief consumes you, it’s seriously time to snap out of it and fight against the urge to be negative.

Happiness and joy are temporary emotions, not a lifestyle or a permanent state of mind. Just like how you can’t always be calm, you can’t always be happy. You have to be in a healthy emotional flux, especially if you’re trying to recover from an addiction and return to a normal state of emotions.

Don’t force yourself into a specific emotionality due to spiritual belief or ideological dogma – feel what you have to feel, and think deeply about what troubles you, rather than running away from it under the false pretense of seeking happiness. At the end of the day, that will just become another maladaptive coping mechanism.

Escape Stress With Essential Oils

Posted on April 19, 2017April 20, 2017 by JohnAdmin

Calgon, take me away! If you were born before 1980, it’s very likely that you remember this phrase from an iconic commercial for bath products. The entire premise of the commercial was that Calgon’s finely-scented toiletries could help you escape the stress of everyday life, letting go of your cares and finally getting a chance to relax. All you had to do was add a bit to your bath and you’d be carefree and sane once again. Oh, if it were only that easy…

Calgon’s claims may have been overstated, but they were rooted in the use of essential oils via aromatherapy. Used for thousands of years in multiple cultures for healing and relaxation, essential oils may very well hold benefits for those experiencing stress and stress-related symptoms. When the right essential oil is used, it can invoke calmness, focused energy, or even sleepiness, all without the need for drugs or medication.

Want to give essential oils a try? Let’s break down the basics and learn which oils benefit recovery-related symptoms best.

One caveat: be sure to test your tolerance to them in advance; a drop on the inside of the wrist left on for 24 hours is best. If you develop any itching or sneezing, essential oils may not be right for you. If all goes well, you can move forward with their use safely.

Lavender Oil for Insomnia

Stroll down your local grocery store’s laundry aisle and you will probably notice one main thing: lavender-scented everything. This is especially true for infant detergents, and with good reason. Lavender oil seems to have a soothing and calming effect on the body, inducing relaxation and even sleepiness in some people. If you’ve been struggling with insomnia, it may be just the thing you need to soothe yourself to sleep without drugs.

To use lavender oil, start by buying an essential oil product that contains authentic lavandula angustifolia oil (synthetics often don’t carry the same benefits). Try placing a diffuser beside your bed; turn it on only at night, starting about an hour before you plan to sleep. Or, add a few drops of lavender essential oil to a dry washcloth and toss it into the dryer with your pajamas. The subtle, flowery scent will lull you into relaxation gently without leaving you groggy the next morning.

Vetiver Oil for Anxiety Attacks

Panic and anxiety are close bedfellows in addiction and recovery. Very often, sobriety increases these symptoms because addicts were self-medicating them away in the first place. Re-learning how to deal with these symptoms in a positive manner can be extremely challenging, especially if you’ve opted to tackle the problem without medication. Although it’s not by any means a cure for Panic Disorder (PD) or Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), some patients have found benefit in smelling vetiver oil, sourced from the Chrysopogon zizanioides plant, when anxiety levels rise.

Vetiver oil carries an earthy, wholesome scent that can be very grounding and calming, much like patchouli, though it isn’t nearly as overwhelming and strong. It has an ever-so-slight citrusy finish that will also help you to focus if you’re experiencing dissociation or derealization, both of which are very common in anxiety.

To use vetiver oil, you can infuse it into the air or rub it onto your skin. If you choose the latter, you must dilute it as it can cause irritation when applied directly. The best way to do this is to add two or three drops of vetiver oil per tablespoon of cold-pressed organic coconut oil. Mix this together until combined and then massage a few drops into your hands.

Ylang-Ylang, Bergamot & Lavender for Stress

A study from 2006 points to the benefits a mixture of ylang-ylang, bergamot, and lavender may have on a stressed-out cardiovascular system. Hosted by the Geochang Provincial College, the study evaluated whether or not inhaling a mixture of these essential oils could effectively reduce hypertension in patients.

The results of the study were quite positive; blood pressure, pulse, subjective stress, state anxiety, and serum cortisol levels all showed at least some improvement in patients who inhaled the mixture regularly over time.

