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Importance of Group Therapy & How It Can Help
There's often a negative connotation associated with group therapy sessions. Unfortunately, it's led to a lot of false views about what they're really like. The truth is, they can actually be the best place to be if you've had struggles in your life and need a little help getting back on track. While it is true that sometimes certain jobs or government programs require people to go to support group meetings, people can also go on the recommendation of a doctor, church leader or on their own. No matter whose recommendation sent you to group therapy, there are four reasons they can be very important.
No Prejudice
Often, people's problems can come with a rash of judgments and misunderstandings of what the person is going through, whatever their case may be. People in your support group have all been where you are, and they are all on the same journey you're on. Getting a chance to hear these people open up and be honest about their issues can help you do the same, letting you get started on your own path to a better place. The best feeling people get during this process is when they truly know they aren't alone.
Financial Reasons
Attending group sessions are far more affordable than individual therapy. Therapy in a group setting allows you to be more efficient with getting care and won’t hit your pockets as much as individual therapy. Group therapy fees can range form $45-80 whereas individual can range from $110-$200 (depending on your area). Those fees reflect out of pocket costs. Group therapy is covered by most insurance that cover behavioral or mental health and just require you to pay your copay fees.
Learning More About Yourself
As Dr. David Susman points out in this blog article, things you learn in support groups can help you better understand your own self and be more aware of what leads to different struggles. It can be a time of reflection and perhaps a time to think of how things like spiritualism and inner peace may benefit you. Often, people come to group support meetings not expecting much, but they leave with knowledge they might never have dreamed of getting.
An Opportunity to Help Others
As you stay in a support group and see yourself start to take control of your life again, you'll find that, along with addressing your problems, you'll eventually get to help others. Fewer things are as rewarding, or make you feel you've accomplished as much, as being able to say you were a friend who guided someone else to a better place. Often, people's struggles can lead them to try to hide themselves away from the world. By being where you can help others, you'll find yourself comfortable as part of a crowd once again.
The bottom line is group support networks are not punishment at all for what you've been through, but instead they are here to bring change in ways you probably didn't think was possible. Sometimes, being connected with a group of strangers is exactly the way to bring your problems to the front and hear new perspectives on them. More likely than not, you'll come away with new emotional, spiritual and even financial support than you ever had before.
The path of recovery can be hard at times, and it’s essential to create or join a group therapy network. See how we can help you in your personal journey to better mental health.
3 Common Challenges That Come from Combining Households
When it comes to building a relationship, most don’t realize how deep the challenge goes. You’re doing more than just spending time with another person. You are, step by step, creating something completely new with them.
Moving in with a partner or new spouse can be one of the most challenging transitions in life. Along with adjusting to the changes that come with giving up some of your solo-living habits, you will also be getting used to living with somebody new and dealing with the transitional issues that come along with that change.
Here is some practical advice on how to navigate the challenges that come when combining households.
Get on the Same Page About Finances
Financial disagreements are the most common source of conflict in many relationships. You can take steps to reduce the chances of money issues causing havoc in your household if you take the time to devise a solid budget plan from the start.
It’s wise to acknowledge, up front, that you probably don’t want to have this conversation. According to Marriage Name Change, “Even with all the financial advice out there, marriages are still strained due to fights over money. There are many reasons for this but the truth is many married couples today do not want to listen to vital advice on finance.”
Even so, money issues are one of the leading causes of divorce. If you want to maintain your relationship, you’ll need to have this discussion sooner or later.
When planning your budget, you will want to account for every dollar in and every dollar out. You will also need to discuss how the incoming money will be divided between household expenses and individual spending money.
When taking the time to devise an everyday budget, be sure to write some financial goals down on paper so that you have something to strive for. Lastly, you will need to determine who will be responsible for paying the bills.
Compromise on Material Belongings
It can be challenging to combine households because it means that somebody will likely have to give up some of their stuff if everything is going to fit in one home. The important rule to follow is to be willing to compromise on what belongings to keep and what to get rid of.
All Storage Online explains that “adapting your lifestyle to fit with someone else’s is a learning process that requires a lot of compromise – key to a happy marriage. So before you begin the merge, a helpful tip is to have a conversation with your partner and decide what to keep and what to either toss or place in storage.”
Just remember that at the end of the day, these are only material items that you are debating about.
Divide Chores Early On
Once you have the budget settled and household items organized, it will be time to decide how to handle the everyday routines of cohabitation. Part of this routine involves establishing the expectations of responsibility around the home.
Successful relationships have set guidelines regarding who will be in charge of specific household-maintenance responsibilities. Chores to consider include cleaning, laundry, yard work and basic maintenance. By agreeing to the division of labor from the beginning, you can avoid arguments down the road. Remember, in the case that something goes wrong in your marriage, it is your lifestyle that impacts certain decisions. Make sure you are spending adequate amounts of time with your children and with each other. Make sure you are splitting duties and working together to instill good habits in each other as well as in your children. It will lead to greater happiness later on.
