Author: VKM

Categories
Trauma

12 Signs of PTSD in Women

There are several common signs of PTSD in women. However, trauma impacts each woman differently and requires a personalized approach to trauma therapy. 

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a mental health disorder that develops after someone experiences a traumatic, albeit terrifying, event either directly or indirectly. For example, a few of the events that can have a long-lasting impact on mental health include the following:

  • Sexual or physical assault
  • Child sexual or physical abuse
  • Observing violence or death
  • Combat or military experiences

In this article, you will discover several of the most common signs of PTSD in women. 

Signs of PTSD in Women

How someone experiences, reacts and handles the entire traumatic event will be different for each person. Two people may undergo similar experiences, and yet only one of them shows signs of PTSD. But, while the experience itself can vary from woman to woman, the resulting signs and symptoms of PTSD can be very similar.  

Here are several of the most common signs of PTSD in women.

1. Intrusive and Distressing Thoughts

Having thoughts about the traumatic event can pop up seemingly out of nowhere. This is one of the most frequently reported signs of PTSD. A woman may be moving freely through her day when all of a sudden memories about the event appear. This can lead to feelings of panic, unease, anxiety, discomfort, etc. They could come when in a similar situation – such as being at the same party with someone who caused your pain – or they may just appear out of nowhere. 

2. Nightmares

Getting a good night’s sleep is essential for overall health and wellbeing. But this can be hard for those who suffer from nightmares thanks to PTSD. These awful dreams can be very real and lead to physical pain and feelings that can disrupt sleep – and even impact daily life. 

3. Avoidance

Avoidance of particular places, events, people, situations can be a huge sign of PTSD. Those who are traumatized by a car accident, for example, may find it hard to get back in a car. Or, they may avoid a specific part of driving, such as certain roads or making left turns. Those who were sexually abused as a child or assaulted as an adult may find it hard to be intimate with a partner. This avoidance behavior can be debilitating. 

4. Negative Thoughts

Whether it is about oneself or the world around them, women who have PTSD will often possess a negative, pessimistic view of life. This leads to feelings of hopelessness and doom. They may have an ailing self-image and confidence, requiring therapy and tools to overcome it. Leaving these negative thoughts alone may fester and grow into potentially dangerous thoughts. 

5. Inability to Focus

When your mind just went through something that it perceives as horrific, returning to normal, everyday life seems impossible. It is not uncommon for there to be difficulty focusing on mundane tasks when the mind is elsewhere. As a result, those with untreated PTSD may struggle to achieve success in school or in the workplace. 

6. Missing Memories

Certain bits of memory loss are expected when traumatic events happen. This is because the brain’s ability to function properly is impacted by its desire to protect itself from what just happened. It is our own natural defense mechanism. Without any recollection of what happened, there are no unpleasant or distressing reactions – or intrusive thoughts. 

7. Always on High-Alert

Hypervigilance is another prevalent sign or symptom of PTSD. Someone who has been through a harrowing experience always wants to be prepared for the next thing. They never want to leave themselves vulnerable to acts of violence, terror, abuse, etc. Therefore they stay active and maintain extreme vigilance – perhaps even overreacting – in an attempt to keep the trauma from happening again.

8. Intense Flashbacks

Intrusive thoughts can be bad enough, but flashbacks can take things to a whole new level. These flashbacks can happen out of nowhere or can be triggered due to encountering certain things/people/smells/sounds. These sensations are vivid and feel very real, and the response they elicit is very visceral, too. Flashbacks lead to panic and may even warrant an aggressive, physical response. 

9. Easily Startled

Many people living with PTSD are easily started, whether by movements or by sounds. And their response is usually wildly exaggerated. Think of the combat vets who hear fireworks. PTSD often triggers a very real flashback, or it can cause an exaggerated startle.

10. Self-Isolating

After trauma, victims dealing with PTSD often find it hard to relate to others. They may change their personalities and behaviors, and they may even begin to feel like an outsider. Isolating themselves during this time is not a healthy way to process the trauma. Speaking with a therapist is highly recommended. 