You can make your own version of this formula right at home if you have the right essential oils. Start with 5 to 10 drops of each essential oil. Add them to 1/4-cup of cold-pressed organic coconut oil, melted at room temperature. Then, use an oil diffuser to distribute it throughout the air before heading out to work, after a long day, or whenever stress levels are high.

Alternatively, fill a small cosmetic tub with the mixture, chill it in the refrigerator, and use the cool, calming solution as a massage oil on your pulse points when you feel yourself becoming stressed.

Wintermint & Spearmint for Stress Fatigue

These two crisp, minty essential oils are used extensively by aromatherapists to reduce stress-related fatigue. Wintery and bright, both scents wake you up without having the edgy nervousness often associated with caffeine and other herbal stimulants, so there are effective no side effects (save maybe smelling like a candy cane now and again).

For stress-related fatigue, using a facial cream or wash infused with minty essential oil first thing in the morning can help. The gentle tingling sensation stimulates the senses, and may also brighten up tired eyes and reduce under-eye circles. Rubbing a bit of peppermint oil into your hands midway through your workday may also help you to stay focused and awake when under pressure, letting you get through your day more effectively.

Peppermint for Pain

If you are recovering from opiate addiction, or if you struggle with a chronic pain condition, you likely understand how pain can exacerbate your stress levels. In fact, pain is a significant contributor to relapse, especially for those whose drug of choice happened to be an opiate drug. It goes without saying, then, that reducing pain in natural ways will also help to reduce your stress levels over time. Applying peppermint to the skin may help.

What’s so special amount mint? The answer has to do with the fact that all three oils induce the same physiological response – it reduces signals sent to the brain by skin receptor TRPM8. This handy little guy is directly responsible for transmuting pain sensations along the nerves and into the brain, where they are then translated into “ouch.”

When triggered, either by cold water, ice, or mint essential oils, TRPM8 becomes quieter, and sends fewer signals along in the first place. That can translate into lower pain levels for many patients, especially during withdrawal or in conditions like headaches, migraines, fibromyalgia, arthritis, and diabetic neuropathy. Essentially, when you apply peppermint essential oil, you’re telling TRPM8 receptor to use its indoor voice instead of screaming.

Staying focused and on track in recovery means paying close attention to your stress levels. Having the right tools will help you to reduce stress and decrease the likelihood of relapse, slips, and bad decisions made in the heat of the moment. Whether it’s essential oils or weekly meetings with your therapist, what matters most is your dedication to staying sober and willingness to work towards a healthier life. Even if essential oils don’t help you in the ways outlined above, they can still benefit you just by smelling lovely in the first place.

Loving (Without Enabling) An Addict

Posted on March 30, 2017 by JohnAdmin

This is a post that is relevant to recovering addicts looking to start dating, people who have fallen in love with recovering addicts and need advice, and steady relationships between addicts or an addict and a non-addict looking to learn more on how to help each other.

Addiction can take a toll on a person – and when you love that person, it will take a toll on you as well. That, right off the bat, is what everyone needs to know when getting into a relationship with an addict: there’s baggage involved.

But when you really get down to it, that’s true for most relationships. How often have you fallen in love with someone who was emotionally distant, or unavailable? Carried deep secrets and childhood traumas? Suffered from depressive symptoms? Happened to be in-love with someone else?

The list of things that could possibly go wrong in relationships that absolutely have nothing to do with addiction is a very extensive list indeed – so don’t presume that being in love with an addict will automatically make the relationship discouraging, or unrewarding. Loving a recovering addict may very well be the best decision you’ll ever make for your happiness.

But just like every other relationship, it comes with a heavy burden and a significant risk – and since we’re involving addiction here, there’s a little bit of work cut out for the both of you.

Understand the Possibilities

It may be strange to hear this, but there’s a silver lining – an actual shred of positivity – exclusively available to someone dating a recovering addict.

Someone who has achieved sobriety for long periods of time is most definitely disciplined, strong-willed and capable of doing whatever it is they truly want to do. If you want a leader in a relationship, someone who does what they say they will, then a very promising characteristic is the ability to overcome addiction.

However, while that’s something to keep in mind, you also have to realize that being with a recovering addict means that if the relationship ends, you may inadvertently cause a relapse, and be the reason for the failed sobriety of someone working so very hard to get it – something not many can do without the resulting guilt trip.

