STRESS!!!!

✌️ Perspective on behavior change and healthy lifestyle. Reasonable advice.

1) Statistically speaking, we are in a constant state of stress and upheaval.

Either personally (for example your own health problems) OR someone we love / care about (for example your son or daughter has health scare).

2) Therefore, we can not wait until the “time is right” to make a change.

3) We can not focus on getting to some mythical time or place when the circumstances are “all good”. Or “all stable”.

That time does not exist. That place does not exist.

4) It is easy to live healthy and “cultivate good habits” when things are calm.

But it is hard to stay on course when things are chaotic, tense, and full of drama.

5) Things in life are never (rarely) completely calm.

6) Therefore, success is found via some level of persistence and consistency in the middle of storms.

7) Use the time “in-between” the crises to really tune up your routines.

8) When the shit hits the fan, you may very well fall short. You will have trouble concentrating on anything outside of the immediate stress crisis.

However, avoid the abstinence violation effect (ie…throwing in the towel) and get right back on the horse.

The post 8 IDEAS TO HELP YOU MANAGE STRESS appeared first on The Recovery Cartel.

Hard Working & Solid

There are many good people working hard to provide solid mental health and substance use therapy and coaching.

There are tried and true therapeutic interventions.

The “self-care” list is pretty consistent, containing the standard stress management tips and mental health hygiene recommendations.

For example, this is list on the CDC website:

Ways to cope with stress:

• Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media. Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting.
• Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate
• Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals.
• Exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep.
• Avoid alcohol and drugs.
• Make time to unwind. Try to do some other activities you enjoy.
• Connect with others. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling”.

You can check it out yourself, but every list is basically some form of that CDC list.

Check out Psychology Today. Virtually identical.

No one can argue with those recommendations. However, I vow to work hard to discuss things that are different than that basic list.

I will not say the same thing that all the other providers/experts say.

I will add something different. Or at least I will try to add something different.

Tonight’s Recommendation:

1. Create a Firewall

Create a firewall between work and “home time”. Today I spent 13 hours with zoom meetings packed one after the other, conference calls, FaceTime news interview.

With only small slivers of time in between the calls/zoom meetings.

And then all the sudden BOOM !

The day is over. And I’m home.

2. Ritual & Routine

I recommend you create some type of ritual and routine that marks the end of work and the beginning of home time.

Analogous to someone coming home from manual labor.

Your hands are dirty, your clothes are dirty. You wash your hands, you change your clothes for obvious reasons.

However, this also serves as a transition from work to home.

3. Consistently

Figure out some type of routine that fits your individual circumstances.

Change clothes. Take some time alone. Communicate the plan to your family.

Maybe you go for a run.

Maybe you sit down and journal.

The important thing is to follow this routine consistently.

Otherwise, it won’t be a routine.

The post Rich Jones Recommendations appeared first on The Recovery Cartel.