11. Acting Carelessly

After going through something that has caused PTSD, some women find that they care less. They may have thought they did everything right and still ended up hurt, so why bother? Some engage in compulsive behaviors for the adrenaline or thrill — it allows them to feel. Or, what happens quite often, is women will turn to substance abuse to reduce the pain and suffering caused by the trauma. 

12. Assigning Blame

It often goes back to those negative thoughts, but blaming oneself is a common – and dangerous – sign or symptom of PTSD. It is not uncommon for the victim of a traumatic situation to blame themselves for it happening in the first place. This is especially the case when it involves losing a loved one. Or, less commonly, blaming others may occur. Assigning blame is something to look out for. 

If you or someone you love is exhibiting signs of PTSD, whether you recognize the trauma or not, it is important to seek professional guidance and treatment. When trauma leads to addiction, it requires the help of both a mental health therapist and an addiction specialist. Finding a way to do this in a whole-body, holistic healing method can prove lifelong success.

Categories
Mental Health

Diet and Mental Health

When I was small, my favorite food was mandarin oranges. At least once a day, but as many times as they were offered, I’d tuck into my oranges with all the delight of a child with a bag of candy. I loved them then (and still do), so much that my mother used to regularly hand them to me with a smile and say, “If you’re not careful, you’re going to turn into a mandarin orange”.  I’d picture myself turning orange, becoming spherical like Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka, and rolling into the grocery store for more mandarin oranges. 

“You are what you eat,” she’d say, and I think it was a warning, or maybe a joke, but she wasn’t entirely wrong… 

In many ways, we are the things we eat. Not literally, of course. I was never going to turn into a mandarin orange any more than you’ll turn into your kale salad or that banana bread you can’t resist. Even still, our nutrition is integrally tied to the way we fuel not just our bodies but our minds too. Tailoring your nutrition to your body’s needs won’t lead to a mental health miracle but it will support your journey toward mental wellness in a variety of positive ways.  

Pay attention to how your diet makes you feel

Have you ever noticed how your snacks and meals make you feel? The thoughts and feelings you have after eating can help you demystify the way your body responds to those foods. As we pay attention to them, we can begin making those fundamental connections about what our body needs to operate at its best. Sometimes those connections are obvious but if nothing becomes apparent quickly, try keeping a food journal to draw connections between the input of your mouth and the output of your mind. 

What does a healthy relationship between diet and mental health look like? 

There are a couple of prominent names for the connection between the way we think and feel, and the food we eat. 

Gut-Brain 

The Enteric Nervous System (ENS) is the name for the pathways in your gastrointestinal tract that send messages back to your brain. Over 100 billion cells are responsible for navigating the way your brain processes the food you put into your gut. The communication between these two systems is called the Gut-Brain Connection. While this moniker may not be very eloquent, the ENS is capable of letting your mind know how your body is feeling through things like big shifts of mood, or alternatively, responding to shifts of mood with feelings of nausea or abdominal pain.  The awareness of this means we can use your gut’s responses to alter the way your brain receives information and cultivate a more positive relationship. 

Food-Mood 

Find yourself craving particular foods for comfort when you are feeling overwhelmed or upset? Stressors to our mood can trigger changes in our diet and oftentimes, those changes don’t do us many favors. Instead, they perpetuate a vicious cycle of low nutrient foods reinforcing the low-energy moods we’re feeling and the association becomes ever-stronger. The food we consume alters our body chemistry, which alters our brain chemistry and can signal patterns of behavior that may not be right for you in the long term.

The food-mood connection is both a theory and a book that uses research to examine the ways that the things we eat influence the way we feel. 

Reviewing the nutritional profile of many whole foods can help you select foods that complement your goals. For example, foods rich in carbohydrates help you feel full and energized for brief periods of time while protein-dense foods help balance the carb slump with a more stable slow-burn energy release.