There are pros and cons to everything – falling in love has the con of falling out of love. When a person’s sobriety feels like it might be at stake, that’s something you have to take into account before you go on this adventure.

Help Replace the Addiction, Don’t Become It

Being with someone can be an amazing opportunity to learn new things, and grow as a person – both through sharing past experiences and pooling together years of life knowledge, but also through making new experiences together and trying out different things to discover a joint passion.

Sometimes, addiction is best beat by replacing it altogether with passion – sports, art, or some other form of release or coping can be a great way to get rid of the mental addiction many drugs leave after they’ve completely gone from your system.

However, be sure not to let that newfound passion be you. Don’t become the new object of fixation for your loved one – make sure that everything you do together can be continued alone, to further individual growth. You are trying to grow together, but the consequences of becoming a new obsession for a recovering addict are far too serious to ignore.

Never Let It Be an Excuse

Addiction recovery is hard business. There’s no denying that alone or even with others, dealing with long-term sobriety isn’t a walk in the park. But you must never let that become an excuse for any inequality or abuse of power between you and your new partner.

Never simply chalk up abusive behavior to crankiness or addiction. Be sure to be very, very clear, that you will not tolerate a single insult or any form of abuse in the relationship – one sign, and you’re gone.

The consequences of utilizing addiction as an excuse for inexcusable behavior in a relationship have to be severe if you want to make things work.

Thrive Together

Being in a relationship with an addict can sometimes make things a little one-sided – as though everything is about making them better. Turn the tables around, and focus instead on the “we” – grow better together.

Yes, make sure to do things together that can be continued alone, but do them together nonetheless – and learn together. Do things they want to do, and do things you want to do. Never accept inequality in the relationship.

When It’s Time to Let Go

No one wants to talk about breakups while a relationship is blooming and blossoming, and that’s entirely understandable. Breakups are sad. They’re depressing. They cut out the joy in life and love and make us cynical and hard in the heart. They contradict every idea of romance.

But they’re a reality most people must face at some point or another. Only the rarest among us have the strange privilege of falling in love once, and never falling out of it. For the rest of us mere mortals, heartbreak is part of being human.

Only when you’re in a relationship where you’re helping someone battle their addiction, the prospect of ending the relationship on anything less than a stellar note can be a bit daunting, because of the fear that all you’ve done together will be undone by the pain of heartbreak, perhaps even leading to a horrifying relapse.

In some ways, it’s similar to a situation wherein you may have fallen in love with someone in a deep depression, and leaving them may cause them to spiral back down.

We are going to tell you that the sensible thing to do is leave as soon as possible. The longer you draw out a relationship that both you know won’t work, the more painful the parting will be – and the longer it’ll take for someone to actually recover and find themselves. If you tear off the band aid now, and right away, then yes – there’s a possibility of relapse due to heartbreak – but after that, you’ll have done the relationship a favor by giving your ex the fastest opportunity to work their way toward sobriety.

Ultimately, the best reason to leave is that the relationship is far too taxing on you – to the point that it’s affecting your ability to think, focus and function due to worries, negativity, and in the worst cases, a fear of your new partner and their unpredictable or angry nature.

Addiction recovery isn’t a kind or flowery process. It can induce a lot of rage and release deep-seated issues, and for someone who isn’t used to prolonged sobriety, it can be a little painful as well. We understand the need to look out for someone you’ve fallen in love with, but don’t do so at the cost of your own sanity and health.

Defining, Understanding: Tolerance, Dependence, Abuse

Posted on March 27, 2017October 12, 2018 by JohnAdmin

When tackling addiction, it’s important to understand that there is no such thing as black and white. Addicts aren’t automatically bad people, and people aren’t all addicted to the same degree.

After all that, it’s still important to take into account personal circumstance, economic status, emotional state and any prior mental illnesses to get a more accurate picture how addiction develops and manifests in any given case.

The last thing addiction needs is stigmatization and misunderstanding. The point of addiction treatment is to offer help, not condemnation – and while there’s a valid argument as to whether addiction is an entirely involuntary brain disease or a choice, vilifying addicts does nothing but drive them further into their rabbit hole.

