Take a Cue from This Mental Health Day Email

Madalyn Parker, a web developer at Olark Live Chat, e-mailed work to tell her coworkers, “I’m taking today and tomorrow to focus on my mental health. Hopefully I’ll be back next week refreshed and back to 100%.”

CEO Ben Congleton responded: “I just wanted to personally thank you for sending e-mails like this. Every time you do, I use it as a reminder of the importance of using sick days for mental health – I can’t believe this is not standard practice at all organizations. You are an example to us all, and help cut through the stigma so we can bring our whole selves to work.”

Parker’s tweet, which showed this refreshing e-mail exchange, has since been liked by more than 40,000 people and retweeted close to 15,000 times, according to People.com. 

Perhaps, we should all take a cue from Madalyn and mind our mental health – and this is especially important if you’re in recovery from a co-occurring addiction and mental illness. In fact, those with a substance use disorder are twice as likely as the general population to suffer from mood and anxiety disorders, notes the National Institute on Drug Abuse. And many of these co-occurring disorders predate the start of drug or alcohol use.

3 Smart Habits for Mental Health

Start your morning right. What you do first thing in the a.m. can help set your mood for the rest of the day. So try to meditate, read a motivational quote, write down your daily goals, go for a long walk, listen to music, or whatever helps you become more mindful of your mental health. 

Go outside and exercise. Spending time in nature – especially when that time is spent exercising – can ease anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. What’s more, the color green (found on trees, grass, plants) has been study-proven to make exercise easier. 

Count your blessings. Gratitude is an important part of addiction recovery – I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “have an attitude of gratitude” – and it’s also essential for staying optimistic. And the best part, it literally takes one second. Try it: Take a moment each day to feel thankful – for the warm sun, for the fresh fruit at the farmer’s market, for the friendship of other women in recovery with you. 

Ask About Our Psychiatric Consultations

At Rising Roads, our staff is here to help you take your physical and mental health back. To learn more, call us today: 866-746-1558.

How to Stop Your Inner Critic

Your inner dialogue can be pretty powerful – and it can either work for you or against you as you strive to meet your goals for recovery and beyond. This is because self-talk can greatly influence your behaviors. 

Telling yourself that you’ll never be sober or that you aren’t as good as other people, for instance, can reduce your feelings of self-worth and deter you from overcoming your addiction. Instead, an important recovery skill is to learn how to develop a more positive and productive dialog with yourself. Here are a few ways to tame that inner critic:

• Treat yourself like you’d treat your best friend. Would you remind your friend of his or her every mistake, inadequacy and missed opportunity? Would you judge or berate her? Of course you wouldn’t – so why is it OK to do it to yourself? Strive to treat yourself with kindness and gentleness – just as you would a friend or loved one.
• Avoid labels. Calling yourself “fat” or “selfish” or “worthless” is self-defeating and can cause you to spiral into a destructive pattern of negative thinking. What’s more, putting a label on yourself doesn’t articulate who you are as a person. A better solution: Make a mental list of your positive traits and behaviors.
• Carve out a daily time slot for self-appreciation. Schedule five minutes each day to think (and even write down) three things you’ve done that make you feel proud. And remember that even small things count – from cooking a healthful meal to remembering to breathe before reacting to a stressful situation.
• Pick a simple affirmation. Try to make it short – like “I can do this,” or “I deserve a sober life” – so you can quickly say it to yourself to replace any negative thoughts.

Ongoing Support in Orange County

Gaining self-confidence and creating a life worth living is a process – and we’re here to support you. At Rising Roads, we have developed a specialized addiction program solely dedicated to the development of women in recovery. To learn more, call today: 866-746-1558.

How Making Peace With Yourself Helps Your Recovery

Simply put: The more at peace you are with yourself, the easier it will be to navigate recovery. Inner peace will help you stay emotionally balanced and give you greater confidence in your ability to get (and stay) sober. It will also help you create harmony with yourself and the world around you. 

This isn’t to say that learning to be at peace with yourself is easy – nor will it happen overnight. Forgiving yourself for past choices and embracing who you are and how far you’ve come takes time and effort. These steps will help you get started. 

