“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
― audre lorde
― audre lorde
A listing of resources is provided below. No endorsements or recommendations are intended. This listing is for informational purposes only. It is up to you to determine appropriate professional care.
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Before you explore any part of this section, we implore you to watch the video (on the left) about Anhedonia because it is absolutely essential to understanding addiction and recovery. If you are in recovery or thinking of entering recovery, you must be aware of this factor. If you are a parent that is trying to help your child with sobriety you need to consider these factors and implement a plan for counteracting this in your child's recovery plan. We cannot stress this enough! (The video is from Tree House Recovery- We are not familiar with this recovery center but we definitely love the approach they are taking with sobriety and behavioral activation) |
A Whole New World Of Mindfulness!
Mindfullness First
https://www.mindfulnessfirst.org
Their mission is to offer scientifically-informed programs based in trauma-informed Mindful Awareness and Social-Emotional Learning which equitably support children, educators and communities with tools to manage stress and navigate life’s challenges.They envision a cohesive society where humankind is supported by equitable tools for self-efficacy and mental health wellbeing through systemic changes for stronger, safer and more connected communities.
https://www.mindfulnessfirst.org
Their mission is to offer scientifically-informed programs based in trauma-informed Mindful Awareness and Social-Emotional Learning which equitably support children, educators and communities with tools to manage stress and navigate life’s challenges.They envision a cohesive society where humankind is supported by equitable tools for self-efficacy and mental health wellbeing through systemic changes for stronger, safer and more connected communities.
What is Mindfullness?
*This article was written by the Mindfull Staff at: https://www.mindful.org/what-is-mindfulness/. You can subscribe to them for all things mindful!
"Mindfulness. It’s a pretty straightforward word. It suggests that the mind is fully attending to what’s happening, to what you’re doing, to the space you’re moving through. That might seem trivial, except for the annoying fact that we so often veer from the matter at hand. Our mind takes flight, we lose touch with our body, and pretty soon we’re engrossed in obsessive thoughts about something that just happened or fretting about the future. And that makes us anxious.
Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.
Yet no matter how far we drift away, mindfulness is right there to snap us back to where we are and what we’re doing and feeling. If you want to know what mindfulness is, it’s best to try it for a while. Since it’s hard to nail down in words, you will find slight variations in the meaning in books, websites, audio, and video.
The Definition of Mindfulness:
Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.
Mindfulness is a quality that every human being already possesses, it’s not something you have to conjure up, you just have to learn how to access it.
The Types of Mindfulness Practice:
While mindfulness is innate, it can be cultivated through proven techniques. Here are some examples:
The Benefits of Mindfulness Practice:
When we meditate it doesn’t help to fixate on the benefits, but rather to just do the practice, and yet there are benefits or no one would do it.
When we’re mindful, we reduce stress, enhance performance, gain insight and awarenessthrough observing our own mind, and increase our attention to others’ well-being.
Mindfulness meditation gives us a time in our lives when we can suspend judgment and unleash our natural curiosity about the workings of the mind, approaching our experience with warmth and kindness—to ourselves and others.
8 Facts About Mindfulness:
"Mindfulness. It’s a pretty straightforward word. It suggests that the mind is fully attending to what’s happening, to what you’re doing, to the space you’re moving through. That might seem trivial, except for the annoying fact that we so often veer from the matter at hand. Our mind takes flight, we lose touch with our body, and pretty soon we’re engrossed in obsessive thoughts about something that just happened or fretting about the future. And that makes us anxious.
Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.
Yet no matter how far we drift away, mindfulness is right there to snap us back to where we are and what we’re doing and feeling. If you want to know what mindfulness is, it’s best to try it for a while. Since it’s hard to nail down in words, you will find slight variations in the meaning in books, websites, audio, and video.
The Definition of Mindfulness:
Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.
Mindfulness is a quality that every human being already possesses, it’s not something you have to conjure up, you just have to learn how to access it.
The Types of Mindfulness Practice:
While mindfulness is innate, it can be cultivated through proven techniques. Here are some examples:
- Seated, walking, standing, and moving meditation (it’s also possible lying down but often leads to sleep);
- Short pauses we insert into everyday life;
- Merging meditation practice with other activities, such as yoga or sports.
