If “laughter is medicine,” what might that mean for people in recovery? For example, research has revealed numerous mental health benefits of humor, such as reduced stress, pain relief, and less inflammation; and these are good for anyone’s health, whether or not you’re in recovery. There are still other more specific ... Read More
Search Results for: trauma
LOLZ: Laughter as a Healthy Coping Mechanism
There are not many things better in life than witnessing something so comical that it produces a guttural belly laugh. Why is it so great? Laughing naturally releases endorphins into your brain. Endorphins are the 'feel good' chemical that gets spread in our brains when we enjoy something. Think about eating that ... Read More
Lessons I Have Learned in Recovery
When describing my recovery journey, I do not say that I am recovered. This suggests that recovery ends. I think it is quite the opposite. Recovery and wellness, for me, is an ongoing journey. Recovery is a continuation of willingness to learn new things and admit the lessons learned along the way. The main lessons I ... Read More
Revealing Differences in Opioid Use Trends Across Generations
A Short History of Opioid Use As early as 5000 BCE, Sumerians living in southern Mesopotamia were consuming or smoking the leaves and flowers of opium poppy plants. Archaeologists have interpreted ideograms found in Sumerian writing examples that translate as HUL GIL, which means "joy plant" or "rejoicing". As early ... Read More
6 Practices That Empower My PTSD Recovery
As addressed in my last article, PTSD is a tricky thing. Quite frankly, it can impact all areas of life and for me, increases feelings of hopelessness. Not only did traumatic events take away my power in the moment, the lingering effects of PTSD feel like they do the same for me. The good news is that there are things ... Read More
Insomnia Treatment for PTSD
When you routinely can’t sleep, it’s very hard to function or feel good about life. Who isn’t miserable after an accumulation of sleepless nights? Unfortunately, insomnia and sleep problems are a frequent symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They are also one of the more common reasons that many people ... Read More
The New Mental Health Crisis from Covid Isolation
The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced many changes that have impacted mental health. Loneliness was already a major health problem before the enforced isolation of quarantines and social distancing. Now, after a gradual return to pre-pandemic normalcy, there is still cause for concern that COVID-19 isolation may have ... Read More
How to Lean on Spirituality for Help in a Crisis
The nationwide lockdowns that came during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on the ways people around the world connected with others, fulfilled school and work obligations and took care of their own mental health. For Philip Baldwin, faith was essential for making it through three months ... Read More