Find moments of silence. This means no smart phones, no laptops, no television – just you and your thoughts. Whether you choose to sit still in your bedroom or go for a nature walk, the goal is to use this quiet time to reflect on who you are and what you’d liked to achieve for true happiness. 

Make room for meditation. Meditation can help you generate inner peace by teaching you to notice your thoughts and accept them without passing judgment. It can also help you to release emotional tension so you can center yourself and find peace. 

Release regret. Holding on to your past mistakes is not healthy for your inner peace or long-term sobriety. Do your best to encourage and forgive yourself. For example, tell yourself things like, “I’m taking steps to change,” or “I made mistakes but I can also make amends.” 

Keep a journal. A great way to get back to who you really are is to write down and reflect on your feelings. Journaling is a safe and sacred way to engage in dialogue with just you and your spirit. For many, the act of writing itself is meditative and can help you feel calm and at peace.

A Sanctuary to Find Inner Peace
At Rising Roads, we have crafted an environment that will make each woman feel great about her surroundings, which will help her feel great about herself. To learn more about our programs and facility, call today: 866-746-1558.

4 Myths About Women and Addiction

Men and women are far from equal when it comes to substance use disorders – and, thankfully, more and more research is exploring the gender differences. Still, many myths abound when in comes to women and addiction. Here we take a look at a few common ones and the facts that dispel them. 

Myth: More men than women get addicted to drugs and alcohol.
This used to be true, but the gender gap is closing. Experts say that women are among the fastest-growing segments of drug users in the U.S. Some stats, according to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD): 

• Up to 4.5 million women over age 12 in the U.S. have a substance use disorder.
• 3.5 million misuse prescription drugs.
• 3.1 million regularly use illicit drugs.
• More than 200,000 American women die as a result of alcoholism and drug dependence.
• More than 4 million women are in need of addiction treatment.

Myth: Women and men begin using for the same reason.
Women are twice as likely to experience anxiety and depression as men – and this often leads to self-medication as a way to manage these mental health conditions. Trauma also plays a role: Seventy four percent of women struggling with addiction reported sexual abuse in their history, according to one of the first studies to examine female addiction. And a large percentage of women seeking treatment for addiction report lifetime histories of emotional abuse and physical assault.

Myth: Pain is an equal driver of addiction for men and women.
In fact, women have been study-proven to suffer more frequently and more intensely from pain – and, in general, they visit more doctors and are more likely to be introduced to opioids through a painkiller prescription. The proportion of women seeking treatment for opioid addiction has grown so much that today the number of men and women in rehab for this addiction is about equal.

Myth: Women and men should be treated for addiction in the same way. 

Women tend to develop addictions faster and more seriously than men. In addition, women have a greater chance of relapse. What’s more, many women are dealing with such treatment barriers as social stigma, co-occurring disorders, trauma and financial constraints – which all make gender-specific treatment even more important. Addiction treatment progresses differently for women, too, and women have a greater chance of relapse.

Women and Addiction Recovery

At Rising Roads Recovery, we know that every woman who comes to us is incredibly unique and needs to be treated that way. One size does not fit all – and one future does not work for everyone. To learn more, call 866-746-1558. 

5 Benefits of Reading

When’s the last time you lost yourself in a good book? If you don’t remember, you might want to add reading to your recovery to-dos. In fact, becoming a bookworm can boost your mind and wellbeing in a big way. So go ahead, let yourself get caught up in a particularly compelling story this summer — it’s good for your long-term sobriety!

Here are a few study-proven ways reading can help you: 

• Reading can help you stress less. Even more so than listening to music, sipping a cup of tea or taking a walk, according to one study. In fact, researchers say that reading can tame tensions by as much as 68 percent. 
• Reading can help you sleep better. But this only holds true if you pick up a paperback.  The bright screens of e-readers and tablets can actually mess with your sleep cycles. 
• Reading can help ease depression symptoms. Specifically, reading self-help books has been study-proven to lower levels of depression when combined with support sessions. 
• Reading can boost your concentration. Focusing for prolonged periods on reading a book is a great exercise to enhance your powers of concentration – and this skill can do wonders during recovery and beyond as your return to school or work. 
• Reading can make you more empathetic. Studies show that reading stories in which characters are rich and developed allows the reader to take on these personalities and understand what it’s like to be someone else. 

