Is There a Secret to Creating Achievable Resolutions? Every year there’s that weird week. The one between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Teenagers are out of school, savoring the last days of vacation. Some adults have to go to work – depending on what days of the week Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on – while others are in the same boat as their kids. They spend the
Yes, Teenagers Can Meditate – With This Simple Exercise Many people think meditation is something they can’t do. Their mind wanders. They think sitting on the floor is uncomfortable. They get bored. This is especially true for teens, many of whom have a hard time sitting still, much less quieting their mind and focusing on just one thing – like their breathing – for any length of time at all.
How to Wake up A Tired or Stressed Body If you’re in treatment for a mental health issue or and addiction disorder, we’re sure you’ve heard about how important it is to stay active and keep your body moving. Experts recommend all kinds of exercise that can help. From running to cycling to yoga to tai chi, they’re adamant that you do something – anything – every day. But since
Evolve is a proponent of experiential therapies, which promote mental health and prevent relapse. Experiential therapies (like equine-assisted therapy, surf therapy, music, art and more) provide fun, healthy outlets for teens, expose them to new ways of expressing themselves, and help them discover what a “life worth living” looks like for them. A new experiential therapy we now offer at Evolve Treatment Centers is Qigong, a mind-body practice involving slow,
In many addiction recovery programs, regular physical exercise is considered to be a top line behavior. Extensive research in exercise physiology demonstrates that exercise helps alleviate stress, increases a sense of well-being, and boosts self –confidence in those who exercise regularly. In recent years, addiction treatment centers, addiction therapists, and addiction experts have included another tool in the arsenal of effective strategies in combating the stress, anxiety, and depression that
If you’ve ever had a panic attack, you’re probably familiar with the symptoms: Your heart is pounding, hard. Your body starts shaking; your thighs might be trembling, and you can’t stop. The blood is rushing to your head, and you’re getting hot flashes or chills. Your mind feels like it’s swimming. Your breath comes out in shallow gasps, and your chest is tight and heavy. Everything is scary. You feel
Mindfulness: The Heart of Recovery by Anonymous [Note: Typicaly we post topical, third-person articles on subjects related to addiction and recovery. For this article, we make an exception. It was written by one of our colleagues. We think it may help anyone struggling with alcohol or substance use disorders, because it connects the dots between mindfulness and recovery. That;s something we do here at Evolve every day.] As an individual
Treatment for alcohol and substance use disorders has come a looooong way in the past few decades. Rehab used to be a miserable, brutal experience. Ask anyone your parent’s age, and they’ll tell you horror stories about what their friends went through. You’ll hear stories about the cold, unfriendly, hospital-like conditions, one-size-fits-all, punishment-based approaches, or worse: in the 80s and 90s, it wasn’t uncommon for strict parents to ship their
Mindfulness, self-care, stress reduction, self-efficacy, coping skills, triggers, letting go, minding your side of the street…if you’ve been in therapy of any kind in the past decade, you’ve heard every one of these words or phrases too many times. And if you’re in treatment for drugs or drinking, we can guarantee you’ve heard that first one: mindfulness. You probably heard it before you went into treatment, too. You let it
