I'm sure you have heard the word mindful before, especially if you've checked in to read our blogs.. But what does it really mean? Are we being Mind full or Mindful? Is your mind full of clutter? When you are doing 1 task, are you thinking about the other 10 things on your to do [...]
How many times have you felt very stressed and turned to friends for empathy and all you received was a "Don't worry about it!". It is very easy to say "Don't worry about it!" but unfortunately, it is not as easy to live by as Anxiety can feel unmanageable if left unattended. The main problem [...]
Judson Brewer, M.D., Ph.D. is the director of research at the Center for Mindfulness and associate professor in medicine and psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, an adjunct professor at Yale University, a longtime meditator and has written a book called The Craving Mind. His research has shown him what leads to people [...]
Do you often feel overwhelmed by your partner's emotions? Do find you rarely focus on your own needs? Are you unsure where you end & your partner begins? If you answered yes to these questions, chances are that you are struggling with codependency. Codependency is defined as over-reliance on a person or in layman's terms [...]
Throughout our lives, we naturally develop defenses to protect ourselves from thoughts, feelings, or experiences that seem uncomfortable. For example, we might deny that an uncomfortable situation is happening because we don't want to face that discomfort. You might think of defenses as rose-colored glasses that we put on so we can try to change [...]
When I got engaged a year & a half ago, I truly had no idea how stressful it would be to actually plan a wedding. Despite hearing how difficult it was from others & how excited they were that it was over. I was determined that the wedding blues would not happen to me! I [...]
Change is stressful simply because it’s something you’re not used to, even if it’s positive. It then becomes a breeding ground for anxiety as well, causing certain issues to resurface even if you thought you’ve dealt with them well enough in the past. As things breed they get hungry, it’s how they grow. One of [...]
The holiday season can be a joyous yet, stressful time of year especially for those who struggle with substance abuse. Addiction and the holidays can make falling back upon bad behaviors easy. There are a few simple and practical things that the addict can do to prepare for the holiday season to minimize relapse. The [...]
When we think about addiction and recovery, it is vital to prepare for relapse prevention by minimizing daily stressors and following a solid plan to avoid relapse. Relapse prevention planning also typically includes strategies for avoiding triggers for relapse, including people whom you used to use substances with, places where you used to obtain or use [...]
For many years, 12 step meetings were one of the only additional resources for individual struggling with surviving early recovery from substances outside of individual counseling. Recently, similar programs have formed... 7 step programs, 9 step programs, SMART recovery & Celebrate Recovery, etc. Though AA & NA & similar fellowship programs have proven to be very helpful for some people in [...]