The Benefits of Mindfulness Practice:
When we meditate it doesn’t help to fixate on the benefits, but rather to just do the practice, and yet there are benefits or no one would do it.
When we’re mindful, we reduce stress, enhance performance, gain insight and awarenessthrough observing our own mind, and increase our attention to others’ well-being.
Mindfulness meditation gives us a time in our lives when we can suspend judgment and unleash our natural curiosity about the workings of the mind, approaching our experience with warmth and kindness—to ourselves and others.
8 Facts About Mindfulness:
- Mindfulness is not obscure or exotic. It’s familiar to us because it’s what we already do, how we already are. It takes many shapes and goes by many names.
- Mindfulness is not a special added thing we do. We already have the capacity to be present, and it doesn’t require us to change who we are. But we can cultivate these innate qualities with simple practices that are scientifically demonstrated to benefit ourselves, our loved ones, our friends and neighbors, the people we work with, and the institutions and organizations we take part in
- You don’t need to change. Solutions that ask us to change who we are or become something we’re not have failed us over and over again. Mindfulness recognizes and cultivates the best of who we are as human beings.
- Mindfulness has the potential to become a transformative social phenomenon. Here’s why:
- Anyone can do it. Mindfulness practice cultivates universal human qualities and does not require anyone to change their beliefs. Everyone can benefit and it’s easy to learn.
- It’s a way of living. Mindfulness is more than just a practice. It brings awareness and caring into everything we do—and it cuts down needless stress. Even a little makes our lives better.
- It’s evidence-based. We don’t have to take mindfulness on faith. Both science and experience demonstrate its positive benefits for our health, happiness, work, and relationships.
- It sparks innovation. As we deal with our world’s increasing complexity and uncertainty, mindfulness can lead us to effective, resilient, low-cost responses to seemingly intransigent problems."
Videos About Mindfulness & Self Care
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*Tip: Make a goal to watch one video from our site a day. Then take something you have learned and implement it into your life. Make craving sobriety as natural as breathing air. Make mindfullness a daily thing you practice. Start out with a small goal of 1-2 times a week and then increase your frequency.
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You'll Wonder Why You Waited...Try Meditation....
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Meditation can be whatever you want it to be. It is narrowing your thought patterns and slowing it down. If you are a Chrisitian it can be a prayer, or focusing on music, or certain phrases or scriptures.
"Clearing your mind" is just about being present. It is about placing your focus on relaxation and breath and not letting your fears or worries consume your thoughts for a determined period of time. Meditation has many uses and can even be used to lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, and increased immune response.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/meditation-and-a-relaxation-technique-to-lower-blood-pressure
"Clearing your mind" is just about being present. It is about placing your focus on relaxation and breath and not letting your fears or worries consume your thoughts for a determined period of time. Meditation has many uses and can even be used to lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, and increased immune response.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/meditation-and-a-relaxation-technique-to-lower-blood-pressure
Laughter Yoga Is Refreshingly Different!
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We will admit that it feels pretty silly doing laughter yoga and it takes some practice, but it will make you laugh if you give it a chance! If you live in the Orlando, FL area you can do laughter yoga in person with one of our favorite yoga teachers! Dana Kaplan, she is a certified laughter yoga teacher. https://www.yogayousmile.com
Try These Fast And Easy Grounding Techniques
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Grounding techniques can be quick and simple things you do if you are having a panic attack, or experiencing anxiety. There are a lot of them out there so keep trying them until you find one that works for you. They work for everyone, you can teach them to children, get creative and come up with your own.
Sound Therapy Is A Unique Way To Relax.
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Tamara: I LOVE sound therapy. Having worked in the spa industry for so many years I encountered many holistic practices. There was a time when I was very sick and really at my wits end. I was in a lot of pain and couldn't get any relief, my nervous system was in serious overdrive. My best friend took me to a sound therapy session and it was amazing. I felt so much better afterwards. My nervous system finally started to calm down. I went to several more of them over the following weeks. Light a candle, get a yoga mat and pillow, or find a comfy place on your couch. Play the sound bath, breathe, and let the relaxation happen! You are listening to different frequencies of sound with the bowls.
This is an interesting article about frequencies and our brain. https://www.webmd.com/balance/what-are-binaural-beats
This is an interesting article about frequencies and our brain. https://www.webmd.com/balance/what-are-binaural-beats
Behavioral Activation Is A Powerful Way To Fight Addiction
-Information copied from Rogers Behavioral Health.
https://rogersbh.org/about-us/Newsroom/Blog/what-behavioral-activation
What exactly is behavioral activation?