Although this life transition is full of challenges and meaningful discussions, it can also be incredibly rewarding if it’s executed with the right intentions. With a little teamwork, willingness to compromise and sensitivity, you can ensure that you get off to the best possible start in your new life together.
3 Pieces of Advice for Teenagers Transitioning into Adulthood
The transition from teenager to adult can be a challenge. Taking on the extra responsibility that comes with being an adult can be overwhelming for teens who aren't prepared. It can be helpful to provide teens with some basic information on dealing with everyday challenges that are common for adults.
Be Financially Responsible
When some teens and young adults begin getting paychecks of their own, they often make unwise spending decisions. It's important to help them make good choices when it comes to spending their money. Creating a budget that includes all their bills and necessary payments can help teens realize how much money they have left over for spending on those extras that fall into the "want" category. It may be helpful to introduce them to a budgeting app where they can easily put in the amount they have to spend each month and compare it to all their expenses. These technological tools can be extremely helpful to those new to budgeting their finances.
Plan for the Future
One of the most important lessons teens can learn is how to take care of their financial situation for the present and the future. Many young adults don't consider planning for the future to be as important as spending their money in the present. It's important to let teens know that one of the biggest financial mistakes is putting off enrolling in your employer's 401(k) due to the potential money you lose every year. Having a feasible savings plan will help set teens up for future success.
Be Wary of Credit Cards
College students and young adults in general are one of the most targeted groups when it comes to pre-approved credit offers. It's important to provide teens with information on how to build good credit without getting into debt using credit cards. Establishing credit through paying bills on time and possibly having one low-interest credit card that is paid off each month can also help with future finances.
Becoming an adult is a huge deal, the amount of responsibility that comes with it comes suddenly and can be difficult to deal with. Learning to navigate the world of adulthood can overwhelm teens who aren't prepared. By providing them with some basic information on ways to plan for their future and prevent many common financial issues, you help them start out on the right foot. Learning to save, budget, and make responsible spending choices can help teens prepare themselves for a successful financial future.
What Can Parents Do to Help Teens Have a Healthy Relationship with Technology
Technological achievements have helped improve life in so many ways. Personal electronics like smartphones, computers, and internet platforms like email and social media have opened up communication around the world. They have also given people from many different backgrounds access to resources they wouldn't have been able to find in their local regions even a decade ago. Teenagers today have far more access to information, good and bad, than their parents did just a few decades ago.
These technologies have forced teens and their parents to confront many new challenges to their health and safety. A lot of parents struggle to stay up-to-date with ever-changing advancements and obstacles in their children's paths. That said, you can make certain that your teen understands the negative impact that technology can have on their health and life and how inappropriate online behaviors can haunt them into adulthood. To start teaching your teen today, consider following the steps outlined in this short guide.
Discuss Health Risks
Teens are highly susceptible to technology addiction. According to a variety of studies, teens have extreme difficulty putting away their portable devices and stepping away from entertainment systems like TVs and game consoles. They constantly feel a drive to check their text and instant messages and social media accounts and escape reality through games and other avenues. If they stop using these devices, they can feel withdrawal just like an alcohol or drug addict. Non-stop stimulation from so many online sources can also cause attention and focusing problems. In fact, this type of over-stimulation can result in children multi-tasking so much that focusing for any length of time on a single task can cause them to feel irritation, impatience, and anxiety, leading them to lash out.
Light from electronics also disrupts the natural human sleep cycle. The resulting non-restful sleep can cause attention- and mood-related problems. Any type of disruption to a child's health can also cause them to have a poor relationship with food that leads to excessive weight loss or gain. In addition, their relationships can suffer as they pull away from the offline world to exist primarily in the virtual one. Worse yet, a lot of modern technologies contain toxic materials that can damage your child's immune and nervous systems. Also, time spent indoors all of the time can adversely affect their vitamin D absorption and cause cognitive problems.
Print out materials related to all of these health effects and then sit down with your teen and explain how unrestrained use of technology might prevent them from one day pursuing their dreams or shorten their lifespan.
Limit Technology Usage
The boundaries that you create through rules and lessons can protect your child from future technology addiction that can lead to serious consequences later in life such as distracted driving. According to this car accident lawyer, increased driver distractions is a leading contributor to serious auto accidents. More and more teens are driving while playing with their technological devices so be sure to apply those limits and boundaries to the car as well as to their time at home. Your teen won't automatically accept what you have to say about their relationship with technology. Most teens see their parents as out-of-touch people who don't understand how much they need their tech to get through their day. You must show your child that their technology is not an absolutely necessary part of every moment of their life.
