Residual tension is tension caused by stress that continues for a longer period than normal. It can severely impact your health and well-being. The Dangers of Prolonged Stress When you go through the fight, flight, fawn, or freeze response, your system produces stress hormones like cortisol. Your heart rate increases. Your muscles tense up. ThisRead More
Psychiatric service dogs (PSDs) can help people heal and gain confidence. Because everyone is different with their personality and needs, PSDs are often trained specifically for the needs of the person they will live with and help. These dogs are trained to ignore distractions, stay focused on their person at all times, and perform neededRead More
Over-indulging is an important topic when it comes to recovery. Learning more about this topic can help individuals in various ways. The Neurotransmitters Behind Over-Indulgence Dopamine is the neurotransmitter most responsible for rewarding behaviors and creating habits. It reinforces the desire to repeat an action. In addition to dopamine, endorphins cause positive feelings like joyRead More
Sometimes people sleep as a way to avoid facing life. Sleep is essential in our lives and health, particularly when navigating recovery and learning to develop healthy habits. Too much sleep, however, can be a way of escaping your feelings or situations in life. Recovery is an exhausting process and can be uncomfortable and challengingRead More
People begin establishing beliefs about themselves from birth. Some of them we form consciously, and others develop subconsciously. It is essential to remain aware of and continue looking into limiting beliefs, conscious or unconscious. If you become aware that you have negative thoughts that need work, you must learn to release them to stay healthyRead More
When you have gone through a traumatic experience, it can present in odd ways. One such way is confusion. Confusion Possibly Caused by Trauma Confusion does not automatically equal trauma. As such, you may wonder how you can distinguish trauma-related confusion from confusion caused by something else. If you want to figure out whether youRead More
People tend to view their mental health or substance abuse as a defect; however, switching the focus to “what happened to you” instead of “what is wrong with you” has many benefits. In addiction recovery, it is easy to look in the mirror and falsely assume that you are 100% at fault and responsible forRead More
You may have heard people talk about yoga and mindfulness as cure-alls for mental health issues. Is it as effective as people say, though? Can it really cure trauma? The answer is more complex than a simple yes or no. The Impact of Trauma Nobody should ever have to experience trauma. This violation of theRead More
It is not uncommon to learn new things about yourself when you enter treatment, including a diagnosis of a secondary disorder. A co-occurring disorder is when a person is struggling with both substance use disorder (SUD) and a mental health disorder, which is common. Once you understand that there is more to your SUD thanRead More
If you have been successfully sober for any length of time, you may be surprised to find yourself still being triggered and having cravings for a substance you gave up a long time ago. Your conscious self has no interest in returning to that life, yet here you are, having a craving that you can’tRead More