As a treatment for depression and other mood disorders, behavioral activation is based on the theory that, as individuals become depressed, they tend to engage in increasing avoidance and isolation, which serves to maintain or worsen their symptoms. The goal of treatment, therefore, is to work with depressed individuals to gradually decrease their avoidance and isolation and increase their engagement in activities that have been shown to improve mood. Many times, this includes activities that they enjoyed before becoming depressed, activities related to their values or even everyday items that get pushed aside such as:
To assist with learning about how an individual’s activities affect his or her mood, with behavioral activation individuals are often asked to complete activity monitoring. This involves having the individual write down which activities he or she completes throughout the day (or week), with mood ratings for each activity. This allows the treatment provider to identify patterns in behavior, including avoidance, and to help increase engagement in behaviors that are related to improvements in mood. Often, additional strategies are needed to help individuals remember to complete assignments, gain the necessary skills to do various assignments and work toward their goals, while at the same time managing the uncomfortable emotions that may arise during different activities when one feels depressed.
Throughout treatment, increasingly challenging activities are assigned as the individual experiences improvements in mood and engagement in specific types of activities.
https://rogersbh.org/about-us/Newsroom/Blog/what-behavioral-activation
What exactly is behavioral activation?
As a treatment for depression and other mood disorders, behavioral activation is based on the theory that, as individuals become depressed, they tend to engage in increasing avoidance and isolation, which serves to maintain or worsen their symptoms. The goal of treatment, therefore, is to work with depressed individuals to gradually decrease their avoidance and isolation and increase their engagement in activities that have been shown to improve mood. Many times, this includes activities that they enjoyed before becoming depressed, activities related to their values or even everyday items that get pushed aside such as:
- Exercising
- Going out to dinner
- Improving relationships with their family members
- Working toward specific work-related goals
- Learning new skills and activities
- Showering regularly
- Completing household chores
To assist with learning about how an individual’s activities affect his or her mood, with behavioral activation individuals are often asked to complete activity monitoring. This involves having the individual write down which activities he or she completes throughout the day (or week), with mood ratings for each activity. This allows the treatment provider to identify patterns in behavior, including avoidance, and to help increase engagement in behaviors that are related to improvements in mood. Often, additional strategies are needed to help individuals remember to complete assignments, gain the necessary skills to do various assignments and work toward their goals, while at the same time managing the uncomfortable emotions that may arise during different activities when one feels depressed.
Throughout treatment, increasingly challenging activities are assigned as the individual experiences improvements in mood and engagement in specific types of activities.
Practice Behavioral Activation By Getting Out In Nature
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Forest Bathing is very interesting. Think about how good it feels to take a walk through the forest on a cool crisp day. You feel the air brushing past your skin and watch the sun sparkling in the sky while warm rays filter down through the branches and leaves of the trees. You can't help but to feel better. Turns out it is something that is prescribed. Watch the videos above, and then think about other ways you can use nature to reduce your stress and the anxiety your child feels. It could be a trip to the beach, the lake, the desert, even a picnic lunch in a park. The important thing is getting outside with them and enjoying the beauty of nature.
Make Your Own Guided Imagery Or Try One Below
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Tamara: When my younger daughter was experiencing sleep issues the sleep center we visited told me to make a guided imagery recording for her. I did it on my phone. I just listened to a few guided imagery videos on you tube and then wrote something I knew would be calming and soothing to her. The added bonus was that it was in my voice. At first I would stay with her while playing it, we did this for a while until she became comfortable with it. After that I would leave the room playing the recording, It really helped her to fall asleep on her own. As she grew older, she found music and videos she liked and she continues to use them to this day.
Guided Imagery For Kids
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Remember! Behavioral Activation is whatever makes you happy and feel good, not substance abuse related of course! It could mean showering and shaving, taking a walk with your dog, enjoying a day at the zoo, going to a movie, riding a bike, cooking, baking, crafting, painting, playing a sport, surfing, scuba diving, or even sky diving! We have pages that list different types of therapy that you could use for Behavioral Activation, so make sure to check them out on our sister site; www.thirsty2thrive.com