To start out, prevent your children from having any access to glowing screens at least four hours before their bedtime. Give them chores and hobbies that aren't screen-based to distract them from the loss of screen time. Keep in mind that they might experience severe withdrawal initially. You must plan accordingly by weaning them off their tech gradually. Limit their time on a phone or computer to one hour at any given time, then 45 minutes and eventually 30 minutes. This will help teach them that the instant elements of internet technologies don't accurately reflect the speed of daily offline life.
If you need a more concrete limitation, try to establish a sort of iPhone lock screen time where your teen is required to do other things for a certain amount of time. Make sure you are there to enforce this period of time.Focus all of your actions on cultivating an idea in their mind that modern technologies don't exist primarily to provide non-stop entertainment or create addiction, but instead their purpose is to make life easier and simpler.
Show Reputation Damage
Teenagers often make mistakes and have poor impulse control because their brains haven't yet reached the development stage required to make good decisions all of the time. Some teens believe that they can get away with inappropriate behaviors like excessively drinking, reckless driving, and performing outrageous stunts. Some simply act out of impulse and then regret it later. Microphones and cameras in their personal electronics, along with numerous programs designed to copy and store everything uploaded to the internet, have resulted in permanent records of these mistakes.
With a simple keyword search online, you can find countless examples of teenage antics harming the reputations of college students and working adults. Bookmark online pages that outline some of these examples; then, show your teen why they need to be more careful with their offline and online actions. Discuss with them methods for reducing risk. For example, create a list that outlines risky and inappropriate behaviors, such as their uploading or allowing someone they know to upload compromising pictures or videos, so that they have a reminder to guide them. Emphasize firmly that they need to think before they speak everywhere, especially while on social media. If they have difficulty controlling online outbursts, block them from using their social media accounts. If they lash out at you, confiscate their tech and keep trying to help them to understand that their statements as a teen might actually cause them serious losses as an adult and possibly even legal troubles.
Cover Security Concerns
Lastly, every parent should discuss the other types of safety risks caused by online technology. Create a secondary reminder list that outlines all of these dangers, the steps your teen needs to follow for protection, and instruction to report various incidents. For example, show them how to use password generators to update their account passwords on a regular basis. Talk with them about identity theft. Do more than say that a thief can create a false identity. Walk them through slowly all of the steps that you and they would have to take to report the theft to credit bureaus, police, governmental agencies and any companies pulled into fraud by someone using their name and to prevent additional events. Show them the steps they can take today to protect their data. Additionally, go over the many ways that bullies, predators, and stalkers use modern technologies to target teens and adults. Help them to understand how they should respond if someone targets them.
Your teen can have a healthy relationship with technology. They merely need you to show them the way. Since teens can have difficulty focusing, especially if overwhelmed with information, break up these topics into separate one-on-one discussions every week. Before a new discussion, quickly cover the previous week's topic highlights, go over any questions and then cover the next topic. This type of effort reinforces that you're focused on their health and well-being and that you're available to answer questions and help them. And if you feel a bit overwhelmed? That’s normal, and there are plenty of resources available for help.
Why Stress Has Become So Common
Recent shifts in social, economic, and lifestyle trends have fueled the age of anxiousness. Many teenagers, moms, and dads especially struggle with feeling overwhelmed and stressed. With stress comes varying forms of anger, fear, sadness, and fatigue. Mom Loves Best speaks about how mothers, especially during intense events like pregnancy, feel isolation, anger, and overwhelm. These trends isolate people from one another and cause us to lose touch with nature and the present moment. Essential oils provide a natural option for relieving feelings of stress and even sadness as well.
What social factors contribute to the increase of people with stress?
Consider three social characteristics that affect these issues: social class or status, the influence of media on our perception, and the increasing use of technology. The current culture of the US may be said to contribute to this rise by perpetuating a culture of self-isolation, loss of trust, and widespread instant gratification.
Social/class status: It’s safe to assume that we live in a culture that promises the attainment of individualism through consumption at the expense of others. Equality and equity are often seen as the same thing, which further divides and isolates us from one another, making it harder to develop trust and empathy.
Media Influence: Media outlets often portray a world that seems like it’s falling apart. Violent images are more memorable and therefore, more prevalent in the age of information. This distribution of violence causes people to perceive the world as an increasingly dangerous place, even though in the US we may be at the lowest level of crime as reported by victims.
Technology: Studies have found five links between the use of technology and the development of anxious feelings: its convenience insulates us from small uncertainties and leads to avoidance, physical, and cyber-communication are very different, social media is a platform for instant public judgment, and the internet provides a window into other people’s lives, leading to a “compare and despair” situation.
How can I use essential oils to relieve the feelings of stress and anxiousness?
