How Self-Love Can Change Your Mental Health

For people that struggle with depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses, they often have issues with self-esteem that greatly affect their lives. In fact, most people might not realize how many self-deprecating things they might think about themselves on a daily basis. Everyone can benefit from practicing self-love and learning how to be compassionate toward themselves.

We are often confronted with many unrealistic expectations of what we should look like or what our lives should be like through television, movies and even social media. People with depression and anxiety especially may have a constant feeling that they are not good enough and place high standards on themselves. It may feel natural for them to think they are unworthy and believe that they aren’t deserving of love and happiness.

Self-love can help change many of these ideas because the individual can start to see positive things in themselves and accept their true self. When someone practices self-love they can start to become more mindful of the things they say or think about themselves. They can develop and grow their compassion for themselves and others.

When someone is able to love themselves they can acknowledge and accept when they are struggling. They won’t constantly feel the need to be perfect or deny their feelings or what they need. Self-love helps you become more in tune with your inner voice so you can learn to listen to what you truly desire.

The process of self-love can take time but counselors and peers can be helpful in building up your confidence. Challenging negative beliefs and replacing them with positive thinking can be a long journey but it will help build up a more stable and healthy identity. Self-love is something to focus on as a person works toward recovering from their mental health issues.

References
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/self-esteem

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Common Attachment Issues that Affect Relationships

Many people who have had issues of trauma or other mental health problems may find it difficult to form healthy emotional attachments to others. They may be overly needy and become too close to people too quickly without defining boundaries. They can also be too distant and avoidant in a way that prevents them developing close bonds with others.

Boundary Issues – People with attachment problems often become too close to people too soon, especially those struggling with mental health issues like borderline personality disorder. They may imagine that there is an intense bond with someone they actually don’t know very well. They may fail to maintain appropriate boundaries with someone they have never had more than shallow engagement with.

Identifying with Strangers – Someone with attachment problems may start to seek out strong attachments through people in their lives because they are starving for a strong emotional connection. They may put a person in a “parent” role and themselves as the “child” because they had issues of attachment in childhood. This can happen often with therapists as patients look to them for emotional fulfillment and parent-like care.

Avoidant Behavior – People who had caregivers who were dismissive and uncaring can begin to behave the same way towards others when they become adults. They may avoid intimacy and close relationships because they feel uncomfortable expressing their needs or asking for help. They are often ambitious and successful and fear that depending on others will make them appear weak.

Imitating Others – Others with attachment issues may lack self-confidence and end up trying to emulate or mimic people that they identify with. They don’t have a strong sense of self and can end up pursuing the lifestyle of others or trying to live the status quo.

Attachment issues can vary according to individuals but these problems tend to prevent a person from developing and maintaining healthy relationships.

References

https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/specific/attachment_child.asp

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5 Health Benefits of Quitting Alcohol

For those who want to try quitting drinking or even those who need to for their own well-being, there are many positive changes that take place when you become sober. Alcohol is a toxin that can destroy your health and drinking consistently over time leads to many issues. Some of the health benefits of quitting drinking can be immediate and others can be positive long term results.

1. More Energy and Better Functioning
Alcohol causes the body to work overtime to process the drug as the brain tries to calibrate itself and the heart and lungs start to pump at irregular speeds. Once you quit drinking and get alcohol out of your system your body can function at its optimal level.

2. Healthier Heart
Drinking is very bad for the heart and can lead to all kinds of cardiovascular problems including heart disease. Quitting drinking dramatically reduces the risk of heart related diseases and can help you live longer.

3. Losing Weight and Looking Younger
Alcohol is very high in calories so people who quit drinking tend to lose weight quickly, especially if they are also able to improve their diet. Drinking alcohol regularly can also cause people to age because it is a diuretic that is very bad for the skin. People who quit drinking often start to look younger and healthier.

4. Healthy Liver
The liver is probably the area of the body that receives the most damage from alcohol consumption. The liver filters out the toxic chemicals from alcohol and it can lead to serious issues such as cirrhosis. Those who quit drinking can allow the body to repair their liver and reverse some of the damage

5. Better Sleep
Alcohol tends to disrupt the normal sleep cycle and people who drink frequently often don’t get the health benefits they need from deep sleep. Initially after getting sober it may be difficult to sleep but over time it will be easier for the body to get healthy, restful sleep.

There are many more reasons to quit drinking but these are some of the amazing health benefits of being sober.

https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/index.htm

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What is Relationship Anxiety?

For some people, relationships can come very easily and they don’t have to deal with any anxieties or fears about commitment. For others, relationships are a challenging problem that they can’t seem to overcome. Someone who struggles with finding and staying in relationships can be said to have relationship anxiety or a commitment phobia.

Even though relationship anxiety is not a diagnosed mental health problem, it is a very real issue that can cause problems in people’s personal lives. People who have commitment issues have problems staying in relationships for the long term because their feelings about the experience of love can be more intense than others. Their feelings while in the relationship can drive anxiety that can build up causing issues with their expectation of commitment.

