Depression In The Technological Age

Clinical depression has found new technological sources for triggers and catalysts towards worsening conditions as a result.

Social Media Depression

Social media has been consistently linked to higher rates of depression, low self-esteem, and poor body image. Seeking an escape from depression can lead to spending excess amounts of time engaged in social media. Unfortunately, engaging with digital versions of people is not the same as engaging with real people. Isolation can be a complicated part of depression as someone wants to be connected with other people but feels it is impossible to do so. Getting lost in social media might not even include engaging with others. Instead, hours are lost to mindlessly scrolling through other’s profiles, groups, or just a news feed. Detached from reality, detached from the self, and detached from others, social media can worsen depression.

Sleep Depression

Until recently, the main prescription for a healthy amount of sleep was a minimum of 6 hours to healthy 8 hours. Now, doctors are warning that Americans especially are low on sleep. A lack of sleep can become a greater and greater problem over time. 8 hours is the new minimum amount of sleep, with 9-10 hours being the prime amount of time in deep REM sleep open could be able to get. Anything over ten hours could greatly upset the natural circadian rhythm. Oversleeping is a common side effect of depression as energy is low and fatigue is easy to come by. Too much sleep deprives the body of essential nutrients it needs from the sun, energy the body needs from movement, and food the body needs from getting up to et. Though sleep is essential and is good for the body to heal, it can be detrimental when the body is struggling with depression. Trying to cope with daily stress of working with phones, computers, and other technology, in addition to the stress of depression, or other emotional stress can be taxing. Spending off hours or weekend days, any extra time, sleeping is not coping with a problem but avoiding it. The combination of excess sleep and stuffing painful emotions can create or worsen a depression.

Problematically, depression is often co-occurring with substance abuse. Turning to substances to cope with depression can lead to a dual diagnosis issue. If you or a loved one are in need of healing from depression and co-occurring substance abuse issues, call Enlightened Solutions today. Our partial care programs bring together the best of clinical therapy, holistic healing, and 12 step philosophy. For more information, call us today at 844-234-LIVE.

 

Do Both Men And Women Face Body Image Issues?

Body image is widely popularized as a specifically female problem. Citing the high standards of the fashion industry, an entire commodity marketplace focused on beauty, and the objectification of males, the female from falls under a lot of scrutiny. However, the female-identified body is not the only target of scrutinous eyes. The male-identified body also receives high expectations. Pressure to be strong, muscular, lean, sculpted, and more, make up the male body image standard to which many men feel they cannot compare.

Body image issues are not restricted to anyone gender. They also don’t discriminate based on race, age, socioeconomic background, or fashion choice. Body image issues can spring from unseens pressures and obvious ones. For example, receiving commentary in childhood about body, weight, and beauty can create skewed beliefs about the way one looks. Misinformed ideologies about what it means to be a “woman” or be a “man” can cause someone to feel like they aren’t “woman” or “man” enough, forever changing the way that they view themselves.

Social environments and culture during adolescence can contribute to body image issues in both males and females. Being around growing and developing bodies in puberty highlights how different each body can be. As young minds are expanding, they are also being inundated with targeted advertising, telling them how they should look, what defines how they look, and how they should feel if they don’t look that way. Typically in adolescent social settings, social circles are categorized where those who are considered “beautiful” receive more attention. Those who might have body types which differ from the “norm” can be bullied, gossiped about, and ridicules, leading to lifelong insecurities.

Throughout adulthood, the security one feels about their body can be threatened. Ending relationships, sexual rejection, sexual trauma, and other factors can contribute to a sudden insecurity about one’s body and one’s self. Both men and women are vulnerable to hearing the wrong message and developing a harmful belief about how they look.

Too often, body image issues lead to disordered eating and exercise behaviors, causing an unhealthy obsession in the way one regards their image. To cope with the emotional pain of rejection and insecurity, both men and women turn to drugs and alcohol. Co-occurring addiction and body image issues are common in men and women. Thankfully, recovery does not discriminate either. There is a solution. Healing is possible.

If you are struggling with body image issues and have turned to drugs and alcohol to cope, there is hope in recovery. At Enlightened Solutions, we bring together the best of clinical therapy, holistic healing, and 12 step philosophy to help clients heal mind, body, and spirit. For information on our partial care programs, call us today at 844-234-LIVE.

Can Benzodiazepine Dependency Be Replaced With Alternative Therapies?

Can Benzodiazepine Dependency Be Replaced With Alternative Therapies?

Benzodiazepines are strong depressant drugs prescribed primarily for treating anxiety. Sometimes used for sleep, as needed for flying, or as a daily drug for anxiety, these medications create an intense chemical dependency. Unfortunately, few doctors are aware of how severe chemical dependency on benzodiazepines can be. Advertised as non-habit forming and non-dependency forming, most patients taking benzodiazepines are unaware of the fact that they have become dependent upon the drug. It is not until they for some reason miss their daily dose that they are confronted with the reality of chemical dependency by way of symptoms of withdrawal and cravings. Tolerance is also common in benzodiazepine use. Overtime, a patient develops a tolerance to their medication and needs the dosage increased. Problematically, the more a dosage is increased, the higher the tolerance threshold becomes, and the more severe a chemical dependency can be.

These are the issues faced just by those who use the drug regularly as prescribed by their psychiatrist. Xanax is a brand name benzodiazepine which wise widely abused. Abused for its depressant properties, Xanax can create euphoric sensations in addition to deep physical relaxation. Called “sticks” or “bars”, Xanax purchased on the street poses a specific threat. Recently, there have been reports that opioids like heroin and fentanyl have been cut into pills being sold as Xanax. Though those who abuse Xanax don’t necessarily have anxiety problems, they can develop them when they withdraw.