Studies have shown that aromatherapy can significantly lower stress. Lavender, cedarwood, and jasmine essential oils are the most popular oils used. Just place a few drops of the oil of your choice and rub your palms together. Place your hands over your nose and mouth and inhale deeply. Take a few calm breaths for instant relief.
Lavender oil can improve mental concentration, reduce stress, calm agitation and aid sleep
Cedarwood oil acts as a way to create a sleeping environment, and relieve stress and tension, calming the mind.
Jasmine oil is known for calming the nerves and helping people to overcome stress.
What can I do to help relieve this stress long-term?
Seek out more face-to-face interactions. Try going out with friends or family, or go alone to places where you can comfortably people-watch. Notice how people interact, and practice your communication skills.
Find more positive news sources. If you feel overwhelmed by the violence and chaos blasted on every news outlet, make it your goal to read at least one positive news story a day.
If you're feeling overwhelmed by school, then look into alternatives to traditional high school. You could attend an online public high school, which allows you to learn at your own pace.
Decrease your use of technology. Set some time for yourself to avoid social media, video streaming, and gaming daily. Use this time to engage in physical activity, such as exercising or gardening. Be mindful and in the present moment.
Avoid giving in to instant gratification. It’s easy to order food and avoid cooking or even speaking to anyone with the press of a button. However, instant gratification can lead to a lack of self-control and discipline. Take the time to cook or shop for groceries, despite it feeling like a waste of time.
And of course, always consider therapy and professional help should your stress feel overwhelming.
DISCLAIMER: For Pregnant and nursing moms please consult with your doctor before incorporating essential oils.
References:
Is Your Divorce Affecting Your Teen’s Academic Performance?
Although many married couples with children and teens try to divorce amicably to spare their kids distress and emotional fallout, research shows that sometimes divorce does impact a child's school or sports performance. It is essential for parents to monitor children's behavior and progress at home and in academic or social contexts to be aware of any problems that may develop. Here are some helpful steps parents can take to help their children and teens adjust following a divorce.
Develop a Support Network
Adolescents and youth who are struggling more than seems normal with their emotions stemming from a change in family structure may need extra support. Some may benefit from parental encouragement to adopt a hobby, or join a sports team or club. They might appreciate the option of family counseling where they can objectively share their concerns and explore their feelings. Family counseling could happen in the home with your children and you, or you could sign up for family therapy sessions with a trained professional. Encouraging a child to continue sharing activities with trusted friends can be helpful. Many times when one pillar of support, like family, begins to shake or crack, children will reach out to other areas for support like friends or their hobbies. This can be a good thing they may need to keep them going through a hard time, but it can cause a rift in your relationship, so making sure you try to stay an active part of their life is essential. Kids and teens need to know that much of their life will remain the same, and that other people care about them.
Track Your Child's Grades
Many schools now provide interim grades rather than only a quarterly report. Midway through each school quarter, or term, the teacher, student, and parents will see from the student's grades how well he or she is doing. In some of the higher grades, like in middle school or high school there are ways to go online at any time to see your student’s grades. Families are an important part of a student's educational experience, and parents in particular play a critical role as their personal learning coach, keeping the student on track and communicating with teachers. You should talk to them about their grades in an open and non-judgmental way. As said before, grades can start to dip if a student is having personal trials at home. Sit down with your student, talking about their grades, help them calculate their GPA and be consistent in efforts to raise it. Adjustments to a homework routine or an enhanced study process can be implemented to help students improve their grades before the end of that term. Early intervention catches problems at a stage when the student can take greater control or change learning habits to do better at school.
Get Involved in Your Child's Social Activities
Children and teens who play sports or join clubs often appreciate it when parents participate as warranted. For example, parents who attend recitals, attend competitive sports events, or volunteer as a teacher's assistant in your son or daughter's school demonstrate love and caring in visible ways. Finding the right balance is important, since many children appreciate you incorporating yourself, but some may not. Adjusting yourself to the needs of your child is more important than feeling good about yourself for checking off a list or doing something you feel you should do. Despite a divorce, the child's security stemming from one or both parents is reinforced when parents spend time at social activities.
Maintain Amicable Interactions with the Other Parent
After the divorce, the family dynamic will change. But it does not have to be bitter or self-serving. Former spouses who are congenial and mutually respectful, at least in front of the kids, can make their children feel less stressed and more secure. Speaking frankly and openly with teens or older children could help them be more relaxed about the situation because you are granting them a higher level of trust. They will take that confidential or personal information seriously and will respect you more for you respecting them. Relaxed tensions will enable young students to focus on schoolwork and social activities with friends in positive ways.
Sometimes divorce seems inevitable. But its effects on children can be mitigated. If you need help with counseling or guidance, see how we can help!