Balanced Diet; Balanced Mental Health 

Balancing your diet is an important facet of your mental health but worries about getting started can present as a huge barrier. If you are feeling the strain of potential cost or finding the things you need to make these elaborate “good mood” meals, you don’t have to be. Extravagance appears in every nutritional space but it isn’t required to have a diet that establishes a solid foundation for your mental health. 

There are a number of diets and nutritional profiles you can tailor to your needs at every level of accessibility. Whether you are considering going vegan or tracking your macros to get a balanced level of mental energy for whatever comes your way, there are options to try.

Much like recovery, the process of meeting your mind and body in a healthy space will be trial and error. Don’t be afraid to try something new, or to admit a new thing works better- or worse- than you anticipated. Plans change and that flexibility in listening to your body will be the key to your success in a supported and successful healing of your relationships inside yourself. 

Categories
Substance Abuse

Substance Abuse and Depression

Are you struggling with both substance abuse and depression? Neither are pleasant diagnoses on their own, but what happens when you’re dealing with both at the same time? Maybe your addiction is in the past, but you still feel that temptation to drink when new hurts arise. Or maybe you’ve been walking the path of recovery for some time, and a sudden loss or an unexpected life change is threatening to knock you off the wagon. 

When you’re caught between the struggles of two different diagnoses, it can be hard to see the forest for the trees. While substance abuse and depression are different difficulties, the overlap between them can be significant. It may feel foreboding to take on multiple challenges at once when they feel so different but there is hope in those shared spaces. When you are experiencing overlapping struggle, knowledge is imperative in garnering that hope and utilizing it to move toward healing.

Want to learn more about the relationship between substance abuse and depression, and more importantly, what you can do to take back your life? 

Where Substance Abuse and Depression Connect

The relationship between substance abuse and depression goes both ways, meaning that having one increases the risk factors for developing the other- and it doesn’t much matter which comes first. Using substances can decrease the acuity of feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and those feelings can attribute to a desire to turn to substances. The cycle is vicious. 

Substance abuse and depression often share a root cause. Whether it’s in trauma, repression, or it’s something you’re predisposed to, both are tools used to numb the experience of vividly feeling what’s beneath. 

How They’re Different 

The most glaring difference between substance abuse and depression is that depression is a struggle with something you feel, while substance abuse is a struggle with something you consume. Depression begins inside of you: an internal force of strife often sparked by something beyond your control. Substance abuse is external: it symbolizes the active engagement with bringing something into your body to change your cognitive or emotional awareness. 

Depression is often linked to a reduction in feel-good chemicals, while substance abuse is considered a depressant and can actively contribute to a reduction in those chemicals. While the impact to you is similar, it paints a mirror once more- one is cause, the other is effect. 

Healing Together

Everyone moving through this life will experience pain. Each person will feel sad, and have times of struggle. Maybe those things will consume them, briefly. 

Most people will consume alcohol or other substances and experience intoxication. They will feel the dizzying highs and changes of a mind-altering substance and it may feel really really good. 

While these experiences may be common, they are not the same as substance abuse or depression. Recognizing the difference in having an experience and needing help because those experiences have become an inhibiting part of your life is the key in finding your way out of the depths of substance abuse and depression. 

That recognition is your golden ticket toward recovery- beginning with detoxing from your substance of choice and giving voice to the vices that have controlled you. Your healing is in your grasp when you take the first step toward accountability and awareness. If you’re here right now, you’re doing that and we are already so proud of you. 

Tools You Can Use to Support Your Recovery 

While there are a myriad of things you can ask for or work with alongside qualified experts in rehabilitation and healing, you do not have to wait for anyone to begin with small steps for big impact. 

Feel your feelings instead of avoiding them. Burying your emotions is a slippery slope on its own but if you struggle with co-existing substance abuse and depression, avoiding what you’re feeling is akin to hitting turbo charge on an avalanche. 

To feel your feelings, you don’t have to talk about them but you do need the space and language to give words to what you’re experiencing when you feel it. Whether you choose to do that through your own self awareness or with a trusted support network, it’s important. 