Replacing the presence of benzodiazepines is necessary for full recovery and developing a lifestyle of sobriety. Anxiety can be managed through numerous alternative treatments and lifestyle changes without the use of heavy depressant drugs like Xanax.

• Cognitive behavioral therapy: CBT is a proven therapy method which targets problematic behaviors and seeks to uncover the problematic beliefs behind them. Challenging troublesome thought processes helps create lasting changes in behavior, removing the need for dependency on benzodiazepines.

• Diet: Removing stimulant substances from the body helps better regulate emotion and energy which can reduce anxiety.

• Exercise: Exercise is a proven way to reduce stress and anxiety. 20-30 minutes of physical activity a day can be extremely effective.

• Mindfulness and meditation: Both mindfulness and meditation have been proven to reduce the stressful effects of anxiety and other mental health issues. Only 5 minutes a day of meditation can be impactful on reducing the need to turn to benzodiazepines.

Enlightened Recovery Solutions offers dual diagnosis treatment for addiction and co-occurring anxiety through partial care programs after 30 day residential inpatient. Bringing together the best of holistic healing, clinical therapy, and alternative treatment, we strive to create healing in mind, body, and spirit. Call 844-234-LIVE for more information.

Summer Is Here! 10 Ways To Bring Your Recovery Into Summer

June 21st marks the summer solstice when the days officially get longer, the sun shines brighter, and all that glorious summer energy is alive. Summertime is a great time to be sober, just like every other time of year. Outdoor activities, recovery bonding, special meetings- it’s time to celebrate being alive and being sober for another summer season.

1. Make The Most Of Being Outside: Open the windows, draw back the blinds, and get outside. The extended daylight hours of summertime can combat those long winter blues and replenish the body. All the extra Vitamin D and Vitamin C will do wonders for your mental health by boosting positive moods and hormones. Don’t forget your sunscreen.

2. Attend Summer-Specific Meetings: Summer time means the weather is warmer for longer. In many areas, the summertime means unique meetings which only happen during the summertime. Bonfires on the beach at sunset, hilltop hike meetings, and more only come one season a year.

3. Attend Summer Recovery Parties: Everyone is enjoying the sunshine and the gift of being alive another summer. However, summertime can be triggering. Many spent summers getting loaded on the beach or staying trapped in doors, imprisoned by an addiction. Many AA groups host summer barbecues, beach days, and events. Spending time with peers cooking food, playing games, and enjoying the day is good for the soul.

4. Start A New Hobby: Starting a new hobby can be a boost for self-esteem. Summer is the perfect time to pick up outdoor hobbies like swimming, surfing, hiking, running, or gardening. Whatever new activity sounds interesting, give it a shot. You’ll be spontaneous, increase your confidence in yourself, and build neuroplasticity while learning something new.

5. Cook For The Season: Recovery is mind, body, and spirit. Part of attending to the needs of the holistic self is feeding it healthy food. Experiencing cooking is enhanced by cooking for the season. Walk through a local farmer’s market or grocer to find out what’s in season near you. Look up summer recipes for that crop and create something delicious.

Life has seasons of change. Recovery is constant among them. At Enlightened Solutions, we’re showing clients how to develop a spiritual lifestyle of recovery for a lifetime. For information on our partial care programs, call us today at 844-234-LIVE.

Navigating Difficult People, Not Difficult Situations, In Recovery

In recovery, we are taught to live life on life’s terms. Yet, we are rarely taught to live life on people’s terms. People are difficult. Life presents us difficult people. A good situation can turn into a difficult situation when we are dealing with difficult people. Recovery in our lives puts us at both an advantage and a disadvantage for dealing with difficult people.

The Recovery Advantage

Compassion and empathy have been shown to us since the beginning of our recovery. We have been shown the way for understanding that difficult people go through or have gone through difficult things. After all, not too long ago, and probably sometime soon, we have been difficult ourselves. Love and tolerance is our code, we are taught through the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous and other programs. Tolerating others while continuing to love them regardless of who they are is something we learn in recovery. However, it is often easier said than done.

The Recovery Disadvantage

Learning to love and tolerate others has been the result of learning to love and tolerate ourselves. We have a common saying in recovery, if you spot it, you’ve got it. Developing an attitude of gratitude, being kind toward others, and maintaining peace in our lives has taken great work. Our lives were in the worst place they had ever been. Through hard work we pulled ourselves out and made the changes. We can’t know what anyone else is going through. As a result we tend to make judgments. It couldn’t be worse than living with a life-threatening addiction or a mental health disorder! How worse or not worse the cause behind someone’s tendency toward being difficult is doesn’t matter. Cultivating empathy and practicing compassion continues to be key

Here are three suggestions for navigating a difficult person in another wise not difficult situation.

1. Be Kind: Sometimes all a difficult person needs is the loving-kindness of an understanding stranger. Rather than be averse, show them the same kindness and patience which has been shown to you so many times.

2. Bring Peace: We cannot resolve every situation by being a peacemaker. What we can be is peaceful, which tends to have a peaceful effect. Bring the peace by not creating conflict out of difficulty.

3. Surrender Control: being right, proving a point, showing someone how difficult they are- these are all wasted efforts for the sake of trying to be in control. We cannot control every difficult person we encounter. We can’t control any of them. Radical acceptance is the practice of embracing the totality of what is, as it is.

Learning to live is the reason we get sober. At Enlightened Solutions, we are showing clients how to live a peaceful, holistic lifestyle. Our programs seek to heal mind, body, and spirit by bringing together the best of alternative healing, holistic therapy, and clinical treatment. For more information, call 844-234-LIVE.

