Recovery Enthusiast/ Recovery for Women

   In life, there are good days and days with an opportunity to enhance my circumstances. I look forward to both because they serve as growth opportunities.   Being outside of my comfort zone is a little unsettling but I am brave. I know that I am adaptable and creative. Those attributes bring comfort. I can get through it. I have a 100% success rate of surviving this far!!   Newness in any aspect of my life provides the opportunity to observe. Sitting still and taking in all that is happening around me allows me to adjust to norms. It gives me the chance to understand what I am involved in and decide my next course of action.   I am sometimes uncomfortable when I am required to manage competing for financial obligations. But I stay cool, consider what would be the wisest option, and then stick with my plan. If I make a mistake I learn. I either win or learn. But if I don't make a decision or I try to stay in my comfort zone I don't learn, and I d...

You may know that low levels of the brain's chemical serotonin are often associated with depression . However, it's been difficult for scientists to measure its natural fluctuations. A recent study provides the first glimpse at monitoring Serotonin in humans in real-time.   Several patients scheduled for brain surgery without full anesthesia volunteered to have a special microelectrode inserted during their procedure. The device tracked their serotonin levels while they performed a psychological test following the movement of a random dot.   In addition to providing a breakthrough in measuring Serotonin, this study by neuroscientists at University College London produced several other important findings. It confirmed Serotonin's involvement in a wide range of cognitive functions and showed how it affects different parts of the brain.   These findings could help create more effective treatments for many conditions, including depression and Parkinson's Disease. ...

The average person avoids challenges like he’s avoiding the plague. Struggling isn’t enjoyable, so it’s natural to avoid it as much as possible. There’s an issue with this strategy: There’s a lot to be gained from struggling.   There are many aspects to humans that are anti-fragile, meaning that stress makes them stronger.   For example:   ●       Exercise is a stressor that delivers positive benefits. ●       Being hot or cold, within reason, is good for your health. ●       Fasting is beneficial. Struggling is similar in that it makes you better than you were before the struggle.   Benefits of struggling:   You learn a lot about yourself when you struggle. You don’t learn a lot about yourself while you’re watching a movie for the fifth time from your couch. When life is easy, you have a natural tendency to coast. Any struggle is a test of your will, ingenuity, and p...

  The ups and downs of life are what make it worthwhile and fulfilling. Where I am now shows me that each obstacle presented before me to date is now a faint image in my past.   Goals and dreams fill my mind and heart. I see myself with more in the future, but I avoid complaining about where I am.   I am proud of my accomplishments. They show that hard work and dedication pay off in the end. They also prove that I am stronger than I think at times. My decision to keep pushing is all it takes to release added strength and drive.   Although I am limited in my spending ability, I still feel blessed by what I have. It is much more than others who are suffering as I enjoy a home-cooked meal.   Thinking of the plight of others reminds me to be grateful. It teaches me to put aside selfish and material ambitions in favor of opportunities to lend a helping hand. Being in a position to provide outreach offers real fulfillment.   I know that ther...

  Are you looking for the skills to get through tough times? Do you want to learn how to better manage your thoughts, actions, and life? Resilience is a skill that can be learned and cultivated. If you want to develop this skill, you can do so by applying new concepts to the small ways in which you live out your daily life.   Use this checklist as a reference to direct you toward resilience. 1.      Develop your understanding of resilience. ●        Life is something that you can either go through, or grow through. Resilience requires the willingness to grow and adapt. ●        Life has peaks and valleys. It is always changing. If you're able to accept this, you'll find that you're more motivated to get curious about the lessons of each moment. ●        You’re not born with resilience, but you can develop this skill. 2.     Enha...

 We can often trace the most significant challenges in our life to just a couple of poor decisions. Effective decisions require clear thinking and accurate perceptions of the situation and how the world works. It's easy to allow mental errors to lead to making a poor choice.   It's not always easy to make a wise decision, but we can do things to increase our odds.   Consider these mental errors that can degrade your ability to make a wise decision:   Failing to consider the long-term implications. Short-term thinking can lead to long-term challenges. Many of us focus more on the short-term than the long-term when making decisions. We choose the yummiest food to eat or the most enjoyable way to spend the next hour. ●      In most cases, we are better served by considering the long-term implications of our decisions.   For example: I would love to sleep in or hit the snooze button when my al...

 There’s a lot of talk about intentional living. But what does that really mean? Intentional living is living with purpose and making decisions that support that purpose.   It’s the opposite of what most people do. Most people are satisfied with the status quo and only take action to deal with their disasters as they happen along the way.   Intentional living is about choosing the type of person you want to be and the type of life you want to live and then holding yourself to it .   Steps to living an intentional life and stop relying on luck:   Understand that choices matter. An intentional life is all about making choices that make sense for you and your beliefs. Your choices determine the direction of your life and are the first step to creating the results you experience. ●       Your greatest power is the power of decision. ●       Your past doesn’t ...