Journaling has been proven to provide relief from the pressure of bottling up your emotions and can be a constructive addition to acquiring the language to feel your feelings instead of suppressing them. There are a myriad of journaling styles to choose from- the most important thing is that you select something that feels good to you. 

Make change a priority in your day to day routine. It doesn’t need to be a big change, but ensure that it’s one you can stick to. Developing new habits and routines can be a great tool to build on bigger, more powerful changes that keep you from falling back into old ones. 

While substance abuse and depression are scary and difficult things to manage on your own, there is something we hope you always remember: 

You are never alone. 

We are here, to add to or help spark the start of a support network that will carry you from detox to the future of your dreams. Your recovery starts with recognition but the power is in you now. 

Categories
Wellness

How to Value Yourself

The ways in which we are encouraged to think about—and care for—ourselves can feel innumerable. Each year, the “self-fill in the blank” trends seem to expand and contract, folding in on one another to encourage you to create a whole scope of spaces where you ensure you are getting what you need to exist in this world. Over the past year we’ve shared quite a few ideas ourselves about what to focus on in your pursuit of wellness: 

Self- Confidence   Self- Kindness   Self- Forgiveness

Self- Love   Self- Care   Self- Nurture

 Just like you, each of those facets of self are unique in the way you acknowledge them, in the care they need and the work they require. While all aspects of self are valuable, there is one inherent to the way you can engage with them all: how you value yourself. 

What does it mean to value yourself? 

Your self-value is built on the foundation of your self worth. Much like currency, a unit of measure must be established in order to begin exchanging it for things. Your energy is your currency and to use it effectively, you must determine its worth. What is your time worth to you? How about your love? Your laughter? Your tears or pain? 

Your worth is the currency, and your value is found in how you spend it. Your value is what takes the wheel when you turn away from something and say I can’t spend my worth on this. I owe myself more. Your value is what you honor when you look at something new with a lightness in your chest (and maybe a little fear too) and say I am investing in this part of me with my excitement and energy. 

Your value is rooted in your worth, your self-esteem and your own commitment to honoring them both. To value yourself means you must compassionately acknowledge your worth actively and relentlessly in the choices you make and the way you think. 

Banish the just

Do you struggle to recognize your skills and give them the merit they deserve? If you’re quick with the self-criticism, ready at a moment’s notice to review the ways you want to improve, you should work toward applying that same speed to validating your skills. It’s easy to dismiss the things you’re good at as just who you are or just a small thing. 

But that’s not true. 

Your skills are a part of who you are. Even if you enjoy them, they have taken work. You’ve honed them, spent time on them, developed their use and application. 

Just good with words? Just speedy with math? Just organized? 

Those skills are important and inherent parts of who you are. Valuing them for being exactly that is a huge part of not only valuing yourself, but expressing your value for others to recognize. 

Being, not doing 

Valuing yourself will come much more easily if you can tabulate and recognize the things that make you feel confident in your ability to take up space. While there is much value in the things you can do (and they deserve not only your recognition but your celebration as well), you are not a sum of your abilities. 

Doing the work of recognizing your skills is important but the key to valuing yourself will be found in the emotional experience of recognizing yourself. You are a whole person, full of valuable and precious thoughts, ideas, experiences and expressions. Spend time with those things. Piece them out, pick them up, hold and inspect them. See how uniquely you each part of your being is in the same manner you inventory the things you can do. 

Variable but constant 

How you experience your own value will change from moment to moment and profoundly across the span of your life. Through your recovery journey, you will encounter moments where it’s difficult to value some parts of who you have been as you move into yourself now. Even those struggles bring value, if not in what they were, then at least in what they taught you. Not everything happens for a reason but that doesn’t mean there isn’t reason to be found in everything. 

In every transformation there is variation. What parts of yourself you value you most, or the ways you express that value, will change. The constant in this process is the unshakeable truth that you deserve to feel valued not just by those around you, but by yourself first and foremost. If you’re looking for guidance on finding it, on finding you, and in learning to not just see but celebrate your own value, it can be found inside you. If you need a little support from the outside as you journey inward, we’re here for you.