Need Something New For Self-Care? Take An Adult Bath

Bath time is dreaded by many children- until they get in. Submerged in the warm water, surrounded by beloved bathtime toys, and receiving the loving touch of a doting parent helps children relax before bedtime. Science has proven that being submerged in water changes body chemistry and balances pH levels, causing relaxation. As adults, bathtime becomes a luxury for which there is rarely time, unless at a spa. Reader’s Digest suggests that taking an adult bath is exactly what is needed for total restoration.

Stress is a chronic problem, particularly when you’re living with an addiction or mental health disorder. Managing stress is essential for emotional regulation, keeping the body healthy, and maintaining focus on recovery. During a bath, focusing on relaxation is all that can happen. Otherwise, you’re just simmering in stress- literally. Instead, bath time can be a private time for self-care.

Self-care is a critical concept in recovery from addiction and co-occurring disorders. Taking time for self-care is the way you show yourself the same tender, loving care a parent shows a toddler in the bath. Instead of rubber duckies and Johnson’s baby shampoo, though there may be a time, there are other ways to enhance a bath time to rejuvenate mind, body, and spirit. Incorporating an adult bath into a self-care regime is healing for mind, body, and spirit.

How to bring together recovery and bath time? Here are some suggestions:

• Practicing alone time and practicing self-care aren’t always synonymous. Make bath time one of the ways you practice being alone with yourself. Turn off your phone, shut the door, and mark your calendar as busy.

• Since you aren’t bringing a glass of wine or champagne into a bath, bring another delicious beverage. Try making a tea which blends together relaxing herbs like chamomile and lavender with vanilla. Add a squeeze of lemon to help the body detoxify as it sweats in the warm water and a drizzle of honey for luxurious sweetness.

• Use aromatherapy to enhance the senses and promote relaxation. Put a few drops of essential oils into the bath. Light scented candles or an incense. Turn on an aromatherapy diffuser in the room so you can breathe it in with every inhale.

• If you feel like meditating, practice a mindfulness body scanning technique in which you become aware of the way the water is surrounding your body and offering you relaxation.

• If you don't’ feel like meditating, bring an inspiring book with you. Doing recovery “homework” in the bath might not be relaxing. Reading inspirational books about spirituality, personal stories of recovery, and healing from mental health disorders will energize you as your bath relaxes you.

Enlightened Solutions brings together the best of holistic healing, alternative therapy, 12 step philosophy, and clinical treatment. Our partial care programs for dual diagnosis addiction and mental health disorders help clients grow along spiritual lines. Start your recovery with us by calling 844-234-LIVE.

The Real Effect Of Seasonal Affective Disorder On Mental Health

Spring should be sprung all over the country, yet persistent climate changes have kept the weather glum. April showers bring May flowers, but May has been gray and June gloom awaits in many areas. Long lasting winter and dark weather can have an affect on mental health with the very real seasonal affective disorder, a form of depression.

The Reach Of SAD

According to The Independent which wrote extensively on the way sunlight deprivation is experienced around the world, “Seasonality is reported by approximately 10 to 20 per cent of people with depression and 15 to 22 percent of those with bipolar disorder.” Those with preexisting mental health disorders prone to periods of sadness and depression are not the only ones to experience SAD. “Even healthy people who have no seasonal problems seem to experience this low-amplitude change over the year, with worse mood and energy during autumn and winter and an improvement in spring and summer,” the article explains.

What Causes SAD

Winter time, or a prolonged season of winter-like days can be draining in physical and mental health. Most fingers point to the way a lack of sunlight messes with the body’s natural circadian clock. Our circadian rhythm is what helps us wake up in the morning and be tired by nightfall. In a normal 24 hour cycle, we have a natural programming for when to be asleep. Constant lack of sunlight mimics the nighttime and causes the circadian cycle to become confused. Should we be awake or asleep? During winter months specifically, daylight hours are shorter. Instead of being overcast and cloudy, the days are filled with dark. The effect can be the same for extended seasons full of gloom and rain covering the skies. The Independent explains that this theory is called the “phase-shift hypothesis” which points to melatonin. Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone which helps the body feel that circadian-scheduled sleepiness. Too much darkness, or, too little sunshine, can produce too much melatonin, causing more drowsiness, and sleepiness, which can lead to feelings of depression and lethargy.

Remedies For SAD

• Take a high dose of Vitamin D for sunshine nutrients

• Go to a tanning salon to get doses of UVA and UVB rays

• Get lots of exercise to keep the body’s energy running

• Use the down time for reflection, reading, and growth

Coping with long periods of the blues often leads people to fill their time with drugs and alcohol. If you experience difficulty coping with the phases of life and turn to substances to cope, there is help available. Call Enlightened Solutions today for information on our partial care programs for dual diagnosis addiction and mental health disorders. 844-234-LIVE.

Taking Time For Spiritual Healing Changes Your Brain, Changes Your Life

Treatment for drug and alcohol addiction as well as co-occurring mental health issues are often criticized for being too much like a spa or a treat. Alternative treatment methods like acupuncture, massage, and reiki, with yoga classes, meditation, organic meals, and more, sound like a vacation more than work. Treatment programs offer all these healing therapies as supplement to the intense and often exhausting clinical therapy taking place. Recovering from drug and alcohol addiction takes time on a spiritual journey. Full service treatment programs which offer multiple forms of spiritual healing are successful because they provide a retreat for the spirit. After years of abuse, running from the past, and neglecting needs, each client is in need of a deep healing and spiritual transformation. What brings an addict or alcoholic to treatment is considerable compared to what might inspire people to attend a spiritual retreat or spa vacation. Restoration of the mind, body, and spirit, feels life changing. According to Bustle, it truly is life-changing because it can change the brain.

