It's impossible to have a problem-free life—the global effects of coronavirus have underscored this reality. Written originally for young people Earl Hipp's book, Feed Your Head: Some Excellent Stuff on Being Yourself , offers specific ways to access calm and stay in touch, even when the storms are raging.
In his book, A Gentle Path Through the Twelve Principles: Living the Values Behind the Steps , Dr. Patrick Carnes teaches that recovery's process of healing and growth will be sustained not by control but by trust. In this excerpt, Dr. Carnes invites us to reflect on a time in our life when we survived—and even thrived—through a leap of faith.
In this time of coronavirus, many of us are spending hours each day looking at screens. In Cyber Junkie: Escape the Gaming and Internet Trap , Kevin Roberts describes the need to carefully navigate this landscape while staying rooted in the realities of supportive relationships and healthy boundaries.
When it feels like we're trapped and all we want to do is escape, how do we do that without turning to our addictions? Look to Jodie Gould's High: Six Principles for Guilt-Free Pleasure and Escape for how to use art to find pleasure.
The pandemic has brought with it new ways for the recovery community to connect, but what stays the same is the value of a sponsor, a mentor, a guide. In Undrunk: A Skeptic's Guide to AA , learn about how to find a sponsor in your own recovery.
As we are staying home during the pandemic, we can use the time to explore the concept of our boundaries and how we take care of ourselves while in recovery. In Boundaries: Where You End and I Begin , Anne Katherine explains why boundaries are important and leads us through a couple exploratory exercises.
Living in a time of pandemic-related isolation and uncertainty invites us to care for ourselves and others in new ways. In his book, Three Simple Rules: Uncomplicating Life in Recovery , author Michael Graubart makes the case that truly enjoyable, fruitful, spiritual, meaningful, and sober lives come from living by three simple rules: Trust God. Clean house. Help others.
What is the role of acceptance during the coronavirus pandemic? Where is serenity when we need it most? In this excerpt from his book, 12 Stupid Things That Mess Up Recovery , Dr. Allen Berger gently but firmly roots us in the reality that life is hard and always will be.
In this era of coronavirus, it's helpful to revisit three essentials in the anti-anxiety toolbox. In Almost Anxious: Is My (or My Loved One's) Worry or Distress a Problem? , Dr. Luana Marques reminds us how good sleep, healthy food, and regular exercise will help us maintain mental health, even in uncertain times.
In some of us, the neurochemicals associated with negative emotions trip the reward centers of our brains and we become addicted to unhappiness. In his book, A Gentle Path Through the Twelve Principles: Living the Values Behind the Steps , Dr. Patrick Carnes offers four strategies for rewiring our emotional pathways and reclaiming the functions of a healthy brain.
Beverly Conyers, Find Your Light: Practicing Mindfulness to Recover from Anything , puts suffering into perspective and reaches into philosophical and religious teachings to be able to reframe it for us. It's not a glib "suffering makes you a better person!" type dismissal, but it's more of a reminder that we, as people in recovery, have learned the most important lessons because of our suffering.
Feelings are what make us human. Written originally for young people, Earl Hipp's book, Feed Your Head: Some Excellent Stuff on Being Yourself , is a timely reminder, in these anxiety-producing days of coronavirus pandemic, about healthy expression of anger.
Having tried all kinds of unhelpful responses to feelings that seem overwhelming, those of us in recovery have practices to help us navigate negativity, and we're usually looking for more. Kevin Roberts recommends the depression-defying gift of gratitude in his book, Cyber Junkie: Escaping the Gaming and Internet Trap .
Authors Ronald and Patricia Potter-Efron describe shame as, "A painful belief in one's basic defectiveness as a human being." In their book Letting Go of Shame: Understanding How Shame Affects Your Life , the Potter-Efrons help us consider our shame as a messenger or teacher, with a role to play in our lives.
In this time of uncertainty, let's turn our attention to one of the only things we can control: our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, by working through two exercises from the new guided journal by Barbara Theodosiou, Living Without Shame: A Support Book for Mothers with Addicted Children . Although this support book is designed for mothers, these exercises can be helpful for anyone who feels a little (or a lot) overwhelmed right now.