Categories
Addiction Treatment

Addiction Recovery Steps for Women

Addiction recovery is definitely not something that will happen overnight. And you cannot just know that you have an addiction, wish that it will go away – and sit back to watch it happen. If overcoming addiction were that easy the term addiction probably wouldn’t even exist. 

Addiction recovery is tough. It is a struggle. There will be days when getting out of bed and facing the world will feel like the hardest thing you have ever had to do. The work and dedication you have to put into overcoming your addiction may even have you questioning if it is all worth it. Wouldn’t it be easier to just give up and continue to live this new life of addiction, pain, and heartache? Never. 

In this article, we’re sharing the essential addiction recovery steps for women so you can begin to plan your recovery journey.

Addiction Recovery Steps for Women

Letting go of the woman you once were is not an option. You have to fight for yourself. You have to give everything you’ve got to fight through your addiction and get to the other side. Will it ever be easy? Well, not actually – even though it may feel like it gets a little easier with time. Why? Because you get stronger! 

As you begin your recovery journey, there are certain steps you will likely take. 

Here are seven addiction recovery steps you will need to take on your journey.

1. Admit There is a Problem

When it comes to anything in life, you can’t begin fixing something if you don’t believe there is a problem. The same holds true for your addiction. Until you are willing to accept that you may need help and are able to verbalize that to your friends and family – and most importantly yourself – you can’t get started. You have to truly know you have a problem before you can address it – and find freedom from it. 

2 . Have a Support Team

Overcoming addiction is not something you do on your own. You need professional help throughout the recovery process, helping you prepare for all the ups and downs and tough challenges you will face. Friends and family can be great beacons of support, but also be sure to invest in those who have dedicated their lives to helping people in your situation. From addiction to mental health and all that goes with the recovery process, seek help. It will give you the greatest opportunity for success. 

3. Make it Through Detox

Before you can get to the real work of recovery, you have to join a detox program for women. This will take place during the first few days of the recovery process. You have admitted you have an addiction and you have surrounded yourself with supportive people – now this is where you take the first step toward getting yourself on the other side. Detoxing is the process of going through withdrawal and removing all the drug’s harmful properties from your body. 

Detoxing can be scary, leading to many unpleasant physical symptoms. But it is important to remember that it is all temporary. And, every moment you spend detoxing is one more moment closer to finding freedom from addiction. 

You can do this. 

4. Approach Daily Life In A New Way

If you continue to do the same thing, you will get the same results. If you want to make positive changes in your life, then you need to change your daily routine and begin approaching life in a new way. Take note of times when your thoughts would turn toward your addiction or any triggers you may encounter. And start turning things around. Quash isolation and loneliness with the support of others and change your habits to be more productive at caring for yourself. 

5. Celebrate Your Accomplishments

Recovery Road is a long, treacherous one. There will be a lot of struggles and tough moments. But when you get through them, you need to celebrate it. You need to acknowledge that you made it through something really tough and challenging. And that you are going to be ok. 

The more you focus your attention on your victories, rather than just the challenge, the stronger you will begin to feel — and the more victories you will have. 

Celebrate along the way. You deserve it. 

6. Don’t Allow Relapse to Take Over

You may be walking through life entirely free, feeling strong and over your addiction. And then something happens — you find yourself getting a little sad or feeling a little lonely. Or maybe you have reconnected with some old friends because you feel like you are strong enough to be friends since you are recovering successfully. Then again, maybe you are dealing with a huge life-altering situation such as the death of a sister. 

Just because you feel free, doesn’t mean relapse isn’t real. In all that you have learned, you must recognize your triggers and symptoms so that you can take the necessary actions and keep yourself from relapsing. Admit when you are feeling vulnerable or weak and seek support. It is the only way you will stay out of the dangerous cycle of addiction. 