Published in Religion, Brain & Behavior the study is possible the first of its kind to examine the effects of taking a spiritual retreat on the structure of the brain. Studying the neurophysiological effects of spirituality is becoming a more popular field in science as people increasing lean toward the spiritual rather than the scientific.

Participants, aged 24 to 76, attended a 7 day spiritual retreat which had Christian ties. Using clinical scales and questionnaires, the participants were interviewed before the retreat as well as a week after. A brain scan was also conducted before and after.

The retreat included hours of meditation, personal reflection, prayer, mass, and working with a personal spiritual mentor. After the retreat, participants felt less tension and fatigue in their lives, while expressing feeling more spiritual beliefs than they did before. As for the neuroimaging, there was “a drop of between 5 to 8 percent in dopamine and serotonin binding, meaning that even more of these feel-good chemicals could be accessed by the brain.” Both serotonin and dopamine are associated with happiness, emotion, mood, and even spirituality.

Creating spiritual meaning in life is essential for addiction recovery. The twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous are called a spiritual program of living, where one can grow along spiritual lines. Finding a spiritual healing in recovery creates purpose and meaning, while reducing the painful effects of addiction. Research has proven that physical pain is registered as more intense depending on the negative mood someone is in. Spirituality changes the way the brain regulates positive emotions, helping clients become more resilient to emotional pain, physical pain, and the pain life can sometimes cause. Spirituality in treatment isn’t about retreat, it’s about stepping fully into life, clean and sober.

Enlightened Solutions brings together traditional clinical treatment with holistic alternative therapy and 12 step philosophy. Healing mind, body, and spirit, we strive to show clients how to start their recovery as a new way of life. For more information, call us today at 844-234-LIVE.

Treatment For Addiction And Mental Health Should Be A Blend Of Eastern And Western Medicine

People are turning toward naturopathic, alternative, homeopathic medicines and treatments for a reason: Western medicine isn’t working. Finding a balance between eastern practices and western practices is bringing people to a holistic state of healing in which they find they are healing mind, body, and spirit. Western medicine largely focuses on the symptoms, rather than the core of the problem. Eastern medicine is more preventative, focusing on the core of the issue. Much of eastern medicine is spiritually connected, working under the philosophy that emotions are energy and emotional energy has the capacity to make us sick. Living a healthy and balanced lifestyle has to include balance for emotions and the spirit. Medications, tests, and examinations in western medicine tend to lead to an answer of “stress” and needing to get rid of whatever is causing stress. Eastern practices have the ability to pinpoint the cause of stress.

Acupuncture, for example, can identify emotional energy blockages by working with the body’s acupressure points. Massage can find tension in the muscles and release them, often releasing emotional energy. Essential oils can be calming, invigorating, grounding, and releasing. Crystals tend to only have effect when their specific energy and attributes are necessary, highlighting what the problem might be. Not reacting to rose quartz? Your heart is probably doing fine. Feeling a tingle or some kind of draw to obsidian? You might have some issues from the past to work out.

A blend of both kinds of medicine is necessary because Eastern medicine can sometimes fall short in the western body. Treatment for addiction and alcoholism as well as other mental health issues has to be taken seriously in its holistic approach. How many oils would it take to balance depression and anxiety which are becoming a clinical issue? Should cravings be considered an emotional issue or warrant a prescription for drugs like Naltrexone? The goal in treatment is to make clients comfortable, help them relax, heal them, and show them how to live a fully sober life in recovery. Balancing east and west is a primary example of doing so.

At Enlightened Recovery Solutions, we’re bringing together the best of clinical therapy, holistic healing, and 12 step philosophy. Recovery starts with you. Start your recovery with us. For information on our integrative programs for partial care, call us today at 844-234-LIVE.

Are You Codependent?

Recovering from codependency and codependent tendencies can feel as difficult as recovering from drug addiction and alcoholism. Letting go of lifetime behaviors and survival techniques is hard, but it is not impossible. You can have loving and healthy relationships. Are you codependent? See if you resonate with any of these descriptions:

• You feel that if you don’t meet the needs of others you will be abandoned, rejected, abused, or neglected

• As a result, you value the needs and wants of others over your own

• Sometimes, the way you prioritize other people over yourself can lead to problems in your relationships and responsibilities

• You feel like you cannot escape the cycle of trying to control, manipulate, care-take, and be overbearing in relationships. Once it starts causing problems, you feel as though it gets worse.

• You either have poor boundaries or don’t set any boundaries when it comes to other people. You’re willing to let someone completely into your life and insert yourself completely into someone else’s. You’re often tired and feel like you have lost your sense of self.

• You constantly dismiss your own thoughts, opinions, desires, wants, and needs as though they are unimportant and bothersome to other people. It’s possible you believe they are unimportant because you believe that you are unimportant.

• Your life is full of obligations and responsibilities which drain you of your time, energy, and spirit. You are constantly in a state of giving, care taking, and managing. Frequently, you find yourself burned out and feeling resentful towards others. Eventually, you take on responsibilities from others just to be mad at them because you don’t feel there is any other way.

• There is a good chance you’re in a relationship with an addict, an alcoholic, someone with narcissistic personality disorder, another codependent, or in some other kind of dysfunctional relationship.

• You likely grew up in a home with someone who was abusive, neglectful, or who abandoned you and also suffered with an untreated mental health disorder.

• You likely have a mental health disorder of your own, outside of your codependency.

• Deep down, you feel that if you can just do enough, be enough, and please other people they won’t leave or hurt you.

