We often think of recovery as abstaining from our drugs of choice and addictive behaviors. It might serve us to think of our recovery as being deeper than that. Inner peace is the foundation for lasting happiness, and chances are that when we make abstinence our goal without also prioritizing inner peace, we will always […]
Category: Resource Center
How Can I Create a Healthy Self-Image?
Many of us suffer from low self-esteem, and our addictions, depression and other mental health issues can contribute to it, compound it and exacerbate it. The self-image we’ve created for ourselves is often tainted by our fears of inadequacy, unworthiness and inferiority. We’re afraid that we don’t measure up, that we’re not good enough, that […]
How Can I Heal From Shame?
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, PLEASE call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Shame is one of the most painful and debilitating emotions we can feel, and it can be a huge factor in our addictions, depression and other mental health issues. How can we heal from shame and forgive […]
Shame and Self-Destructiveness
One of the most damaging and painful emotions that we experience as human beings is shame. Most of us feel guilt for the ways in which we’ve hurt other people, for the mistakes we’ve made, and for the wrongdoings we regret. This is normal. It tells us that we have a conscience, that we have […]
Why Am I So Self-Destructive?
Underneath our addictions and mental health issues, many of us will find that our troubling thoughts and behaviors point to a common theme – self-destructiveness. Why are we so self-destructive? Why do we engage in risky and dangerous behaviors even when we know they aren’t healthy for us? Why do we self-harm? Why do we […]
Daily Gratitude Practice for Healing and Happiness
Many of us have developed thought patterns that repeatedly flood us with the thoughts we most associate with fear and sadness. It can feel like we’re drowning in our emotional pain. One way to transform these vicious mental cycles is to consciously choose to focus on gratitude. Oftentimes when we are suffering, we have come […]
How Can Gratitude Help Me With my Addiction, Depression and Anxiety?
Many of us living with addictions, depression, anxiety and other mental health issues develop certain thought patterns that can contribute to our challenges and exacerbate them over time. We form these thought patterns by continually, habitually choosing to focus our attention on certain thoughts. When we are in the midst of our cycles of addiction […]
Gratitude Practice for Forgiveness
One thing many of us share is a history of trauma. Our traumatic experiences can affect us deeply and can contribute to our addictions, depression and other mental health issues. As we are healing from our trauma, we might find ourselves still angry with the people who hurt us. We might feel we are unable […]
How Can I Start Believing in Myself More?
Those of us living with addictions and mental health issues often share in common belief systems based on low self-esteem and shame. We believe we are inadequate and inferior to other people. We believe that we are a failure, that the mistakes and regrets of our past dictate who we are. We believe that we […]
Finding the Joy of Our Hearts
Finding true joy means discovering what brings us peace, fulfillment and satisfaction. Joy is not dependent upon external conditions or our current circumstances. It doesn’t only reside in the things we do or have done, but also in who we are as individuals, in what lies in our hearts and souls. We can lose ourselves […]