7. Keep On Keeping On

When you find freedom in recovery, you can exhale. You know you have worked hard to get here and you wouldn’t do anything to compromise that. Let the new routines and habits you formed become permanent ones. Do not allow yourself to fall back into old habits — always, always be aware of your triggers. And, most importantly, learn to practice gratitude for all that you have, all that you have been through, and all the good things that are to come. 

The above steps are not part of a formal program, but instead, offer you guidance in the steps you can take to pull through. Of course, having the help of a women’s holistic treatment center is always a positive step in the right direction, too.

Recovering from addiction is one of the toughest things you will ever have to do. And even if it doesn’t seem like it is possible for you, it is. Seek help today, my friend. You are so worth it. 

Categories
Mental Health

Mood and Anxiety Disorders

We all have days when we feel sad and tired and we just don’t want to get out of bed. And we all have days when we encounter something that gets us anxious and all worked up. But for those dealing with mood and anxiety disorders every day, it goes beyond that one day or that one time. These conditions are very real, disruptive to life, and may even lead to substance abuse and addiction without proper treatment.

Being told to smile or relax just doesn’t cut it. Women who face each day with a mood or anxiety disorder usually aren’t equipped with the skills and tools necessary to overcome the harsh, crippling symptoms. And those around them just don’t understand what the big deal is. 

The more we talk about it, the more accepting and understanding we become, and the more women will step up and seek treatment. 

If you find yourself turning to substances to ease the discomfort caused by mood and anxiety disorders, consider exploring the benefits of treatment for co-occurring disorders.

What are Mood and Anxiety Disorders?

Mood and anxiety disorders are often lumped together, but they are two different types of mental health conditions. Both, however, have a high prevalence among women – and they usually both appear together. 

Mood Disorders

Mood disorders can make it hard to get through a day. Just going through the motions is a reason to cheer because many women who deal with mood disorders have a hard time just showing up to life. These disorders can impact your moods,  your thoughts, your actions, your emotions, and even your reactions. Below are the 3 most common mood disorders: 

  • Depression – incredibly strong feelings of hopelessness and sadness. 
  • Bipolar Disorders – characteristic of extreme mood changes, from one extreme to the other. Includes depressive episodes and very high-energy manic episodes. 
  • Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) – this is a depression that results from the seasons. It occurs during the fall and winter months when the days get shorter and the sunlight is not as prevalent. 

Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders usually contain feelings of intense worry, fear, or unease. And they may appear in different situations. This could be due to unrealistic expectations, high levels of stress, fear of the unknown, substance use, having poor coping skills, or even physical problems that lead to worry and fear. 

Anxiety disorders greatly impact one’s life and functioning in the day-to-day processes of it. But those who have anxiety disorders may differ from one another. One person may have a gigantic fear about being in crowds or large social situations while someone else may not even want to leave the house! Still, others may have a generalized version that affects all different aspects of life.  Here are the most commonly diagnosed anxiety disorders: 

  • Generalized Anxiety Disorders (GAD) – this is the stress and worry about everyday life. 
  • Panic Disorders – these are sudden, very strong but short-lived bouts of fear and anxiety, but with strong symptoms. 
  • Social Anxiety Disorder – as its name suggests, it is the increase of anxiety when around people. 

How to Recognize Mood and Anxiety Disorders

Certain symptoms are commonly present with mood and anxiety disorders. Though it is important to know that these will vary from person to person. And not every woman will experience every symptom. Nonetheless, below you will find a list of the most common symptoms of mood and anxiety disorders. 

For mood disorders, one may feel: 

  • Sadness, hopelessness, empty
  • Low self-esteem
  • Feelings of inadequacy
  • Physical pains and complaints
  • Fatigue
  • Aggressive and irritable
  • Loss of interest
  • Disrupted sleep and eating patterns
  • Relationship struggles

As for anxiety disorders, this one can be broken down into both mental and physical symptoms. One may feel:

  • Racing thoughts
  • Inability to concentrate
  • Over-thinking
  • Irritability
  • Feeling on heightened alert
  • Feelings of wanting to escape
  • Disrupted sleep patterns
  • Appetite changes
  • Dissociation
  • Increased heart rate
  • Feeling hot and flushed
  • Dry mouth
  • Sweating
  • Dizziness or faint
  • Shaking
  • Muscle tension
  • Uncontrollable breathing

There is something worth noting that everyone needs to be aware of. Not all people who are sad have depression, but if you notice someone showing some signs, then pay attention. Just as if you notice someone struggling with anxiety that makes it hard to function throughout the day, pay attention. 