Enlightened Recovery Solutions knows that there is freedom and serenity in recovery. It starts with you. Start your recovery with us. We integrate the best of holistic healing, spiritual wellness, clinically proven therapy, and 12 step philosophy. For more information, call us today at 844-234-LIVE.

Does Mindfulness Work For Reducing Anxiety?

Anxiety has little to do with being in the present moment other than spending that present moment worrying about the future. Getting caught up in anxious thoughts feels like getting lost in an uncontrollable stream of worry, concern, and fear over things which might not even be real. Millions of people live with anxiety and co-occurring disorders like addiction or alcoholism but do not receive treatment. Each day, they live under the rule of their anxiety, which takes a toll physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Recently, Brigham Young University conducted a study on anxiety and the effect of mindfulness in reducing anxiety. Mindfulness helps those with anxiety accomplish three important states. First, it helps them focus on the present moment. Second, it returns them to their breath. Third, it helps them get in touch with their true emotions. “People who are not aware of ‘moment-to-moment experience’ many times void difficult emotions,” the article explains, “This behavior leads to negative thoughts.” It can also lead to a heightened heart rate, rapid thinking mind, and muscle tension.

20 minutes of mindfulness a day can effectively reduce the symptoms of anxiety before, during, and after an anxiety attack or an episode of anxious thinking. Mindfulness practices tend to include focus on the breath. Practicing breathing exercises for anxiety helps increase mindfulness and reduce activity in the brain. Deep and controlled breaths are like a reset button for the brain, especially during anxiety. When we think of being anxious, worried, or afraid, we might notice our heart rate increasing. Anxiety typically does not come with long, deep breaths, but short rapid ones. The cross-signals of the rapid heart rate and short breathing actually trigger the brain’s anxiety further and vice versa.

Breathing For Anxiety

Start by identifying five things in each of your senses while trying to slow down your breath. After you have slowed your mind down with focus, turn your focus to your breath. Try breathing in through your nose for five full seconds, holding it for five full seconds, then letting it out for five full seconds. Repeat this breathing process. You will find that your body is systematically relaxing and your brain is starting to slow down. Soon, your anxious moment will be over and you will be in a clam state of mind.

Anxiety can be a trigger for relapse on drugs and alcohol. Recovery starts with holistic treatment of dual diagnosis issues, targeting mind, body, and spirit for transformative change. Our integrative programs at Enlightened Solutions bring together the best of both worlds, helping our clients find freedom in recovery. For more information, call us today at 844-234-LIVE.

Mania, Not Depression, Is The Hardest To Deal With In Bipolar

Bipolar disorder can feel like living two different lives. Defined by episodes of mania and depression, bipolar is defined by experiencing shifting mood swings in the extreme of each category for extended periods of time. There are two different kinds of bipolar. Bipolar 1 includes more manic episodes than depressive episodes. The episodes can last for weeks or even months at a time. Bipolar 2 includes more depression and can change much more rapidly. Depression in bipolar is similar to other kinds of depression. What someone with bipolar experiences in mania, however, is unlike any other condition. Sometimes it is possible to feel a manic episode coming on. Thoughts might start to change, energy increases, and ideas become bigger over a short period of time. Most of the time, someone with bipolar wakes up at 1,000% instead of 25% and the energy doesn’t stop.

Symptoms Of Bipolar Mania

Bipolar mania will look different for every individual. Generally, there are shared symptoms which include:

• Feeling “up” or elated

• Having an abundant amount of energy

• Feeling overly optimistic and positive

• Coming up with high standard plans and ideas

• Feeling invincible, often accompanied by a heightened sense of ego

• Acting without consequence or consideration

• “Jammed speech” or talking so fast as though there hasn’t been conversation for weeks

• Insomnia or restlessness

Shopping beyond budget, participating in reckless behaviors, substance abuse, sexual promiscuity, and other thrill seeking behaviors are common during mania.

What Makes Mania Difficult

After spending a period of time in a depressive state, mania can feel like a welcome relief, if not an escape from the doldrums. Unfortunately, mania can quickly get out of control. The brain can become so rapid fire that it turns all the positive energy in a different direction. People in manic episodes might experience psychosis and paranoia because their mind is moving so quickly.

Mania is not an upside to depression in bipolar. It can mean feeling out of control, unable to trust oneself, and not knowing when the madness will end. It can mean not knowing mania is even happening until money is spent, arguments are started, and reckless behaviors take a toll.

Bipolar and addiction often go hand in hand. To treat dual diagnosis problems, there is a solution. At Enlightened Solutions, we see the holistic approach to treatment work successfully in bringing peace and serenity to our client’s lives. Our integrative partial care programs fuse together spiritual wellness, clinical therapy, and 12 step philosophy. For more information, call us today at 844-234-LIVE.

The H.O.W. Of Recovery: Honest, Open Chakras, Willingness

We are repeatedly told that recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, as well as most co-occurring mental health disorders has to be holistic. Holistic healing, holistic wellness, and a holistic approach all mean the same thing. The word holistic means comprehending that everything is made of many parts and all of those parts are intimately interconnected. Addiction and alcoholism are not isolated to the mind or the body or even the spirit. When someone is overcome by addiction and alcoholism they have to recover in mind, body, and spirit. Trying to define mental illness by just one part of the equation does an injustice to the complexity of mental health disorders and often does an injustice to someone getting the treatment they need. A key to understanding the holistic approach is understanding that the only way to explain mental illness is by referring to the whole person- mind, body, and spirit.