People with this type of phobia, deep down want to have a long term commitment but have built up a lot of fear about it which causes them to leave relationships. They may develop anxiety because their feelings of excitement about the person become misinterpreted as panic or negative anxiousness. They may also have trouble resolving their need for intimacy combined with their conflicting desire for freedom and individuality.

Those struggling with relationship anxiety may fear a relationship ending abruptly, be afraid that they are not in the right relationship or they may have trust issues from the past that prevent them from feeling secure with the other person. These fears can cause them to only stay in relationships for a few months before ending it. The only way to move past relationship anxiety is to confront these fears and work through them before ending a relationship.

Talking with a professional about relationship fears and finding strategies to confront a fear of commitment can make it possible for a person to stay in a long term relationship and find ways to cope with their feelings.

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Habitual Use and Cannabis Addiction

Since the legalization of marijuana in several states throughout the U.S., there has been more exploration into understanding how marijuana affects the body. Traditionally, it is believed by many that marijuana is not an addictive drug but studies show that differences in an individual’s brain systems can determine whether or not they get addicted. Some cannabis users may never get addicted even with long term use while others form an addictive habit due to their brain’s reaction to the drug.

In a recent study, researchers used brain imaging to monitor neural activity that occurred when users viewed images of cannabis. All of the participants had exaggerated responses in the brain region that processes reward but only those with dependencies also had responses in the region that forms habits. This means that the users who have dependencies are using marijuana out of habitual use rather than to seek a feeling of reward or euphoria from the drug.

The study showed that as addiction to cannabis develops it changes responses in brain systems in ways that strengthen the person’s desire to seek the drug. Their brain begins to attach extreme importance to the drug and views it as a necessary habit rather than simply just a pleasure seeking activity. Those who use the drug out of habitual use are more likely to struggle with moderating or quitting their addiction to marijuana.

Not every marijuana user will become addicted but for those who do they are likely to have trouble getting out of the habit because of the changes in their brain. Abstinence could lead to withdrawal symptoms because they have become dependent on the drug to function. Detoxing from marijuana can help return brain changes to normal over time and allow the user to eliminate the habitual association their brain has with the drug.

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What to Eat During Addiction Detox

Many people don’t realize the influence that our diet can have on the way we feel and how well our bodies are able to function. A healthy diet can be crucial when you are recovering from an addiction, especially during detox when you are experiencing issues like aches and pains or insomnia. Eating the right foods and avoiding the wrong ones can help make the process a little easier on your body.

Foods such as caffeine, sugar, saturated fats, sodium and processed food can put unnecessary stress on your body. Caffeine and sugar can be very detrimental to your ability to get a full night’s sleep. If you are struggling with insomnia during detox then cutting out caffeine and sugar may make it easier for you to sleep.

Processed foods that are high in fat and sugar can make you feel tired, irritable and tend to worsen symptoms of withdrawal. Avoiding these foods and focusing on eating natural, whole foods can improve your mood and help you get through detox. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables can help make it easier to digest and detoxify your body from any chemicals in the system.

Whole grains can be helpful during detox because they provide fiber and energy which an addict may be lacking in their diet. People with addictions often also lack vitamin B so eating foods that are high in this nutrient can be good for their health such as salmon, broccoli and asparagus. Getting the right nutrients and plenty of fiber will help improve your mood and energy during detox.

People often have reduced appetites during detox so it is important to get as much nutrition as they can through low calorie but nutrient dense foods. Before entering detox, make sure to consider your diet and nutrition to improve the process.

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Common Reasons for Struggling in Early Recovery

Quitting an addiction can be one of the most difficult transitions a person will ever make in their life. The first few months of recovery can be especially challenging and dangerous for the possibility of relapse. There are some important choices that they need to make and they will have to address and be aware of the reasons they are struggling.

Some of the common issues that come up in early recovery are spending time around others who still use. If you are feeling tempted to use again because your friends still do then it is important to set boundaries with them and ask them to support you by not having alcohol around you. It is also a good time to start making more sober friends and spending time with people who motivate you to remain abstinent.

Another common reason people struggle in recovery is that they are dealing with difficult feelings that they don’t know how to handle such as anger, guilt and shame. Intense emotions can make you feel more inclined to use alcohol and drugs so it is important to learn how to manage these issues. Talking to other people about what you are feeling, especially your therapist can help you accept these feelings and still move forward with your recovery.

One issue that often comes up in early recovery is developing romantic relationships and dating. This is something that is usually discouraged in the first stages of recovery because it can be problematic for people and bring up lots of triggers. It might be a good idea to take a break from dating while you are going through your early recovery until you feel more stable.

People struggle in recovery for many different reasons but finding strategies to deal with problems and focusing on the goal of staying sober can help get you through any setbacks.

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