8 Ways To Aid Your Journey To Sobriety

Your journey to sobriety is not going to look like anybody else’s journey to sobriety. There are many different paths, and almost everybody experiences setbacks. However, there are certain tools and things you can do to aid your journey. 

Read on for 8 ways to aid your journey to sobriety: 

1.Understand Your Triggers and Come Up With A Helpful Plan

Understanding your triggers can help you to come up with a helpful plan so that you don’t succumb to any temptation. For example, if you know that certain friends encourage you to break your sobriety, you can either cut them off or insist on spending time with them in a healthier setting, such as a coffee shop. When you become more mindful of your triggers, you should also be able to understand your relapse warning signs. 

2.Build A Support Network You Can Count On

Building a support network you can count on can make a huge difference to your success. You can share your experiences with them, share your little wins, and resonate with one another on a deep emotional level. A peer support group is a great way to do this, especially if you have friends and family who don’t really understand what you’re going through. 

3.Find An Activity You Feel Passionately About 

Is there an activity you can spend time on that makes you feel good? This could make an adequate distraction from any addiction you are struggling with. Whether it’s painting, running,or something entirely different, try it out and see if you can immerse yourself in it. Just be aware of any unhealthy coping mechanisms - if you replace an addiction with running, make sure you don’t run an unhealthy amount.

4.Try To Build Healthy Habits 

Focusing on healthy living can help you to stay on track. Cook balanced meals, take regular exercise, and ensure you’re getting quality sleep. If you find yourself looking at dab rigs for sale, consider calling a friend or going for a walk. 

5. Develop A Structured Schedule 

A disorganized lifestyle can hinder your recovery so try to develop a structured schedule. Routine can help just about anybody who is struggling to stay on the right path. 

6. Focus On Your Finances 

When you struggle with addiction, financial problems usually come along with it. Improvements won’t happen overnight, but it can be extremely satisfying to see positive changes happening for your financial situation no matter how long it takes. 

7. Celebrate Your Milestones

Acknowledging and celebrating the hard work of recovery is helpful for keeping you motivated and reminding you why you decided to change your lifestyle in the first place. Sobriety is an ongoing journey, and you need to stay strong. You deserve rewards! Just be sure that your rewards don't involve drugs or alcohol. Focus on experiences and activities that can support your healthy lifestyle instead. 

8. Accept Your Past Behaviors 

Try not to obsess over past behavior. Feeling guilty or shameful for a past behavior or action during active addiction is normal. Apologize to people you need to apologise to, and then make peace with yourself. Guilt and shame can easily lead you back into addiction and unhealthy habits. 

Anchor Yourself Against A Sea Of Stress

Work life can be stressful. Things can blow out of proportion when you’re feeling tired or rushed. Minor issues can accumulate and become overwhelming. While they may not be significant taken individually, once together, they feel insurmountable. In short, stress is everywhere. It is a silent and invisible enemy that can hinder your work life and career prospects. And when it’s all around you, it doesn’t only affect your work, but also your social life and your self-growth.

How can I get rid of stress? That’s the big question. Nobody can. There’s no cure that eliminates stress. But, what you can do is find the best coping mechanism to deal with the brutality of day-to-day anxieties. Coping in real-time gives you an anchor to stay grounded in the face of adversity.

The ritual sets the mood for the day

We tend to put the events that affect us and our response to these events in one huge bag called STRESS. But, in reality, they belong in different bags. You can’t always control the situations around you. However unpleasant they can get, stress doesn’t arise from them but from the way you react. Stress is the mind’s response. So, the best way to make the distinction between the events and your response is to help prepare your mind for a new day. If you don’t have a morning ritual, it’s time to think about how you want to start your day. A ritual is a soothing and caring moment to refresh your soul and keep you centered. Simple gestures can help lower your stress response, such as creating a meditation routine in the morning. You can find plenty of helpful apps to help you clear your mind and refocus.

Have some soothing treats

Not many people appreciate the value of a healthy treat as a coping mechanism. A coping strategy is a set of actions you take to release pressure when you are faced with a difficult situation. These could include talking to someone you trust, taking some time off work, etc. But, when you are in the heart of the storm, you often need to delay your response. That’s where a small gesture, such as a treat, can help defuse the stress bomb as it is about to explode. For instance, if you are prone to anxiety attacks, you could help your brain break free from the stress patterns with edible cannabinoid treats from a place such as baysmokes.com. They sell small gummy bears that can do the trick any day. Not your thing? Dark chocolate can be just as effective as it boosts the production of happiness hormones, effectively breaking through the stress cycle early.

Accept that things don’t have to make sense

Sometimes sh*t happens, and that’s life. In a world where we are desperate to control every aspect of life, it’s hard to accept that things can happen outside of our control. Life can be random, even in the workplace. It can be flawed. But that is what makes it special. The moment you accept that obstacles and challenges are part of the journey, you can face them with an open mind.