Spiritual wellness, spirituality, and spiritual healing are an important part of the recovery process. Most treatment centers take the holistic approach and include some therapeutic components in their programs which reflect spiritual wellness. Massage, acupuncture, yoga, meditation, reiki, are common examples. One area many treatment centers don’t focus on is healing the chakras and opening them up. Opening the chakras allows the energy in the body to effortlessly flow from head to toe. Chakras which are closed and have been closed for many years stop the flow of energy which can cause emotional as well as physical health problems.

Chakras are seven energy centers in the body starting from our sacral region in our low back and center all the way to the top of our head. We work with our chakras through yoga, meditation, and reiki to release the energy. Breathing exercises focused on opening the chakras can help release the blockages there. Most often, our difficulties in treatment are reflected in which chakras are closed. There are correlations between what each chakra represents and regulates to what we go through on a daily basis. Keeping the chakras open helps us to be more open to live, recovery, and the freedom recovery promises.

At Enlightened Solutions we provide an integrative program of holistic healing, clinical therapy, and 12 step philosophy for total transformation. Our partial care programs are designed for dual diagnosis patients needing healing for substance use and mental health disorders. Recovery starts with you. Start your recovery with us. Call us today for more information at 844-234-LIVE.

Depression Can Become A Clinical Problem: Do You Know When?

The signs of depression aren’t always obvious. Symptoms can last a long time before they’re noticeably problematic.

When Your Appetite Has Taken A 180

Hunger and depression go together in confusing ways. If you are a normal eater you will notice a change either in the direction of eating more food or eating less food. Depression is being researched in its connection with gut bacteria which is created by the food we eat. Hunger can also be associated with hormones produced by the thyroid which affects hunger. A severe change in appetite can be a sign that something is imbalanced. If you are noticing serious changes in mood in addition to changes in hunger, that might be a sign of depression.

When Your Sleep Is The Opposite Of Normal

Sleeplessness in depression is common. First, the natural circadian rhythm can be altered by shifting hormones which cause change in sleep. Second, changes in sleep due to chemical depression can cause lethargy and sleeping all day, which can contribute to the natural sleep rhythm being off.  Third, depression can cause a different kind of sleep alteration. Instead of losing sleep during the night  due to being low energy all day one might lose sleep because they have too much energy. A little known and under recognized symptom of depression is high energy and productivity— the opposite of what is generally expected out of depression.

When Your Sensitivity Levels Are Off

Depression is characterized by heavy emotions of sadness and sensitivity. You might find yourself being more reactionary than responsive. Feeling as though you were an overfilled water balloon, you live as though you are on edge. The slightest offense— real or perceived— could set off waterworks and a slew of emotions. In contrast, sensitivity can also result in more demonstrations of anger. Depression and anger aren’t commonly thought to go together but they often can. Anger can be a sign of deep emotional pain which is stuck in its processing.

When You Think You’re Anxious

Anxiety and depression are often confused because they both share the characteristic of ruminating thoughts. Sometimes, anxiety is depressing and sometimes depression can induce anxiety. Experiencing anxiety attacks or feeling generally anxious about the future, or even the past, could actually be depression rather than anxiety.

Depression is a leading mental health issue around the world and one of the most highly co-occurring disorders with addiction and alcoholism. If you are struggling with depression and turning to drugs or alcohol to cope, there is a solution. Call Enlightened Solutions today for information on our partial care programs designed to heal mind, body, and spirit. 844-234-LIVE.

Creative Arts Therapies Are Beneficial For Wellbeing

Few things, if any at all, in treatment are planned without a copious amount of research behind them. Every didactic lecture, experiential activity, physical exercise, holistic healing, and creative arts therapy is integrated into a treatment program for a very specific reason. Most often, they are for two specific reasons. First, they are proven to reduce the symptoms of addiction, alcoholism, and many of the mental health disorders which are often co-occurring. They relieve stress, enhance relaxation, as well as encourage physical, spiritual, and mental wellbeing. Second, they provide priceless instruction in “relapse prevention”, which is a general term for the collection of tools and skills those in recovery take with them after treatment. Though it can feel like it, treatment doesn’t last forever. One day, the structure and routine are gone. When difficult moments of triggers and cravings arise, it is up to those in recovery to utilize the tools they’ve picked up to get themselves through.

Creative arts therapies are an important practice and skill set in recovery. Treatment programs contain such an array of modalities because not one individual will recover in the same way. No two people experience their alcoholism or mental health disorder in the precisely same fashion. As a result, treatment programs have to be flexible enough to be tailored to the unique needs of each individual. Some people express themselves and work best in an academic setting while others find their best communication through art. Creative art therapies help create a bridge for grasping wide concepts in recovery, learning to communicate with others, finding ways to express emotions, and creating tools for self-care in the future.

According to Mindful, new research from New Zealand has found that “creative acts” in every day life can contribute to a greater sense of wellbeing. “Results showed that people who were engaged in more creative activities than usual on one day reported increased positive emotion and flourishing the next day, while negative emotions didn’t change,” the article explains. Interestingly, the opposite response did not occur. “People who experienced higher positive emotions on day one weren’t more involved in creative activities on day two, suggesting that everyday creativity leads to more well-being rather than the other way around.” Specifically and directly, the researcher behind the project explained that there was no sham around the effect of creativity and well being. “Research often yields complex, murky, or weak findings,” she expressed, “But these patterns were strong and straightforward: Doing creative things today predicts improvements in well-being tomorrow. Full stop.”

Integrative treatment is what we believe to be the solution to the problem of drug addiction and alcoholism. Our programs at Enlightened Solutions bring together a balance of clinical, holistic, spiritual, and twelve step approaches. For more information on our partial care programs, call 844-234-LIVE.

High Functioning Alcoholism: Should We Be Calling It That?

