One of the most significant drivers in my recovery is my career as a psychotherapist. I work with adults struggling with mental illness and the majority also deal with substance abuse. A lot of people have questions about therapy and I’d be happy to help out, answer questions, etc. I feel useful and motivated when I have the opportunity to be of service. This in no way negatively impacts my own recovery; on the contrary, it will probably be refreshing to me to be able to share my personal experiences, whereas at my job I keep my boundaries pretty rigid.
I have tons of resources at my disposal and don’t want to keep them all to myself!
@ClearSky Oh my this is so kind. To use your experience, knowledge, gifts, and resources to help others. This is what it’s all about.
I’m on Paxil, been on it for a year for depression and anxiety. I get exercise on a regular basis, outside in the sunshine. I take vitamins and eat lots of fruits, veggies, and lean protein. Any advice to widen my recovery (depression and addiction) in a unique way? (tools to add to my recovery toolbox, things to try, etc)
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@JohnSee, I am (still) recovering from a severe eating disorder that I’ve struggled with for about 25 years. It is the mother of all struggles. I had an on-again, off-again relationship with alcohol until two years ago where it really ramped up and I began drinking too much almost every day. I only have 19 days of sobriety today. I decided to take the plunge when I realized how screwed up it was for me to be counseling mentally ill addicts/alcoholics when I was drinking so much
@Melrm, sounds like you have been taking some really positive steps in your sobriety; you should be proud. Exercise, good sleep hygiene, and proper nutrition set the foundation for wellness. Some other things I recommend to my clients:
Mindfulness meditation. This is such a powerful tool, and studies show that a regular meditation practice can be just as effective as anti-depressants. I use a free app called Buddhify that has tons of great guided meditations to get you started.
Omega-3 fatty acid supplements. Also shown to have really potent anti-depressive qualities.
For bipolar disorder or personality disorders, attending a group DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy) can be very valuable.
Find an individual therapist who specializes in addiction. There are many therapy modalities out there; most people are familiar with CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) but I personally am a fan of others such as ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy, which focuses on values-directed living) and art therapy.
Keep a recovery journal. I am a fan of bullet journals and keep a habit tracker, reasons to stay sober, consequences I’ve experienced as the result of my drinking, coping skills, phone numbers of people in my support network, things I look forward to in my sobriety, etc.
I’ll probably think of some other tips but this will get us started!
Thanks @ClearSky I’ve been doing all that you listed except group DBT and working with a therapist. I have my own business and have only catastrophic health insurance. I’m 102 days clean and sober today. My sobriety feels stronger now than it did when I had 6 years of sobriety. I’m doing more; using all types of resources and tools to better myself and help others.
I want to keep this thread alive if it is helpful, so I’ll pop in occasionally with some thoughts/ideas. I was talking to my clients today about the “struggle switch” (there’s a great short animated clip on YouTube about it).
This is about secondary emotions. One of the biggest issues we deal with in sobriety or life in general is ANXIETY. Anxiety boils down to fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of judgment, fear of our immortality. It is absolutely paralyzing at times. And if you’ve ever experienced paralyzing anxiety…you probably have fear that you will experience it again! Maybe just reading about anxiety is giving you anxiety. So now you have anxiety about feeling anxiety!
Upon realizing that you are anxious about your anxiety, you might begin judging yourself. You may get ANGRY about having anxiety about your anxiety! “I don’t want this $&@?ing anxiety! Damn it!!”
Then you might get SAD! “Sob I can’t believe this is my life, it’s so painful sob”
Now maybe you feel guilty about feeling sad about your anger about your anxiety about your anxiety. “Oh but there’s people who have it so much worse than I do! Think of the starving children in Africa!!!”
You get the idea. You end up spending so much freaking energy tying yourself into emotional knots. IF you are able to visualize your anxiety as a cloud in the sky, sort of floating around, maybe getting bigger or smaller or darker or lighter in color - you can start detaching yourself from the struggle. The anxiety is free to move and in order for you to feel okay, your negative emotions need SPACE to move around so they eventually float away. That is the idea of turning off the struggle switch. Don’t flip the switch!
@ClearSky i think its awsome that your willing to do this for others … i just recently accepted that i can’t do this alone and finally found a great therapist and the burden lifted off my shoulders by doing so has been profound!
Kind of coincidental that he and i were just discussing how his job in helping others through their addictions and struggles helps him through his.
@Melrm pretty sure your not a real person you must be made up lol jk jk you really have your shit together you always give the best advice…I’m just over here with my raccoon listening to the kids stomp and yell outside like…yup lol
Good for you!!! Truly an inspiration
I have my first appointment with a therapist Saturday. I started Herbalife for better nutrition and come to find out this therapist also is a distributor…so maybe it’s a sign! Wish me luck in so nervous and doooont like talking about my feelings
Way to go!!! Best thing is to tell your therapist upfront that you are timid and have difficulty expressing yourself. Just getting our insecurities out in the open is a great way to build trust and practice being vulnerable. I never expect my clients to just start talking about their feelings. That arises organically, when you are ready.
I’ve been practicing Buddhism and doing meditation recently and getting into the whole mindfulness thing. Whenever I get a bad memory I try to focus on my breathing or the moment that is happening right now, sometimes it works. Unfortunately, I feel in a way that this is me hiding and avoiding these memories. Most of the most troublesome memories are more recent, but I sometimes get flashbacks of things nearly 7-10 years ago. Things I feel I have long since been “over” yet I still find myself feeling negatively about them and they often ruin my mood and sometimes my whole day. What is your advice for dealing with negative emotions? Are we supposed to relive and experience them constantly? Should we be more mindful and try to avoid these thoughts completely? In a certain scenarios, I have been able to resolve and apologize to some of the people I have hurt, but I still feel bad and ashamed of myself, even years later. But I also have instances of people I have hurt and haven’t talked to in many years and don’t even know how to get a hold of them even if I wanted to apologize. I guess these are the types of memories, a long side with the most recent idiotic shit I’ve done that seems to bother me the most. I’m also going through a recent break up and I’m constantly thinking about the things I could have done to save it, but never did. I guess I’m dealing with a lot of regret and shamefulness. What is your advice? Thanks.
Thanks for the info, esp about anxiety. I recently realized (epiphany style) that I have some sort of social anxiety. I am an introvert and really uncomfortable in social settings. I work with data, algorithms and numbers well but have a hard time understanding and connecting with others, esp small talk or feelings. It became even more prevalent last week when we went to a school meet and greet. My husband scolded me for seeming ‘mean’ to the other parents. I didn’t know what he meant bc I didn’t say a word and kept to myself which was exactly his point! Now, throw some wine in the mix and I would have talked to the other ladies like a socialite! Would medicine help? It has to be safer than alcohol! Ps- I also struggle with ed (anorexia as a child and younger adult) and reverted to drinking at some point, so appreciate the openness in the posts and all that you are doing to help others with your gifts!
this is so kind. To use your experience, knowledge, gifts, and resources to help others. This is what it’s all about.