Boosting a Teen’s Confidence: Helping Them Feel Good About Themselves
Being a teenager is one of the scariest times in a person's life. That's because it's a time of uncertainty. Teenagers are trying to figure out who they are and where they belong in the world. Add to that all the stress of figuring out college, relationships, friendships, and navigating the social sphere at school. That's why whenever your teenager comes to you with a problem, listen to them wholeheartedly.
Teen Anxiety and How to Help
It's natural for a teenager to have a little bit of anxiety. That's because most of them are in high school where they are learning all of these new things mentally, physically, and socially. There is a lot of pressure put on teens to look, act, and feel a certain way. When they don't fit into this cookie-cutter mold of how a teenager should look and feel act, they become anxious. That's where a parent needs to remind them that they're perfect just the way they are.
Relevant: https://www.connectionsacademy.com/
Growing Up and Going Through Changes
Teenagers go through a lot of stress because their bodies are changing. They're essentially becoming an adult not just mentally but also physically. In high school, there is pressure put on them to look a certain way. They see it in magazines, movies, and from their peers. Often times, they can get made fun of if they don't have the perfect body, perfect skin, and perfect hair. One of the most important things a parent can do is listening to a child's concerns and anxieties about their physical appearance and bringing up options can help them feel validated.
Relevant: https://shorthillsderm.com/
While it's important for your teen to know you love them and their appearance, you can still listen to them if they want to change something. This could be things like a haircut, changing their hair color, getting their nails done, getting braces, getting a piercing, or trying a new acne treatment. If your child wants to tweak their appearance a little bit, listen to their concerns and their wants.
Relevant: http://www.covingtondentalcare.com/
Teaching Them to Love Themselves
Self-love is lacking among a lot of teens. It's something that needs to be practiced daily. Sit down with your teenager and have them tell you the things they love about themselves. You could also have them write these down. If they're ever going through a dark time, they can look at the list of all the things that they're appreciated for.
Relevant: https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/
Lending an Ear and a Heart to Their Problems
Whenever your teen speaks, listen to them. Telling your teen that their concerns are validated will help boost their confidence. Being a teen and navigating high school is hard. It can be made a bit easier by a parent who shows them that they are loved and that they are perfect.
If your child is exhibiting signs of not just normal teen anxieties and fears, and you’re concerned about their mental health, you should talk to them about it. Keep your path of communication as open as possible, so if they feel alone and in need of some help or guidance, they know they can go to you. You could also recommend they go to a therapist or group therapy to help them address these concerns and feelings in a safe space. Everyone wants to be heard and validated, so it’s vital to help your child find as many outlets as possible.
Natural Solutions for When You’re Having a Particularly Rough Day
Whether you're dealing with problems in your personal life, at work, or in a relationship, there are infinite sources of stress that you may encounter every day. Some days are better than others. But on days that are worse, you may feel even more depressed and anxious than usual. On those days, you may be more inclined to resort to unhealthy coping mechanisms like drinking and smoking. But these “solutions” don't fix the problem, and they often make you feel worse. The next time you're feeling down, try these natural ways to fight anxiety instead.
Exercise
You probably already know that getting regular exercise can help you manage weight, keep your blood pressure and cholesterol in check, and improve your cardiovascular health. But working out on a regular basis also has psychological benefits. Exercise stimulates brain chemicals that make you more relaxed and happier. In fact, the benefits are so pronounced that exercise can easily be as effective as medication in managing stress and anxiety. An added bonus is that the benefits of exercise can last for hours afterward, which is much longer than the quick buzz you might get from alcohol and tobacco.
Avoid Caffeine
Caffeine is one of the biggest enemies of people who suffer from anxiety. Caffeine itself can cause nervousness and heart palpitations. If you already have anxiety, caffeine magnifies its effects. It can even trigger panic attacks in people who have been diagnosed with panic disorder. Instead of reaching for caffeinated coffee, sodas, and tea, consider switching to decaf coffee or tea and replacing soda with seltzer water instead.
Meditate
Of the many natural ways to fight anxiety, one that tops the list is meditation. The purpose of meditating is to replace anxious and worried thoughts with a sense of peace and serenity by learning to be mindful of the present. Meditating for as little as 30 minutes each day, according to research from John Hopkins University, can be as effective as an antidepressant. Meditating for 30 minutes can also reduce anxiety.
Get Adequate Sleep
Most people require about eight hours of sleep a night. But along with sufficient duration, rest should also be of high quality. Sometimes, anxiety keeps people from getting the necessary quantity and quality of sleep. You might find that you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Turning off technology before you go to sleep, (and not watching television or using technology in bed), only going to sleep when you're tired, and avoiding large meals and caffeine before bed can make it easier to sleep soundly. You might also consider making a note of your worries before you hit the hay to clear your mind.