Maintaining a healthy recovery during a worldwide pandemic can be hard work. In addition to keeping connected to our support systems and staying away from opportunities to use, we also need to continue the work of self-evaluation. In this excerpt from his book, 12 Stupid Things That Mess Up Recovery , Dr. Allen Berger shows how confusing self-concern for selfishness prevents us from acting on our own behalf. Learning to honor and care for ourselves is a hallmark of recovery.
There are fewer options than usual for finding a natural high while we're both in recovery and in the pandemic. Luckily, Jodie Gould's High: Six Principles for Guilt-Free Pleasure and Escape tells us we can restore ourselves with sleep and massage.
If you've ever asked for advice in calming your anxiety, someone has probably suggested that you meditate. In her book The Recovering Body: Physical and Spiritual Fitness for Living Clean and Sober , author Jennifer Matesa introduces us to somebody who greatly improved her own meditation practice: a dog named Flo.
For those of us who walk in the worlds of both mental illness and addiction, it's important to think about what Step Three's release of control means to us, especially with the coronavirus pandemic in our midst. In her book Sane , Marya Hornbacher talks about the illusion of self-control and the concept of surrender.
Too much stress puts us at risk of relapse and can harm our health, but how can we avoid stress at a time like this? In her book A Kinder Voice: Releasing Your Inner Critics with Mindfulness Slogans , Thérèse Jacobs-Stewart offers this paradox: meditation will work much better for us when we stop trying so hard.
Many of us are running ourselves ragged these days, as parents or caregivers. But, as author Rosemary O'Connor explains in A Sober Mom's Guide to Recovery , it's not only beneficial to show yourself some compassion, it's necessary.
We're all facing some new and challenging interpersonal situations these days. In her book, Boundaries: Where You End and I Begin , Anne Katherine show us how each challenge is an opportunity to assert who we are, and what we truly need to live happy, healthy lives.
During the coronavirus outbreak, having to stay confined is not easy, especially if you've got a son or daughter who's working through a substance use disorder. In his book Recovering My Kid , Dr. Joseph Lee helps you create a safe home where you set the boundaries.
For those of us trying to maintain our recovery, this global health emergency is a stressful time. In Three Simple Rules: Uncomplicating Life in Recovery , author Michael Graubart gives advice on silencing the negativity flying around in our heads.
Today, those of us in creative areas of work may be struggling to answer whether our work is "essential," which can cause creative blocks reminiscent of those we experienced while active in our addictions. In her book The Recovering Body , Jennifer Matesa emphasizes the vital importance of creative work, and reassures us that our moments of blockage and self-doubt will pass....
Many of us are grieving right now: Losing jobs, old ways of life, the ability to see loved ones. Even losses due to coronavirus or relapse. In Without Shame , author Barbara Theodosiou describes losing her son to the disease of addiction in 2015, and how self-care, forgiveness, and service can be present, even in grief.
Many grandparents find themselves parenting their grandchildren, due to their own children struggling with substance use disorders, incarceration, or challenges, like COVID-19 or other illnesses. The Grandfamily Guidebook by Andrew Adesman, MD and Christine Ademec, is a helpful resource for grandparents during these times.
Realities like physical distancing can stir up feelings of isolation, and even darkness in our recovery. As Marya Hornbacher explains in Waiting: A Nonbeliever's Higher Power , we can return to Step One to find meaning and value in even our lowest moments.
Parenting a child with a substance use disorder is hard, but it's especially difficult due to the pandemic. Dr. Joseph Lee, in his book Recovering My Kid , coaches us through handling our feelings and taking out our emotional trash.
We all need some help. Every one of us is dealing with situations we didn’t anticipate. Stress and uncertainty are real these days, in old and new forms. We need to remember all of the sources of help available to us, as well as the ways we can be of service to others. In this excerpt from Shock Waves: A Practical Guide to Living with a Loved One's PTSD , Cynthia Orange teaches us how to ask for help, how to best offer help, and how to make our crisis-filled days a little bit more predictable....
