Most people see depression as constant sadness, lack of motivation, or apathy, never recognizing that being always angry and irritable are all telltale signs. These lesser-known symptoms of depression can stop people from realizing what’s happening. If you find that you’re always angry and irritable no matter what you do to soothe your mood, you …
You may find that you want to close yourself off from seeing friends or meeting new people due to anxiety. That you feel the need to say “no” to invitations or have an escape plan in order to make it through the day lately. The more you try to alleviate the feelings of worry or …
If you’re considering starting residential treatment, it makes sense that you may be afraid. You are suddenly unsure about what the future holds for you. While many resources exist combatting common myths about what substance abuse treatment will be like, it’s easy to get the wrong idea. Even certain media portrayals rely on outdated and …
Residential Treatment Isn’t as Scary as You Think Read More »
Addiction is a uniquely challenging disease to overcome. It affects us not only physically but also mentally, emotionally and spiritually. By this, we mean that the disease that drives our physical need for the substance also fuels our emotional drive to avoid overwhelming feelings and whispers lies that run through our minds on repeat. The …
When treatment ends, participants of our residential, intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization programs face yet another challenging task: reentering their community with sobriety in mind. While remaining in treatment in perpetuity is not possible, our alumni networks offer a more tailored program for this stage of the process. Many triggers—whether they take shape as environments …
This week is an exciting time for Promises Behavioral Health! During the second week of February, we celebrate Promise Week. It is a time for us to reflect on what it means to make a promise to others and ourselves. To paraphrase RuPaul, “If you can’t love yourself, how can you love someone else?” Truer …
Stress is everywhere. Sometimes, even in our efforts to get away or relieve stress without drugs, we, unfortunately, only find more. Creating a fun self-care list can quickly become a demanding to-do list if we’re not careful. Sometimes we need to take a step back to remember why we’re doing it. However, there are some …
With so much new and readily available content to choose from, why do we feel drawn to rewatching shows or reread beloved books dozens of times? What causes a yearning for the familiar in times of increased stress, anxiety and depression? Can rewatching old favorites help you heal? Many have asked similar questions, wondering if the …
How Books and Reading Can Help Your Mental Health Early in our childhood and in school, parents and teachers praise reading for its ability to lead us on adventures around the world (and in other worlds, too). Reading offers us an escape while also fostering empathy for people from all walks of life. Unfortunately, school …
Meditation is an activity that can improve your health and life in multiple ways and can be an especially effective recovery coping tool. But when you’re new to the practice, where do you begin? How do you create a zen-worthy space complete with a meditation playlist to match? Not only can the practice of meditation …