There is always a certain level of shock and disbelief when a loved one who, aside from their recent admittance to alcoholism, seemed to have it “all together”. Despite a few difficulties here and there, everything in their life was happening according to “normal”. Daily responsibilities were being met within reason. They had a job the woke up and went to in the morning. If they had children, the children were well attended to. Bills were paid, mouths were fed, and they might even have been in decent physical shape, constantly working to take care of themselves. Somehow, behind the facade of “normalcy” or even what some might call “success” there was a chronic and worsening problem with alcohol. The stigmatized image of the alcoholic, which is not an uncommon story, minimizes the experience of others. As a result, other people who experience their alcoholism in different ways can perpetuate their problem unnoticed, until, their is no room left for hiding.

Bustle reports in depth about understanding the “high functioning alcoholic” and why this kind of alcoholism is often difficult to spot. “…people can fit the measure of a severe drinking disorder—inability to quit drinking, tendency to put themselves in situations where they may get hurt, experiences with withdrawal— while still appearing outwardly like perfectly healthy beings with functional lives.” The result is “a very dangerous combination.” High functioning alcoholism poses a significant threat not just to the life of the alcoholic but to the lives of those involved.

The stereotype of normalcy often prevents an alcoholic from recognizing their problem. Denial is a huge issue which prevents many alcoholics from taking the highly remarked “first step” in solving their problem with alcohol- admitting they have a problem with alcohol. As a result, the problem can continue to worsen. Eventually, it could lead to injury or death on the part of the alcoholic or on the part of their children, spouses, friends, coworkers, or other people. Simply stated, when an alcoholic— high functioning or not— is not held accountable for their problem, the alcoholism grows out of control.

If you feel that you or a loved one are living under the guise of high functioning alcoholism, your drinking does not have to get worse before everything gets better. Your journey to recovery starts with you. Start it with us at Enlightened Solutions. Our integrative programs bring together the best of holistic treatment, spiritual healing, twelve step philosophy, and clinically proven therapy modalities. Call us today for more information at 844-234-LIVE.

Generalized Anxiety: Do You Believe In Generalized Myths?

Anxiety is one of the most frequently co-occurring mental health disorders with substance use disorders which include drugs and alcohol. High anxiety can lead to tumultuous emotions and a chronic state of worrying, in addition to many other symptoms. Impulsivity, panic, and intensified fear of judgment by peers are especially high risk factors for those with anxiety to develop a relationship with substance abuse. Too often, anxiety disorders like generalized anxiety go misdiagnosed or undiagnosed. Mistaken for stress or chronic worrying, many family members and even doctors write off very obvious symptoms and approach anxiety in the wrong way. After numerous years without treatment, someone with generalized anxiety might find themselves struggling to make sense of their heightened emotional states and wondering why they can’t seem to function like ‘normal’ people. When the opportunity arises, they can easily be inspired to search for relief or answers in drugs and alcohol. The predisposition of mental illness causes the mind to be more susceptible to developing a chemical dependency, leading to a lifetime of problems until treatment and recovery.

Yes, Generalized Anxiety Can Be Treated

Generalized anxiety is a mental health disorder for which there are many treatments. Working with a psychiatrist for medication management, seeing a therapist to work through underlying issues, and receiving care from holistic health practitioners can all relieve the symptoms of generalized anxiety and make them more manageable. Mindfulness based stress reduction is a proven treatment method and lifestyle approach to living with anxiety. Using mindfulness helps take the focus out of the future, or the past, and bring it into the present moment. Immediately, there is a reduction in symptoms of stress.

Yes, Generalized Anxiety Is A Serious Anxiety Disorder

Because generalized anxiety is not a specific anxiety disorder like panic or social anxiety, many tend to believe that it is not or cannot be as severe. However, that is not true. Generalized anxiety in many ways is more complicated than specified anxiety because of the way it causes general anxiety. Without a specific focus, someone with generalized anxiety can experience anxious symptoms in response to absolutely anything.

Yes, Generalized Anxiety Needs To Be Treated When Co-Occurring With Substance Use Disorder

Anxiety and substance use disorders as co-occurring issues need to be treated in conjunction with one another. In order to fully recover from both, both need to be treated, because one can often inspire a triggered response in the other.

Enlightened Solutions offers an integrative approach to treating anxiety and substance use disorders. Bringing together spiritual and holistic healing with twelve step philosophy as well as clinically proven treatment methods, our clients start their lives in recovery on the right path. For more information, call us today at 844-234-LIVE.

Are You A Good Listener? Ways You Can Improve

Listening isn’t always as easy as it seems. We say we want to listen to our loved ones, that we are available to them whenever they need us. We want them to know that when they are struggling and need an ear to reach out to, ours are worthy to volunteer and listen. Are we truly prepared to hear what they have to say? Do we listen to them with an open heart and truly validate their experiences? Or might we still have residual pain due to the wreckage they caused in the past with their drinking and using? If we do, its likely we only listen to what we want to hear. We look for opportunities to prove ourselves right, to assert our authority, or to defend our positions. Perhaps we are filled with guilt and shame for not knowing when our loved one was asking for help- all those times when we should have been listening, but we weren’t.

Recovery and all of the work our loved ones are doing in treatment is teaching them many important lessons. One of them is to let go of the past and live as fully in the present moment as possible. Without holding onto anxiety about the future or worry about the past, our loved ones are finding themselves capable of being authentic and present in each moment of their lives. Listening is a practical way to apply present moment mindfulness to our new relationships building with loved ones in recovery.