Many people who have either of these conditions do a very good job of hiding it. Many will smile and pretend as though life is fine — even when they feel like dying inside. And both mood disorders and anxiety have had reports of suicide ideation before seeking treatment. 

Suicide is real. And it can be prevented when the signs are caught and help is available. If you suspect that you or someone you love may be suffering from a mood or anxiety disorder – and suicide ideation is present – then call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

What Causes Mood and Anxiety Disorders?

Mood and anxiety disorders can occur for all sorts of reasons, but most commonly, they stem from: 

  • Genetics/family history
  • Previous mood disorder diagnosis
  • Trauma, stress, major life changes (especially relating to depression)
  • Physical illness
  • Certain medications
  • Brain structure/function (relating to bipolar disorder)

It is very common for environmental factors to play a large role in mood and anxiety disorders. That is why treatment situations will often work to uncover and remove any aggravating factors. When this happens, symptoms can clear up and the individual will begin to feel better. 

Treatment for Mood and Anxiety Disorders

Mood and anxiety disorders can be treated rather simply using a combination of medication and psychotherapy. You may, of course, try one or the other, but most professionals agree that a combination of the two yields the best results. 

If substance abuse is also a factor, then that needs to be treated at the same time, as well. It is not uncommon for women dealing with these conditions to turn to drugs and alcohol as a means of self-medicating rather than seeking treatment. Unfortunately, this can quickly lead to dependence on the substance and, eventually, addiction. 

In order for someone to find healing and lead a successful recovery, all aspects of mental health and substance abuse need to be treated. Seeking this in a holistic environment that promotes whole-body healing is the perfect option. 

Categories
Mental Health

Women and Mental Health

There is a toxic stigma surrounding women and mental health issues. This stigma often prevents women from speaking about their struggles or reaching out for help.

This can cause some women to turn to substances to relieve their pain, which can lead to dangerous health consequences and the development of addiction.

Women are no strangers when it comes to mental illness. But that doesn’t make the relationship between the two any easier. There are difficulties when it comes to diagnosing mental health disorders and social stigmas attached to doing so. Even more so to those who seek treatment. And, sadly, many women know that something is wrong but feel like they have too many responsibilities that getting help just doesn’t seem feasible. 

In this article, we’re exploring the relationship between women and mental health.

Women and Mental Health: What the Statistics Say

Looking at the numbers, you will see that more than one in every five women has experienced a mental health condition within the last year. And many of the mental health conditions that plague women, including depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder, affect women at a much higher rate – and in a different way – than they affect men. 

In addition, 46.6 million adults in the U.S. in 2017 were treated for mental illness. The percentage of those who were women was nearly 50% higher than the percentage of men, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). 

But, that’s not all. Here are a few more statistics from the NIMH:

  • More women receive mental health services than men, 49.7% and 36.8% respectively. 
  • The prevalence of serious mental illness is greater in females than males, 6.5% and 3.9% respectively. 
  • Women who are exposed to violence are 3 – 4 more times likely to suffer from depression. This includes those who are exposed to sexual abuse as children, abusive partners, and or other types of sexual or violent abuse, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Things that Affect a Woman’s Mental Health Treatment

Women are intricate beings. They have a lot riding on their shoulders every day and a desire to show they can handle it. So any intrusion of a mental health concern makes things a bit, well, tough. There are certain things in their lives that cause them to just push it aside as best as possible or find alternate ways of dealing rather than seeking treatment. These include: 

  • Many women, especially those with a lower socioeconomic status, tend to not have access to the necessary healthcare. 
  • Women tend to be the main caretaker for children, as well as elderly parents. This makes it more difficult to schedule treatment. 
  • Women are usually the ones on the receiving end of things like abuse or violence, sexual or otherwise.
  • Personal safety concerns also halt women from seeking help, especially in situations where there is another adult maintaining control.