Not everything in the office goes as planned. Yet, it will only be as stressful as you allow it to become. You have a choice in how you respond to unexpected situations, from preparing your mind to accepting the randomness of work-related events.

Tips To Look After Your Loved Ones During A Pandemic

This pandemic has gone on for longer than any of us could have ever imagined, and the pandemic itself is something that has never happened to the generations currently existing on this earth! With that being said, as it’s unprecedented and unique times that we live in, it’s important to take care of yourself and your loved ones. With that said, here are some tips to look after your loved ones during a pandemic.

Keep Up Communications

Firstly, keep up with communications at all times. Despite us being in this pandemic, there are still many ways to talk with your loved ones even if you can be with them physically. One way is to set up some weekly facetime or zoom sessions to help catch up with the people you love. Of course, there might not be a lot going on in anyone’s lives right now but it can be nice to simply talk through that mutual situation that we’re all in. If talking on the phone is something you’d rather do, then give a loved one a call every so often, even if it’s just a five minute phone call to ask them about their day. It’s something that they will certainly come to appreciate and it’s likely something that you would appreciate too.

As we go through the emotional rollercoaster of a pandemic, you’re likely going to have days where you don’t feel great and so getting that random call can feel like it came at the right moment.

Manage What You’re Able To 

We’re only able to manage what we’re able to manage. Some people are good at managing more and some can’t deal with as much as you’re able to. If you’re having to help out loved ones when it comes to doing the shopping or offering caregiving services of any kind, it’s important to know your limits. If you have your own life and family to look after too, then it’s important to balance these out. There’s only so much you can do and if there are other people around that can help out too, then that should also be considered. 

Consider what you can deal with and manage before taking on everything for your loved ones. You can only do so much.

Consider Getting Assistance

There are going to be loved ones who need extra care and that might not be possible for you to cope with alone. With that said, it’s worth considering getting extra assistance in the form of professional care or support services. Seniors helping seniors is a great place to start and there’s plenty of other places out there that can help depending on what situation your loved one is in.

Like it’s been mentioned above, you can only take on so much yourself and if you have family and your work life to juggle too, it might not be possible. Not everyone can do that full-time caring for others and so it’s good to work with those services that are out there and can help you.

Take Care Of Yourself

It’s important to always take care of yourself because there are going to be times where you are feeling the struggle yourself and need a break. Looking after yourself is a priority and should always be your number one focus. How can you expect to be there for others when it’s not something that you can provide for yourself?

Look at how you can take more care of yourself and of your mental wellbeing too. This pandemic is hard enough to deal with physically as well as emotionally.

Find Ways To Boost Everyone’s Mood

Finding those mood boosters is important when you’re not having a good week or day. Usually, if that was the case, then there are so many lovely experiences that you can have socially whether it’s meeting a friend for dinner or popping out for a drink or two. That’s not something that everyone can do and so it’s a good idea to find a way of boosting everyone moods by organizing some zoom evenings where you might do a party over zoom or maybe a movie night with some friends. Just because you cant meet up physically, you can still do a lot virtually that wouldn’t have been possible before the internet’s creation.

Look after yourself and your loved ones throughout this pandemic and beyond it, we’re all going to need to heal after this. It’s tough but we’ll all get through it and out of the other side if we continue to support one another.

Making Life Easier For An Elderly Relative And What You Can Do

Many of us will have elderly relatives in our lives, and often we can be left with the responsibility to help them out and enable them to continue living independently. However, a lot of us can be unsure on how to do this effectively. After all, it can be easier to just do things, but yet an eldelry person may still be able minded or bodied to do things for themselves. 

There is a fine line, as your intentions will only be good. However, only you will know what is best for your loved one. Helping them out every no and again is going to be fine, but if you can find ways to help things be easier without infringing on their lives too much then that is always going to be a great result. So how can you do this? Here are some of the ways that you can make life easier for any eldelry relatives that you care for.

Adapt their home

One of the first things that you could consider doing would be to adapt their home to make things easier for them moving forward. This might be things like handrails to help them in the bathroom or to get off seats in the living room. It could be specially designed beds that have options to raise the head or feet or chairs that can lift to help someone stand. When you start looking into this you will see that there are so many options that could make life easier at home. Often the small changes can help an elderly person stay in their home for longer, which will ultimately make them happier. 

Making mobility easier for them

Another thing to think about would be to make mobility easier for them and it can often be a great way to help them stay mobile and give them some independence. For example, scooters and wheelchairs can make it easier for people to head out to the shops and be outside to enjoy fresh air. Often poor mobility can really alienate elderly people, so giving them the option of alternative can help them to enjoy a quality of life greater than what they experience now. Again a quick look online will give you plenty of options. It doesn’t even have to be a wheelchair or scooter, it could be something as simple as an aid to help them walk like a walking stick or a frame for extra support. Discussing the options with your loved one could give you an idea on what they may need. 