Deep Breathing
Like meditation, practicing deep breathing can help relieve symptoms of anxiety. Your breathing patterns tend to change when you are anxious. Instead of breathing at a regular and even pace, you may be taking shallow, fast breaths. This can trigger dizziness, lightheadedness, and increased heart rate. Ultimately, it can cause a panic attack. Taking deep breaths sends a signal to your brain that you are okay and you can relax. Deliberately taking slow, deep breaths can return your breathing patterns to normal and eliminate anxiety. To perform slow breathing exercises, experts recommend first lying down flat on the ground. Then put one hand on your stomach on the other on your chest. Take a slow, deep breath in. Hold it in for a second then slowly exhale. Repeat until you feel calmer and more relaxed.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy uses the power of scent from essential oils to reduce anxiety. The oils can either be added to a warm bath, a diffuser, or inhaled directly. Studies on aromatherapy have found that it improves sleep, lifts your mood, promotes relaxation, and lowers blood pressure and heart rate. Certain oils are specifically designed to alleviate anxiety. Recommended oils for anxiety relief include grapefruit, bergamot, lavender, and ylang-ylang.
Herbal Teas and Supplements
Drinking herbal teas and taking herbal supplements may also be helpful in reducing stress and anxiety. One of the top herbal teas is chamomile tea, which is widely known for its calming and anxiety-relieving effects. In studies, chamomile has even been shown to combat the effects of cortisol, which is a stress hormone that can interfere with sleep and worsen your anxiety. Valerian root, kava kava, and Rhodiola are recommended for reducing anxiety. St. John's wort, which you can take in supplement form or add to your tea, may reduce symptoms of depression. Before you start drinking herbal tea or taking herbal supplements, however, be sure to talk to your doctor. Some supplements may not be suitable for people who are taking certain medications or who have specific health problems.
Spend Time with Animals
It probably goes without saying that you love your cat or dog. But studies have shown that spending time with animals is good for your health, too! Spending time with animals has been shown to have positive effects on people with certain types of mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety. Many people gravitate towards furry animals, but even non-furry creatures can improve your mental state. If you don't own a pet, consider visiting a farm or a sanctuary where you can spend time around animals. Even grooming horses and caring for other peoples' pets can reduce your levels of stress and anxiety.
Write Your Thoughts Down
Journals exist for a reason, and they are not just for high schoolers. After a tough day, making time to write down your worries when you have a free moment can be very therapeutic. Taking five minutes when you get up in the morning or spending time writing down your thoughts before bed can help ease your worries and relax your mind.
With so many natural ways to fight anxiety available, you can see that there are many better alternatives than vices for managing mental health issues. And many, like exercise, produce numerous and long-lasting effects. Swapping out good anxiety and depression remedies for bad ones will make you feel better and better about yourself, which is a significant benefit that substances like alcohol and cigarettes don't provide. Next time you're struggling with a bad day, try one of these alternatives instead.
Individual counseling helps you develop an authentic connection with your true self. Many people get dominated by the activity of their mind, and miss out on valuable signals and guidance from their emotions, physical body, and spiritual self. Connecting to your intuitive prowess and being honest with your motives, needs, and wants for your life will create a path of meaning, peace, and truth.
If you need additional support or help contact your local counseling office or reach out to me here at Lotus Therapies. The suggestions made in this post is for informational purposes please speak to your doctor or practitioner to create a plan that is best for you.
Is Your Teen Depressed? 5 Ways You Can Help
It’s no secret that America’s teenagers are depressed, and the number of teens diagnosed with depression rises daily. If your son or daughter is one of these teens, then here are five ways to help your child control their anxiety and/or depression.
Offer Continual, Loving Support
According to a 2016 study, it was found out that teens who receive high levels of support from their parents suffered from fewer symptoms of depression, C-reactive protein, and cortisol than teens who receive a high level of support from their parents.
In another research study, it was discovered that positive parental relationship reduced activation of the brain’s reward center called ventral striatum. As a result, parents can assist in reducing the high levels of risk-taking by teens. Positive parental support involves:
avoiding pointed questions and asking open-ended ones
being empathetic
trying to understand as opposed to correcting
revealing support for the teen’s growing autonomy
being gentle when actions and words fail to match
Model and Teach Strong Emotional and Social Skills
Similar to adults, teens also go through hard emotional and social relationships. These involve college admission procedures, sour romantic relationships, and changing friendships. But since the human brain tends to amplify emotions during adolescence, it can be hard for teens to handle these challenges. This makes them more susceptible to depression.
The ability of teens to handle stress is often affected by their parents’ response to stress. Therefore, parents can assist their children to tackle emotional problems by modeling positive emotional response. As a parent, you can also assist your child with depression via emotional coaching. You can practice a nonjudgmental awareness of your present emotions, experiences, and thoughts. This can help you manage your feelings when interacting with your teenage child. This will prevent anxiety and depression.