Encourage Introspection Rather Than Investigate

We can be incredibly nosy and suspicious as the trusted family members of a loved one in treatment. Instead of truly searching for what is going on with our loved ones, we start to investigate them for what might be going on. For listening it is best to apply “innocent until proven guilty”. Ask them what is happening inside instead of accusatory statements like “what’s going on with you” or “what’s wrong”.

Remember That You’re Human, Too

Nobody is perfect. Consequently, we are all prone to being imperfect. If you find you want to fix, advise, control, or prevent something your loved one is talking about you are heading in the wrong direction. Now more than ever your loved one needs to know they are not deserving of the shame and guilt which comes with addiction and alcoholism or any co-occurring mental health disorders. Give subtle cues like head nods and non-verbal sounds which indicate you understand their struggle, even if you don’t get the details.

Enlightened Solutions believes it is possible for the family to heal. Our treatment programs include opportunities for family therapy and intensive family programming weekends in which loved ones come together in recovery. For more information on our partial care programs, call us today at 844-234-LIVE.

Sleep And Mental Health: There’s More To The Relationship

Sleep is a vital part of the recovery process. Rest is essential for the body, mind, and spirit to heal effectively. Without rest, clients run the risk of exhaustion and fatigue which can interfere with their ability to receive the information, participate ing groups, and make the most out of their treatment experience. Getting enough sleep is a practice which begins in early recovery and and must be carried out regularly throughout one’s lifetime for ongoing recovery.

Not getting enough sleep, struggling with restlessness, and even having to cope with night terrors or nightmares can be symptoms of poor mental health. Likewise, poor mental health can be caused by a lack of sleep. Anyone who has gone days on end with poor sleep feels the effect of mental and physical exhaustion symptomized by moodiness, irritability, and general discontent. For the addict or alcoholic in recovery this can have a devastating effect.

Huffington Post reports that sleep and mental health are intimately connected. “Nearly one in five Americans suffers from some kind of mental illness,” the website cites from the NIMH, National Institute of Mental Health. “Even more surprising, a whopping 50 to 80 percent of people living with typical psychiatric illnesses also report chronic sleep problems, compared to less than 20 percent of the general population.”

According to the article, post traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety can all interfere with sleep. In contrast, depression and anxiety can be triggered by a lack of sleep.

In early recovery treatment days, your loved one will likely be prescribed a sleep additive which is either pharmaceutical or natural. Non-narcotic sleep medications can be used to help reset the sleep cycle and make sure each client is getting enough rest. Natural remedies like melatonin, tryptophan, and/or valerian root could be used as well. Many other practices can contribute to better sleep, such as:

• • • Limiting the use of social media before bed time

    • Limiting the use of technological devices before bed time

    • Not taking a nap after 4p.m.

    • Cutting off intake of caffeine or high amounts of sugar after 5p.m.

    • Practicing mindfulness meditation before bed

Balance, health, and wellness are invaluable components of recovery. At Enlightened solutions, we provide integrative partial care programs for addiction and dual diagnosis mental health issues. Bringing together twelve step philosophy, clinically proven care, and spiritual holistic healing, we strive to help clients start their recovery the right way. For more information, call 844-234-LIVE.

4 Ways To Spark Growth And Development Without Spirituality

Whether in a faith based program or a program that utilizes numerous holistic health and spiritually based practices, recovery goes hand in hand with spirituality. Proven treatment methods are called evidence based because they are demonstrated to reduce the severity of harmful symptoms which can cause stress, emotional distress, and eventually lead to relapse. Mindfulness based practices are proven to help recovering addicts and alcoholics find a center in their lives from which they can operate successfully without abusing drugs or alcohol. Mindfulness based stress reduction and mindfulness based cognitive behavioral therapy are both proven methods in addition to meditation practices.

Spirituality isn’t for everyone. Today, it is an integral part of most treatment programs for addiction recovery treatment. Unfortunately, despite high levels of customization and creating individualized programs for each person who enters a treatment facility, there is still a likelihood that someone who doesn’t like spiritual ‘stuff’ will still have to endure multiple hours a week of just that. One of the most important things to learn in recovery is a simple lesson which is often regarded in this way: take what you want and leave the rest. To their own disadvantage, many who are in recovery become quickly discouraged by spirituality and forget to look for the many other ways they can relate to recovery and engage in their personal growth. Another recovery saying, look for the similarities, not the differences also applies. In need of a few non-spiritual ways to have one of those break through transformations everyone seems to have? Here are a few suggestions:

• Learn The Languages Of Emotions: There is nothing spiritual about emotional articulation. Emotions are immensely scientific in addition to being somewhat spiritual. Learning how to identify your emotions, regulate them, articulate them, and express them in a healthy way is a science and an art.

• Read Books Which Are Inspiring To You: You don’t have to read the same books as everyone else with spiritual subjects you don’t relate to. Thankfully, plenty of people in recovery have taken to scientific research in addition to their own personal journeys of sobriety to create compelling and informative stories.

• Utilize The Practical Stuff: Diet and nutrition, health and wellness, exercise and regular sleep- these are all tools for recovery and for life. Put focus into practicing these guides to transformative change. A good night's sleep every night for a week might just change your life.

• Challenge Yourself To Get Uncomfortable: An ultimate demise of each recovering addict and alcoholic is being uncomfortable. Spirituality and spiritual talk can be uncomfortable. Averting it entirely will make your recovery remarkably isolated. Open-mindedness is often regarded as a spiritual tenet but can be a truly life-changing practical application. Take into consideration what works for others by maintaining an element of curiosity rather than indignation.

Enlightened Solutions offers a practical approach to integrating holistic and clinical elements into a life changing program. For information on our partial care programs for addiction and dual diagnosis issues, call 844-234-LIVE today.