Buy in the food shopping or seek out the help of a meal service

Food can often be a big thing when it comes to an older person. Handling food, buying it and also preparing it may become much more difficult for them when it comes to old age. So making this part easy would be very helpful. You could meal plan, batch cook and create meals for them so it just requires one simple act of putting something in a microwave or an oven. Or even think about things such as meal service which will deliver meals to their doors. 

What about alternative living accommodation?

Sometimes it isn’t possible to stay at home. While that might be the option they want, it could be that they live far away from others, perhaps in an isolated area or even adaptations won’t make things easier. This is when looking at alternative options could help. You could find a place that has the same age as the people in the complex. Great facilities where they can be sociable while still loving close at hand to care that might be needed. Places like La Posada could be an option to consider. You could also look for care homes or facilities if they may need extra care that can be provided. Some of these places can dramatically change their lifestyles for the better. 

Allow things to be accessible

Another thing to think about would be to make things accessible. So you could look into low level storage, or having things at eye height to make it a little easier for them to find items in their home. Storage cupboards with high sleeves may no longer be suitable, so coming up with alternative storage options could be the way forward. 

Keep the memories alive

Finally, try and keep the memories alive as much as you can. You can do this by regularly talking to your relatives and older members of the family. Go through pictures, indulge their stories and generally enjoy communicating. It can make a huge difference to their day and how they feel. 

Let’s hope these tips help you when it comes to making life easier for your elderly relatives.

MelatoninPower. BeautySleep. SleepMatters.

Why sleep is universal medicine Can you remember the last time you woke up without an alarm - refreshed and energized? If you happened to get enough sleep only on vacation, you are not alone. According to neurobiologist Matthew Walker, two-thirds of the adult population of all developed countries of the world live in conditions of sleep deficit. Modern scientists warn: the lack of obvious negative consequences of lack of sleep does not mean that it is safe for our health. Sleep is not time spent aimlessly, but a vital respite for the whole organism. At this time, neurochemical cleansing of the brain occurs, the transfer of memories to long-term memory, detoxification of the body, and activation of immunity.

Even our cognitive abilities are in direct proportion to the amount of sleep: after a sleepless night, the ability to memorize information drops by 40%. Researchers have also found that women who regularly sleep less than seven hours have an increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and depression.

The hormone melatonin is responsible for the regulation of daily biorhythms in our bodies. The amount of light affects the production of the hormone. This is why in summer when daylight hours are longer, we get enough sleep faster than in winter. The maximum concentration of melatonin occurs between midnight and 5 am. In addition to regulating sleep, melatonin has a wide range of physiological functions. This hormone is primarily known as a powerful antioxidant. By binding the most toxic free radicals, it protects DNA, proteins, and lipids from damage and prevents early cell aging. So a healthy 8-hour sleep is no less effective anti-aging procedure than visiting a beautician. And most importantly - completely free!

Report: Olha Dzharyha

A Post-Lockdown Personal Tuneup Guide

After a global pandemic and sweeping political upheaval you can be forgiven for feeling a little worn out from this year already. However, while lockdown was a vital measure for many understandable reasons, it’s important to note that you needn’t have to feel that sense of weariness and fatigue for longer than necessary. Now that lockdown is starting to slow, and things are beginning to return to however we’re supposed to define normal right now, it can be helpful to develop your own post-lockdown treatment plan.

But how does this work, and what might it look like? It can be very worth asking these questions, because otherwise we may stumble in the dark trying to feel like our past selves but struggling from the effort.

So, where do we begin? Well, let us start off by first suggesting that you are enough, and that you’re merely restoring your beauty through the following guides, not adding to it. Furthermore, doing what feels good and having fun with this process should be mandatory. If you feel put-out by this process, something is wrong! With that being said, let’s consider the following advice:

Great Dental Work

Great dental work can be a great starting point, as deep cleaning teeth can help you enjoy a whiter smile, feel more confident, and also uncover other dental issues you may wish to have worked on. Great dental work also allows us to start feeling more confident in our style, as when issues with our teeth cause us pain or a lack of confidence, it can be hard to feel your usual radiant self.

Stretching & Yoga

Stretching and yoga can not only help remove some of your physical cobwebs that grow in lockdown, but you’ll remove some of your mental fatigue, too. It’s a meditative act to engage in either one of these practices regularly, and if you can do that you’re much more likely to feel confident, and peaceful in a given day. This will also help you feel a little less culture shock returning back to normality, as you’ll have given your body the practiced warm up it needs every day to function well. As far as that’s concerned, you’ll be on the right track.

Massages & Spa Experiences

A good massage and spa experience can help you remove all of your stress from your shoulders, take a little time for you, and for some people, enjoy some peace and quiet at long last! This is not an overly indulgent treat to invest in, we’d say you deserve it after many months in lockdown. Relaxing and spending time with a friend in these surroundings, or simply going solo, can help you take stock of your life, reflect a little, feel more comfortable in your physical body, and generally feel renewed and refreshed. You could do much worse than this.

With this advice, we hope you can go through the best post-lockdown tuneup guide.