So, let’s tackle addiction maturely – through inclusivity, and thorough explanation. Today, the topic is how addiction manifests physically, and how the body develops a tolerance and dependence on drugs. Better understanding these functions can help us see how addiction can cascade from an initial high to a serious issue.

What Is Drug Tolerance?

The human body is an extremely capable biological organism. We’re composed of countless well-functioning systems, meant to keep us alive in this world. We have several senses to help us absorb and interpret information on our surroundings, and our bodies react accordingly – often without us noticing.

When it comes to drug use, you have to realize that drugs are for all intents and purposes, poison. More clearly, the body identifies drugs as either toxins or natural chemicals introduced at far too dangerous levels. Alcohol and nicotine, as an example, are toxins to the human body. Opioids and amphetamine manipulate the way the body releases certain neurotransmitters like endorphins. With time, the body figures that the constant endorphin release means it needs to adapt – so it diminishes the effect a drug has.

Too much of any of this at once, though, and we die – alcohol, for example, is a depressant, opposite in nature to cocaine or methamphetamine. It slows the body down severely instead of speeding it up – in the case of alcohol poisoning, it can “turn off” your gag reflex and cause you to choke to death, slow your heartbeat, dehydrate you severely, or even lower your temperature until you go into shock.

To prevent this, increased amounts of moderate alcohol and nicotine ingestion/inhalation lead to faster and more efficient metabolizing of alcohol and nicotine in the body, diminishing their effect (toxicity). Nicotine toxicity through cigarettes doesn’t really occur – it’s like trying to overdose on caffeine through coffee, or theobromine through Hershey’s. But the body still creates a tolerance to it.

On top of diminished toxicity, the body also diminishes the substance’s effects on our brain. Alcohol no longer makes us quite as tipsy the more tolerant we get, and we need more nicotine to hit that “sweet spot” where the stress and anxiety goes away.

Developing a Dependence

And so we satisfy that sudden lack of buzz by upping the dosage. This process of increasing the dosage of a drug as the tolerance increases is what leads to physical dependence – at a certain point, our brain has embedded this feeling of mild euphoria from having a drink or going out for a smoke so thoroughly that if we simply decide to stop – or if we’re coerced to stop – we undergo what is called withdrawal.

On a physical level, what happens is that the body’s functions – the way it relaxes under alcohol or nicotine, or the way it releases euphoria under heroin – only activate in the presence of this drug. When tolerance fails to protect you from the effects of the drug, the body decides to adapt instead and it makes the high its natural state. In other words, once you achieve physical dependence, you’ve reached a point where you’ve trained your body to get used to living within a constant high.

Ending the high for any prolonged amount of time obviously isn’t rewarded by the body at that point. It needs the drug – you taught it to love the drug.

Some drug users understand the neurochemistry and manipulate it by carefully tracking the way they use drugs and develop a tolerance, so they never hit that phase of dependence. But not all drug users have that kind of knowledge – and some are unlucky enough to be born with a natural affinity towards a certain drug due to prior history or sheer misfortune, developing an addiction on the first high.

In either case, attempting to break dependence can lead to a potentially deadly withdrawal.

Improper Detoxification & Withdrawal Can Kill

Withdrawal is no joke. It’s typically non-fatal but extremely unpleasant, including symptoms like severe nausea, migraines, fatigue, fever, and muscle weakness. You basically get an extremely bad flu.

In more severe cases, the sudden absence of alcohol can put you in shock. You can die through a seizure, brain damage, heart palpitations or a heart attack. Withdrawal from benzodiazepines like valium or Xanax (also depressants) can similarly cause your body to stop functioning.

That’s where detoxification comes into play – rehab facilities often perform emergency detoxification in cases of severe addiction, where the body needs to slowly rehabilitate and get “clean”, flushing itself of the influence of the drug in question and slowly weaning off the tolerance.

Drug Abuse on a Brain Level

While the brain becomes used to functioning under a specific high, it can similarly undo the influence of drug use – the same way it developed its tolerance to begin with.

It’s theorized that part of what allowed us to become the apex predator on Earth is our ability to learn. We developed technology as a way to evolve without actual biological evolution, using our brains to adapt to our surroundings and survive – and thrive – at all costs. This same ingenious capacity to learn and adapt is what drugs manipulate, hijacking our ability to feel pleasure through the artificial inducing of pleasure chemicals like morphine.