Encourage Positive Peer Relationships
Every teen looks up to their peers for status and approval. In the case of fraught peer relationships, teenagers may get into depression. According to a 2005 study, romantic relationships, positive friendships, and social acceptance helped prevent depression and social anxiety. But abuse, victimization, and negativity in romantic relationships and friendships led to depression and social anxiety.
Friendships assist teenagers to be emotionally resilient since it helps them to handle emotional problems in healthier ways. In additional to battling anxiety and depression, high-quality friendships and social acceptance result in better physical health and quality adult relationships. You should not discourage normal group bonding or friendships of your teenage child. Don’t be afraid if your child has too few or too many friends and understand that taking risks in relationships is part of their growing up.
Help Them Find Purpose in Life
As your child works hard in class and extra-curricular activities, advise them to ensure that these tasks have a personal meaning. They should not just suit their college applications but also their personal lives. According to research, it is advantageous for teens to look for a purpose in life as they grow up. Purpose is linked to greater satisfaction in life and hope in all age groups. Parents can engage their teens by asking open-ended questions regarding what they care about, then paying attention to their answers to make assessments as to their sense of purpose. As a parent, you should practice gratitude yourself to encourage your own sense of self-purpose, which will fortify you to continue supporting your teen.
Try to Adjust Their School Environment
To achieve what is best for your children, aim for systemic changes in education which could result in improved psychological health for your child. For instance, children who lack enough sleep perform poorly in school and have a high probability of suffering from depression. Hence, some schools are being pressured by parents to have starting times which are later than usual. Schools are also being pressured by some parents to offer healthy meals for the purpose of giving better nutrition to teenagers to prevent mental problems.
If it is an option to you, choose a school that gives few or no assignments over holidays. In order to give your child better educational opportunities, you may need to be prepared to pay tuition of some kind. Private schools also have the advantage of offering more teacher attention per student, which can further help create balance in your teen’s life.
Why Drugs like Marijuana and Other Popular Cures Don't Help
Marijuana does not cure depression for various reasons: it is not possible to give a measurable prescription, it can heighten anxiety and depression instead of curing it, it can cause dependence, and different people have different reactions to the drug. If your teen uses marijuana or other substances for coping regularly, it is important to seek help or you can both learn together healthier ways of coping with depression that’s best for your teen.
To Sum it Up...
Offering continual support, care, and compassion, modeling and teaching strong emotional and social skills, encouraging peer relationships that are positive, encouraging them to look for purpose in life, and finding healthy ways to adjust the school, social, and the home environment are some of the ways you can assist your depressed teen. For more help, contact us here at Lotus Therapies for support and assistance.
How Breaking an Addiction Strengthens Your Family
Addiction has been known to tear families apart. A drug takes hold of a family member's life, and it makes them forget about everything else. When someone falls victim to a drug, they only care about how they will get that next fix. They don't care what they have to do, who they have to hurt, and what they have to steal to get the drug of their choice. That's why families get torn apart. They end up being destroyed because they think their relative doesn't care about them. In reality, it's the drug talking and not the loved one.
The First Step of Breaking the Addiction
The first step to breaking the addiction is admitting there's a problem and asking for help. More often than not, a person can't do this alone. It's scary, overwhelming, and there's an immense amount of pressure. In your day-to-day life, you may encounter a number of people and situations that trigger your addictive behaviors. As you struggle to overcome drug and alcohol addiction, these triggers may make it nearly impossible to quit. That's where a family comes in to help break the addiction. They can offer support, love, and a listening ear. When the whole family comes together to help someone battling addiction, it makes it easier on everyone.
It Will be Tough
Recovering from addiction is a choice made each and every day. There's no magic cure. It's something that an addict needs to focus on and overcome at every moment. There will be struggles, tears, and disagreements in families due to addiction. If a person has been recovering for a while, they can still fall back into old habits. Addictions can be triggered during the worst of times. You never know when it might happen and that's why families need to keep an open mind of acceptance when it comes to loving a recovering addict. That recovering addict needs the unconditional support.
Setting a Good Example for Younger Children
When a family has younger children in a home that a recovering addict lives at, it's important to have everyone coexist peacefully in a way that fosters growth. Children are like sponges, and they pick up what's around them. Just because someone is struggling with addiction doesn't mean they need to be isolated from children. Instead, the recovering addict can spend time with them. Children help the recovering addict to remember what they have to live for. They're a breath of fresh air. Children can see a recovering addict overcoming struggles, which is commendable.
Conclusion: Keeping the Atmosphere Upbeat
The atmosphere in a home needs to remain stable and positive throughout the addict's recovery journey. That's because the recovering addict needs something stable in their life a home. Creating an atmosphere that's peaceful and serene will help the addict continue their journey to healing and recovery. It will be the best thing for the entire family.