Staying Stronger Together 
By learning and practicing healthy coping skills, you can empower yourself and feel more confident about dealing with stress for a healthier, happier you. The programs at Rising Roads Recovery Services for Women are designed to help women get and stay sober. To learn more, call today: 866-746-1558.

Surprising Signs of Being a Perfectionist

You’ve likely heard by now that there’s a pretty strong link between perfectionism and addiction. In fact, experts say that perfectionism can cause someone to turn to addictive substances or behaviors in order to quell persistent feelings of frustration, despair, shame and guilt. Plus, perfectionism distorts a person’s view of reality – and this can promote addiction and/or interfere with your recovery. 

Since perfectionism and addiction are so closely linked, it only makes sense that curbing your perfectionism will help ease your recovery. Your first step, however, is to realize (and admit) that you are indeed a perfectionist. Here, we talk about a few surprising signs that you might otherwise overlook in yourself or someone you love: 

• You tend to binge eat often. Binge eating is a common coping mechanism for perfectionists, according to a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Eating compulsively allows the person to numb any feelings of failure. Binge eating can have some serious mental and physical health consequences, so be sure to seek professional help if this is a common occurrence. 
• Stress-reduction techniques don’t seem to work: In general, perfectionists are more likely to be stressed and they’re also less likely to take advantage of relaxation practices like yoga or meditation, according to a study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. To blame: A fear of not doing the techniques “just right,” noted researchers. Luckily, when it comes to relaxation there’s no right or wrong way to do it, so just try to go with the flow and focus on the end results.
• You get sick easily: Stressing about being perfect – and not taking advantage of stress-release techniques –  can do damage to your immune system. Uncontrolled stress is certainly risky for your sobriety and it has also been found to lead to heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, a higher risk of cancer and a shorter overall lifespan. So if you find yourself coming down with every cold, flu and virus that’s out there, book an appointment with your doctor. 
• You feel depressed. Studies have linked perfectionism with chronic feelings of sadness and anxiety – as well as a higher risk of suicide. Minding your mental health is of utmost importance, then, if you’re a perfectionist in recovery from addiction.

Heal Your Mind and Body
Our team can help you learn healthy coping mechanisms to deal with perfectionism, stress and other addiction triggers. To learn more about our offerings, contact us today at 866-746-1558.

Brush Up on Your Communication Skills

Many people in recovery find themselves a bit uneasy when it comes to communicating with others without the crutch of drugs or alcohol. In addition, you may have the added pressure of repairing relationships damaged by years of addiction. So how do you relearn to talk to people? Start with these tips: 

• Be yourself. True friends will need to love you for you, so avoid putting on a false front or attempting to be someone you’re not. Telling lies is never the answer and is a horrible way to establish a solid foundation for a lasting friendship.
• Make eye contact and smile. Body language is crucial when it comes to effective communication, so do your best to look people in the eye and speak slowly and clearly. And don’t forget to smile, which will show the other party that you’re trying to be friendly.
• Be sincere. You don’t have to be an expert on a topic in order to offer a warm and genuine greeting. Address coworkers and neighbors by name and ask how their day is going.
• Pick a mutual interest. Shared interests make for natural conversation starters – for example, if you love to garden and your neighbor has an interest in gardening, too.
• Stay up-to-date on newsworthy topics. Read or watch the news so you’re at least somewhat familiar with current events. This will give you some ideas to add to a conversation or start a discussion with someone else.
• Learn to listen. Conversations are a two-way street, so even if you’re excited about the subject matter or feel the urge to interject, it’s important to slow yourself down, pay attention to what the other person is saying and wait for your turn to talk.
• Practice with someone you trust. If you’re nervous about talking with others, practice striking up a conversation with a loved one or close friend – or practice by yourself by talking to the mirror. Like everything else in recovery, the more you practice, the easier it will become.

Employment and Educational Assistance 
Rising Roads offers women comprehensive employment and educational assistance, including interview coaching, resume building and professional networking. To learn more about how we can help you find your way into the workforce and regain your confidence, call today: 866-746-1558.