Unraveling the Brain

Undoing the process is difficult because of how the addiction is based on our very understanding of pleasure, but it’s possible nonetheless. Prolonged sobriety, adaptive coping mechanisms and a healthy lifestyle can help us revert to a healthy physical state and undo the psychological damage through reintroducing new, long-term healthy ways to stay sane and happy.

It’s not a question of magic, spirituality, or willpower – it’s science. If you trust in the science, then rehab and sober living can, with time, revert most cases of addiction. We say most cases, because we mentioned that addiction isn’t black and white. There are no absolutes, and always exceptions.

Cases where people overcome heroin singlehandedly, and cases where rehab and sober living isn’t enough to break the hold of alcohol. Biological factors and psychological factors come together to play a part in the how and why, but that ultimately depends on each individual person.

6 Daily Meditation Routines For Clearer Thinking

Posted on February 24, 2017 by JohnAdmin

Addiction recovery is difficult; this is part of the reason why some people never seem to really make it through recovery in the first place. Deciding to quit and improve your life instead requires some serious dedication and patience. It’s also immensely brave, extremely commendable, and one of the very best decisions you can make for yourself if you’re struggling with addiction. Even though the journey may be difficult, you don’t need to walk it alone; there’s help available when you’re ready.

Emotions and feelings often run high in both active and post-acute withdrawal. You’re dealing with so much at once that feeling a bit overwhelmed is very normal. When it’s difficult to think clearly, or you’re struggling with “brain fog,” clear your mind and find your center with these seven daily meditation routines.

Morning Affirmations + Meditation

Thomas Szasz once said, “Clear thinking requires courage rather than intelligence.” If you struggle the most each morning when you arise, remind yourself that it’s okay to take 30 minutes to an hour to center yourself and fully wake up. Be gentle and loving towards yourself even if it seems like you’re headed for a challenging day.

Morning affirmations (preferably recited in a nice, warm patch of sunlight) encourage you to focus on the positive before you start your day. When you first wake up, get out of bed, grab a drink, splash some water on your face, and find somewhere quiet and comfortable to sit.

Begin by sitting upright in a comfortable position. Breathe in to the count of three, hold for three, then release to the count of three. If this feels too short or long for you, free to adjust the count to whatever suits you best.

As you focus on your breath, gently begin stretching each part of your body; first your neck, then your shoulders, then your arms. As you stretch each part, say out loud one positive affirmation about yourself. This could include any of the following:

I am strong.
I am beautiful.
I am capable.
I am recovering.
I am compassionate.
I help others.
I deserve love.
Many people love me.
I am appreciated.
I appreciate my body.

Although these might seem a bit cheesy at first, affirmations and meditation are a powerful combination. They gently guide the body in the direction of positivity without making you feel forced. Spend about 15 to 30 minutes doing this routine, then follow it up with a shower and get started with your day.

Reading + Contemplating

If you’re spiritually minded (regardless of specific religion), be sure to make time out of each day to focus on your faith or belief system. Look for books that focus on healing and recovery while highlighting important spiritual lessons at the same time; dedicate 15 minutes or more to reading and contemplating what you’ve learned along the way.

Whenever possible, aim for positive, comforting reads over stressful, confrontational books. Pema Chodron’s “When Things Fall Apart,” for example, will have a much different impact on the stressed-out Buddhist’s mind, than, say, a book about death and its meaning.

Follow your reading session with a short sitting meditation or yoga. While you practice, focus on what you’ve learned and allow your mind time to mull it over as you stretch. Choose books that are particularly interesting and uplifting to you and you’ll find that it recenters your focus and helps you to think more clearly, too.

Writing + Visualizing

Guided visualization is immensely powerful. Research shows that those who visualize their success very often feel more confident and capable when it comes time for the actual event. Likewise, writing or journaling your problems can help you to get them out on paper instead of hyper-focusing or getting stuck in a loop of negative talk in your mind. Combining these two approaches boosts the benefits you experience from either one.

Start by taking 20 minutes out of your day to sit down and write out a short story; the main character is you. Write yourself into a scenario you’d normally struggle with, and finish the story with your ultimate success. Feel free to get as creative or bland as you want.

