Tag: resources

Renewal

by Amanda Vaughan, posted in Change, Mindfulness, Stress Management, Uncategorized, Wellness topic

Spring seems like a great time to start back up with my blog posts. This Spring we are all in desperate need of some renewal. So far 2020 has been challenging. We are all experiencing something quite unique for our time. Humanity of course has seen and endured other pandemics but enduring a pandemic in the informational age is filled with easy access to ongoing death tolls and news that makes the calmest of us a little on edge. It is also, however, filled with easy access to all sorts of positive resources. After a week of seeing clients since schools and restaurants were ordered to close I have been able to gather suggestions from clients of things that are helping to keep them renewed and not drained with all the alarming aspects of what they see online. Here are some of the ideas I have heard this past week.

  1. Yoga with Adrien is a continued recommendation from my clients, https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene
  2. limiting social media to only an hour a day
  3. Having friends call up and give them the news instead of hearing it on line.
  4. You tube projects
  5. Pinterest projects
  6. Online parties and meetups with friends
  7. Looking up old friends online and catching up.
  8. Starting an Etsy shop
  9. Getting rid of clutter by selling items on Ebay
  10. Online yoga classes and fitness classes that are being offered for free through gyms and places like yoga journal
  11. Online free virtual tours of museums
  12. Replacing 30 minutes of social media time with a podcast
  13. Finding online support groups via NAMI and local hospitals
  14. mindfulness courses and meditation through apps like “Insight Timer” and “Head Space”

This is the current list and I will continue to collect ideas and do a follow up post on this later. As we try to follow guidelines and stay safe, I ask you to take a moment to ground yourself and try to find some positivity for the day. It does appear that this may be a long haul for us and we are going to need some ongoing renewal as we keep moving forward.

Take Care and wishing you peace.

Local Support

by Amanda Vaughan, posted in Addiction, Treatment, Wellness topic

 

 

community

It can be overwhelming  seeking support outside of your friends and family when you have an addiction.   This is usually a significant step that needs to be made when you have multiple relapses; however, I see many people try to reassure themselves that this time it’s going to be different and not take this step.

They have their plan.  It usually is a decent plan.  We have worked on either a Wellness Action Plan, Crisis Plan, or Relapse Prevention Plan.    In therapy we have also came up with wonderful “tools” to use in their daily maintenance and their “emergency kit”.  We have practiced, role played, and brought in family and friends.  But yet they’ll be another relapse.  Another lie told.  Another promise broken to self or others.  They show back up sometimes beaten down, ashamed, and lower in spirit and energy.  Or they’ll show up determined that this time will “be different” only to end up like the previous scenario eventually.

The piece that is missing is support outside of treatment, friends, and/or family.  It is tapping into something positive that is larger than oneself.  This could be in the form of a religion/faith.  It could be in the form of AA/NA.  I have seen people invest themselves into a close knit wellness communities, like with Rock Climbing or Yoga.    I have seen folks begin to invest in service communities, like with Habit for Humanity, Urban Ministries, etc..  It doesn’t seem to really matter what it is as long as it has a higher principle and has other people to connect with.  This step  of participating with something outside of our individual community touches on the “spiritual” side that so many addictions counselors will talk about.  It touches on this piece of us that is sometimes very difficult to conceptualize.  People think they have to go to church or start praying.  Although this could be a path for some, it doesn’t mean it has to be the path of all searching for that “higher power”.  But one key element in this is the “investment”, the “participation” that makes it work.  Just visiting a community or group is not enough.  One must get involved so that an investment is made.   This investment will bring returns though.

In order to help with this connection, I want to provide some resources below for AA, NA, Al-Aanon.  These are by no means the only I recommend but they are the main ones folks can access easily in our community and have shown to be reliable supports and places people can become involved and invested through working steps, finding a sponsor, sharing story, etc…

Greensboro Al-Aanon

Al-Anon General Site

Greensboro AA meetings

Greensboro NA meetings