About Katherine Swarts, MA

Katherine Swarts is a freelance content writer from Houston, Texas, specializing in posts for treatment centers and hospitals. She loves books, cats, and good coffee, and has considerable personal experience with stress management. Katherine’s other Recovery Connection articles | Katherine’s website

Katherine Swarts, MA has written 11 articles so far, you can find them below.

What is Hygge? The Key To A Sober Holiday

what is hygge

What is Hygge? The Key To A Sober Holiday Hygge—roughly pronounced “HUE-guh”—is a Danish word that has been adopted into the English language because no English word properly captures the concept. The closest equivalent is “coziness,” but hygge also implies self-pampering, companionship, soft light, good food, simplicity, and freedom from concern. It also implies an

The Scariest Things About Sobriety – 6 Fears & How to Beat Them

woman hiding behind glass sculpture representing her sober fears

Right now, are you looking forward to personal life changes that are strong and positive—yet scary? When you’re fresh out of detox, the prospect of lasting sobriety can look terrifying. Will you be able to resist temptation? Will you get a reputation for weakness or prudishness? Will your friendships or career suffer? While the scares

Coping with End-of-Summer Transitions

bike parked inside leaning against a white wall at the end of summer

Coping with End-of-Summer Transitions Stress is a major factor in most cases of addiction relapse. Life transitions are by definition stressful. So it follows that anyone in recovery, and especially in the early stages, does well to approach transition periods with extra caution. That also applies to “regular” transition periods such as the end of

Avoiding Relapse When Life Gets Overwhelming

Sunset at the beach

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

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

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.

5 Ways to Cope with Summer’s Special Challenges

Straw hat, bag and sun glasses on a tropical beach

Long after final graduation, most people still find summer the ideal time to slow down and relax. Leisure travel increases, organizations suspend regular meetings, and 9-to-5 businesses slow their production schedules. Families with schoolchildren make major adjustments in daily routines. Weddings and outdoor events surge in frequency. And—for those who battle alcoholism or other substance