Then, read the story back to yourself and meditate on it for 10 minutes or more. Go over the story multiple times, visualizing your success in your mind as you focus on your breath.

This routine works best just before bed; anecdotal evidence shows that writing down a problem or visualizing it before you sleep can give your mind time to come up with practical solutions. This is where the term, “sleep on it” comes from.

Dance + Gentle Yoga

In places like New York, a new ecstatic dance movement that combines dancing with affirmations and movement is capitalizing on this concept. Practitioners believe that allowing yourself to move to music with abandon is not only good for the body, but is also excellent for relieving tension and clearing the mind. At its heart, dancing takes us back to our tribal history and makes us feel invigorated, healthy, and happy.

But wait; there’s more! There’s another reason why so many people love to dance; doing so can be entrancing and almost meditative, especially when it comes to interpretive and contemporary dance styles. It seems to allow us to process our thoughts and feelings in the same way as art or crafting.

To integrate this into your daily life, carefully watch yourself for signs of boredom, stress, and anxiety. When you’re feeling sluggish or restricted, find a private spot, pop in your favorite music, and dance your heart out while gently stretching your arms, legs, back, and torso. Allow yourself to become fully immersed in the music.

BONUS: dancing boosts endorphins, something that many recovering addicts struggle within the first one to two years of sobriety.

Walking Meditation + Nature

For centuries, Buddhist monks have practiced walking meditation in temples all over the world. As the name suggests, its only difference from standard sitting meditation is that the walker focuses not on the breath, but on the actual process of walking and everything it entails.

To practice walking meditation, start walking. As you take each step, you should focus on how the heel feels as it connects the ground, how the pressure spreads around the foot, and how you subconsciously pick up your other leg to move it forward again. Paying attention to these tiny little movements forces the brain to slow down and relax, improving clarity and cognition.

This activity works even better if you engage it in a peaceful, natural environment. Connecting with the natural world has its own benefits, so don’t be afraid to dive into a local park or go for a hike at the same time. If you do, try to reflect on and appreciate the beauty around you and your role within it.

Binaural Sounds + Sleep

Getting enough sleep is such a crucial part of recovery that it cannot be understated. Not getting enough sleep is a serious relapse trigger; feeling tired or run-down often cripples our productivity, so we turn to substances (be they caffeine or illegal drugs) to keep us going.

Listening to binaural sound as you fall asleep is a form of self-hypnosis. At its most basic, it causes a trance-like state of relaxation. Some believe that this state may induce deeper, more refreshing sleep, too.

What exactly is a binaural sound? Any sort of steady, hypnotic sound input with two different but complementary channels that has a marked and scientifically proven effect on brain waves. The brain’s response to binaural waves is clear; researchers have identified responses in the brain when listeners dialed in. If you’ve ever felt entranced by dance music or electronica, you have experienced a variation of binaural sound.

Theta sounds (between 4 – 8 Hz in frequency) that move into Delta sounds (4Hz and under) seem to be best for lulling yourself to sleep. While this won’t have an immediate effect on mental clarity, better sleep certainly will.

These wonderful meditation routines are simple, easy to integrate into your life, and widely beneficial regardless of what addiction you’re recovering from. Added on to an overall recovery plan, including one-on-one or group therapy and medical management, they are an effective way to reduce stress and improve mental clarity. If you find yourself still struggling with clarity, consider speaking with your therapist or physician. Certain medications may help.

The Healing Powers Of The Great Outdoors

Posted on January 13, 2017January 13, 2017 by JohnAdmin

The Earth has much to teach us. If you’ve ever wandered through a beautiful valley or taken on the challenge of hiking up a mountain, you may already know this first-hand. There’s just something magical and majestic about seeing the Earth in its true, unspoiled form; it grounds us, reminds us of our place in the world, and can even help us to re-center ourselves when we’ve gotten off-track. Fresh air, the scent of pine trees, the feel of sand under your feet, or even the rough surface of stone in the desert – wherever you’re from, you have an entire world just waiting for you out there.

Whether we’re 10 or 85, getting out and experiencing the great outdoors comes with immense spiritual, emotional, and physical benefit. In a world that’s increasingly saturated by electronic devices and social media, scaling things back is crucial to good health. When you’re in recovery, every tool in your kit is important – even the little ones – so don’t overlook the benefits of healing through the great outdoors. Get in touch with the Earth, and hopefully, your inner self, and you’ll quickly grant yourself access to these incredible benefits.