If you have questions about how you can maintain a positive, healthy family environment while you or someone you love is recovering from addiction, contact me now.
4 Biggest Stressors In Modern Young Adult Life
You’ve just graduated high school and are now pressured to attend the real world of either working or furthering your education. But how are you supposed to know what to do when the only classes your high school offered were based around math, science, and reading? Graduating high school and deciding what to do for seemingly the rest of your life can be really stressful. Here are the four biggest stressors that affect young adults in modern society.
No free time
Young adults never seem to have enough free time to get everything done that they have to. They seem to use up all of their time either working, at school, or both. Because of this, whenever they seem to get any free time at all, they have to spend it either going to appointments or catching up on chores. This creates stress because they feel like they have too much to do and not enough time to do it.
Relationship problems
Every teenager has relationship problems, but as they get older, they seem to be more pressured into finding someone to spend the rest of their life with. Sometimes their friends and family pressure them by always asking about when they’re going to find a partner or they feel pressured by constantly being surrounded by their friends who are already in relationships. Young adults in modern society feel pressured to find a partner, and this creates stress as well as lowered self-esteem.
Moving out
By living with their family for their whole, it can be very stressful when they realize it’s time to move out. Not only is the whole process of moving out a pain because of the packing and unpacking, but moving out breaks their routine that they’ve had for so many years. Whether it’s moving out into a dorm room, moving out into an apartment with friends, or even just moving out to be on their own, all of these can be stressful and create pressures in their life.
Financial worries
The biggest stressor for everyone is their financial concern. For young adults specifically, starting to generate a credit score is a big pressure placed on them. Consequently, understanding how a credit score works can help them maintain a good score. A credit score is a number that lenders use to contemplate whether or not to loan you money. In the United States, your credit score is known as your FICO score and is composed of 5 factors. These include your payment history, debt burden, length of your history, types of credit, and recent credit searches. Once you understand how a credit score works, you’ll be able to manage and maintain it better.
Overall, transitioning into the life of an adult and into the working world can be stressful. There are so many pressures, and so many different people are expecting different things from you. But with the right mindset and support from friends and family and with the general understanding of how the working life is managed, you can better understand how to accustom yourself into the new lifestyle of living as an adult.
4 Reasons You Should Never Be Ashamed To Talk About Depression
Depression is often mentioned but never really discussed. It's a "condition," yet some don't realize it's legitimacy. This failure can lead those who live with it to question if this problem of theirs matters, thus leading to a feeling of guilt and shame. Here are four reasons why you should never be ashamed to talk about depression.
Depression Is More Common Than You May Think
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 16.2 million adults in the United States have felt depressed at least once in 2016, which is 6.7 percent of the adult population or 1 out of every 15 adults. And of this number, people ages 18 to 25 were the most represented group at about 11 percent.
These reported numbers show just how prevalent this illness is--and that's just what it is; depression is an illness. It's a result of chemical imbalances in addition to reactions to stressful life events and possibly other health problems (there could even be gene involvement for some).
Talking Helps; It May Be Essential to Recovery
The NIMH has on record that 63 percent of adults who experienced episodes of depression either saw a health professional (therapists, psychiatrists) only, were prescribed medication alone, or saw a health professional and were prescribed medication. Seeking help is the best thing you can do to combat depression. Unfortunately, some turn to substances for relief, though, this choice always backfires and ultimately comes at a hefty price, like with addiction and alienation (alcohol and recreational drugs can negatively impact relationships).
Of the 63 percent of adults who received professional treatment, according to NIMH, 13 percent of them saw a health professional, which is twice more than those who only received medication. 44 percent both received medication and saw a professional, which means 57 percent of all who received treatment talked about their problems with licensed individuals.
Talking helps find the root of the problem, and if help is sought, someone would be there to explore it with you.
Discussing Your Depression Helps End Stigmas
The National Alliance on Mental Illness believes that words and actions are necessary to end the bullying and discrimination affecting all people with mental illness. Taking these steps can lead to social change and the public rejection of stigmas--it proved successful for other movements, like with the Civil Rights Movement and LGBT activism.
That doesn't mean you have to go out and preach your story to make a change. Merely discussing it with a health professional, or even a friend, makes all the difference, for the afflicted as well as society.
Sharing Your Experience Could Help Others
This can be therapeutic for both sides. Sharing can relieve stress and improve mood while the person who listens may feel inspired to take a look at their own mental health or even share their own experiences.
Choosing to share is a personal choice, so you should never feel pressured or threatened to disclose your depression if you think it might not help your situation.
In the end, depression is an illness. And like other mental illnesses, it's not just black and white, but a sort of grey and sometimes includes blue and purple and red--to put it simply, it's complicated.
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