As the 2016–17 school year opens, parents and kids are preparing for major changes in routine. You may be thinking about going back to school yourself, especially if a bout with chemical dependence interrupted your education. But even if you have all the degrees you want, learning shouldn’t be shelved with “that’s that” relief once
Resisting Relapse When it Rains on Your Parade
“Into each life some rain must fall,” said Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Those who recently lived through Hurricane Matthew are probably thinking right now that they’ve had enough metaphorical and literal rain for one lifetime. Whether your “flood of rain” comes in the form of a literal deluge, a personal tragedy, or one everyday frustration too
No Time for Happiness? 7 Principles for Embracing Your Limits
Fewer people are “driven to drink” by tragedy than by the everyday stress of “keeping up.” It doesn’t matter whether your daily schedule revolves around entering data into a computer, taking care of children, or volunteering with Habitat for Humanity: just when you think you’ve got a time slot for everything and everything in its
Keep That New Year’s Resolution Year Round: Six Secrets of Keeping Resolutions Fresh
Each year, forty percent of Americans make New Year’s resolutions—and eighty percent of resolvers break their resolutions. You may be among those who have never kept a January 1 promise this far into the year—or who have given up the whole idea. The main problem is that New Year’s resolutions only “work” when we do.
Don’t Fool Yourself: What 6 Classic Pranks Teach Us About Rationalization
Did you fall for any April Fool jokes this weekend? You may dislike being the butt of a prank, but most of them are harmless enough. That can’t be said of the rationalizations people use to “fool” themselves into starting or returning to, harmful drugs. Often, as with the classic prank, the trap is extremely
Avoiding Relapse When Life Gets Overwhelming
June is traditionally the month for weddings. It’s also a month when many recent graduates are seeking their first full-time jobs. Either situation means major changes in living situations, responsibilities, daily schedules, and/or budgets—not to mention all the planning, decision-making, and to-do lists that go into making the actual transition happen. Even when they represent
Walking in a Straight Line
Often we associate the practice of meditation as a static activity; perhaps in a cross-legged position with our eyes closed. Yet sitting still is a difficult task for many of us. Maybe even especially so since we are feeling the increasing pressure to produce at our jobs, maintaining the home environment or simply having more
Write the New Story of Your Life in Your Journal
“I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.” -Oriah Mountain Dreamer D.T. was in treatment for drug and alcohol addiction when she first came to my writing circle. She was in her 20’s, a little gruff, and not too
Teenagers – Unique Creatures
Over the course of hundreds of years, anthropologists have identified a unique creature roaming planet Earth. There, observers noted over centuries of observation that these creatures can at times behave irrationally and impulsively, suggesting a limited capacity for reason and judgment. ‑ the name assigned to these unique creatures? ‑ the Human Teenager. Teenagers are
7 Ways to Maintain Hope in Recovery
I remember eagerly, yet timidly, beginning eating disorder recovery. Notebook in hand, I was terrified, ashamed, and I was oh-so-tired. I was ready to be done, or so I thought. I didn’t realize on day 1 that recovery would be a process and I wouldn’t get better with that one notebook. It turns out that