Vitamin D Regulation

Mood is something that’s incredibly important in recovery, especially during the first few crucial months after detox. This is a time when brain chemistry is still notoriously unstable, producing everything from anxiety to depression and even mood swings depending on what substance you’re withdrawing from. Research shows that getting adequate vitamin D may actually help to curb these negative effects. This leads most individuals to seek out supplements, but these can be costly and questionable with regard to quality and efficacy.

But that doesn’t mean all is lost; after all, your own body can generate its Vitamin D. Just head outdoors into the sunshine to reap the benefits. Only 10 minutes of mid-day sun exposure is needed to produce a robust 10,000 IUs of this happy-boosting vitamin, so even a short walk around the block will do.

Want to boost your Vitamin D regulation even more? Snack on sardines or a whip up a bowl of granola with a splash of fortified milk. Both contain a portion of your total daily dose requirement, something that can be helpful in winter or sunless periods of the year.

Connecting and Grounding Ourselves

Humans are forever and intrinsically connected to the Earth; we come from it, and someday, our bodies will return to it. It nourishes us and provides us with water, food, and shelter, but it’s easy to lose sight of those basics in an ever-busy world that never stops moving.

We develop these ideals that tell us we need to work harder, faster, and stronger, even if it’s to our own detriment. Society pushes us to excel past what’s even healthy, so we take up vices to help us cope with the stress. You can, in fact, even become addicted to the busyness itself and the chaos it brings.

Unfortunately, it’s exactly that type of scenario that frequently leads busy business people and corporate executives into addiction or alcoholism. Research shows that putting too much stress on your plate in recovery can actually result in relapses and slips, so moderation is important. It’s much too easy to fall into the trap of drinking more to work more, distracting yourself from the fact that your body is trying to tell you to rest. Or maybe popping just one painkiller to get rid of the pain so you can go to work when you really need sleep. This type of self-medication is a major driver in addiction and recovery.

There’s even proof that simply existing in the city may directly influence your brain and cause stress. Escaping the hubbub from time to time isn’t just fun, it makes good sense.

Getting out into nature allows us to leave all of those worries behind, at least temporarily. Better yet, it grounds us and reminds us to be grateful for all the beauty that exists around us each and every day. Clean air, clean water, even just the ability to walk, ride, or sit in nature…all of these are immense gifts that not everyone has access to. By placing your feet on the ground, feeling the wind on your face, or even just gazing out over a canyon, we remind ourselves that it’s okay to slow down, unwind, and take time to refresh our minds.

Letting Go of Control in a Healthy Manner

Nature is a wild, chaotically beautiful thing, but everything within it has its place and its purpose. This reminds us that we don’t necessarily need to be in control of everything around us at all times as long as we’re taking care of ourselves as best we can.

Picture this: you’re wandering on a hike and encounter a rainstorm; you might not be able to stop the rain, but you can open an umbrella and keep yourself from being wet. Or, you can toss the umbrella aside, realizing that the rain won’t harm you permanently as long as the weather is warm, and let it refresh you instead.

Control is a major player in addiction, especially for those who may have anxiety disorders or dual diagnoses. Even the average person in recovery can begin to catastrophize everyday problems; this is essentially what happens when someone has a slip and then decides to toss all caution to the wind instead of stopping and seeking support. Learning to let go of our mistakes while still recognizing our responsibility by making healthy choices is one of the most important lessons nature has to teach us. This is the entire concept found in the famous Serenity Poem.

Those little symbolic lessons have such a big place in recovery – a time when learning to judge risk, love yourself, and protect yourself from harm becomes so important.

You Matter (and You Belong)

As a recovering addict, it can be incredibly difficult to feel like you have a place in society. No matter how much the research argues against it, some people just can’t wrap their heads around the fact that addiction is truly an illness. Without a constant reminder, it’s easy to start feeling like society has given up on you – but nature provides the perfect reminder of why this isn’t true.

If you’ve ever stood out under a sky full of summer stars, you’ve undoubtedly felt that incredible feeling of inconsequentiality. It’s two parts wonder; one part feeling like you’re “home,” probably because you are. The Earth is your home, regardless of whether you’ve made some questionable decisions about self-care in the past or not. It’s a gentle reminder that we’re all a part of something much bigger and much more important.

That feeling of oneness is beneficial not only because it reminds us that we belong, but also because it encourages us to extend our view beyond ourselves while also being kind to ourselves, too. We are a part of the whole; thus, we deserve compassion, kindness, and support, too. And at the end of the day, we’re all just seeking the same thing – happiness and love.

Achieving Better Physical Health

Last, but most certainly not least, is the fact that getting out into the great outdoors is just plain good for your physical health, too. Exercise, for many people, is a challenge in recovery, and getting outdoors can help motivate you to get moving more often. A short walk around the block everyday may not seem like much, but that 15-minute walk will boost your heart rate, burn off calories, get your blood pumping, and even improve your cardiovascular health.

If you’re an adrenaline junkie, outdoor sports like hiking, skiing, snowboarding, and even sport fishing are the perfect way to get a bit of exercise while boosting those mood-happy endorphins. Yoga in the park and equestrian sports like trail riding? They work, too. The key is to find something that gets you up off of the couch, out the door, and engaging with nature in a way that’s safe, meaningful, and beneficial to you.

Whether you love to go for long walks with your dog or you’re just trying to find a way to heal your soul, nature has so much to offer you if you’ll just take that first leap. Healing through the great outdoors isn’t only an option; for many people, it’s as required as breathing clean air and drinking clean water. It keeps us connected and in tune with the world around us, even when everything else seems out of control.

3 Types of Depression

Posted on October 5, 2016October 5, 2016 by JohnAdmin

Depression is not an easy thing to diagnose properly. There are a multitude of websites out there that think they have the right definition. Sites like WebMD says depression is a sadness and that depression is a “treatable medical condition.” This way of defining depression doesn’t even begin to explain what it really is. They also don’t mention that depression can be divided into three different categories. The 3 types of depression are depressive reactions, depressive disorders, and depressive diseases.

Depressive reactions occur when the mental shutdown happens. Closing yourself off and retreating to a sort of isolation is a depressive reaction.

Depressive disorders happen when there are additional circumstances. On top of the “shutdown,” certain other character traits come into the picture. There is an emotional and psychological block, causing dysfunction and other mental issues.

Depressive diseases are the far extremes of depression. This is when the shutdown gets to a level that can’t be explained in the most basic of psychological terms. The symptoms of the state, make you become very resistant to changing. The end result leads to a deep melancholic depression.

For more about the 3 types of depression visit Psychology Today HERE

Drum Circles Improve Depression

Posted on September 29, 2016 by JohnAdmin

We’ve all wondered about these other methods that are used to help combat depression. Some work quite well, while others tend to blur the lines of kooky. There has been something though that has been used for many centuries as a healing tool, drum circles. It sounds strange but, it’s true and according to the cultures it has derived from, it works wonders. Musical therapy works, but this is a different kind of therapy.

Being a part of something like a drum circle has a way of pulling you out of your shell or dark corner and into the light. There are other parts to a drum circle that can help as well. The dancing aspect is something that can elevate the positive in yourself. The act of letting your guard down will in turn help to let the positive things in. Beating the drum in rhythm is a great way to release stress and anger. Banging on the drum as an expression of your frustration is very healing and therapeutic, just like hitting a punching bag does. Only with the drum there is a sort of spiritual sense to it that is uplifting and can help to relieve your depression bit by bit.

For more information on how drum circles work for depression visit Psychology Today HERE

Steps to Stress Free Living

Posted on September 28, 2016September 28, 2016 by JohnAdmin

We all experience stress in our lives. Sometimes it seems like there is no escaping it and nothing you do will stop it. Stress always seems to find ways to control your life, making you very irritable, angry and frustrated. There are many different ways we can go about our days to help to keep the difficulty at bay.

Find ways to be and stay positive throughout the day. Being able to keep things organized and aware of what is ahead for you is a great way to get through the day. By knowing what you have going on, you can prepare accordingly. If you start to feel like it’s getting to you, go to a “happy” place and be there for a few moments until you can feel a sense of calm wash over you. Stress will eat at you if you stay negative.

For more tips on how to live a calm life visit LifeHack HERE