Though, while these are just a few of the things that impact mental health treatment for women, it is important to point out that women do tend to have at least one friend that they can confide in and voice concerns. While it is not the professional help that they need, speaking up about mental health is a very good first step. 

Women and Mental Health: The Stigma

There is a toxic stigma surrounding women and mental health. Self-image is huge for women, which means being seen as “weak” or “flawed” due to a mental illness is not acceptable. Unfortunately, it is for this reason alone that many choose not to address their concerns about their mental health. 

Covering it up or self-medicating on their own is viewed as the better option. Although, we all know that is just not the case. Learning to cope with mental illness means being strong enough to accept that it is there, address it, and get the help you need. 

More and more, celebrities and others in the limelight are coming forward with mental health issues in an attempt to reduce the stigma.

Most Common Mental Health Issues Faced By Women

Women can be diagnosed with any mental illness, but there are a couple that seems to impact women at a much higher rate. These include: 

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Eating Disorders
  • Body Dysmorphic Disorder
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Borderline Personality Disorders
  • Substance Abuse

Comorbid Conditions

Many times women use substances such as drugs or alcohol to deal with their other mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, etc. These drugs or alcohol are used as a means of self-medicating. Unfortunately, what happens quite often, is that after a while, more is needed to help curb the symptoms. This cycle will continue on until addiction is formed. 

Some professionals believe that substance abuse that may have started with a glass of wine in the evenings to unwind may lead to mental health issues, such as depression or anxiety. 

Researchers have long questioned whether mental illness or addiction came first. And they are learning that either may appear first and the other results from it. 

Concerned About Your Mental Health?

If you believe that you may be suffering from a mental health condition or need to talk to someone, then it is important to seek help immediately. Talking to your family doctor is a great place to learn of the resources available to you. 

The National Alliance for Mental Health has a website that is full of resources you may find helpful. The more you learn and the more you stay connected and find support, the greater chance you will have of finding relief and joy again in your life. 

It is always worth noting that the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is (800) 273-8255. Of course, if you feel that you are at risk of causing harm to yourself or others, contact 911 immediately. 

Empower Yourself

As women – and human beings – knowledge makes us stronger. The more we learn about mental illness and talk openly about it, the easier it will be for us to come forward when we feel like we need extra help. It also makes it easier to spot the signs in those that we love. 

Educate yourself on mental health and remove the stigma, ladies. Together we can break any and all barriers.  

Categories
Self-medication

What is Self-Medication?

Using the term “self-medication” has become increasingly popular in the way that we talk about and understand the challenges in addiction that we face. We may have even heard the term used to describe our favored survival strategies and the way that we engage with our emotions. But what does it mean, and what can we learn from this way of understanding ourselves? 

Today’s blog will discuss self-medication, what it means, and what you need to know. 

The Cycle of Self-Medication Begins

You’re agitated. Something’s gotten under your skin, and the solution feels just out of reach. Maybe there’s no escaping from the grief, anger, or sense of loss piling up. Maybe what you’re facing is a time-sensitive challenge, where you must wait on something (or someone) else to achieve relief from the difficult emotions you’re experiencing. But there, just there in front of you, there’s something in reach. 

For some, it’s food—ice cream, chips, a favorite meal. For others, perhaps they lean into social media, drink, or substances to take the edge of the unattainable relief they’re seeking. Using a tool to support your needs in the interim of a feeling or experience isn’t always an issue. When you use it to avoid or assuage that discomfort instead, it almost always is. 

This is self-medication, and the cycle of dependency it creates can be deeply damaging to your well-being or derail your recovery. 

What does it mean? 

The term self-medication came about as a medical nod to patients who avoided their doctor’s advice, whether to avoid, enhance or supplement the treatment they’d been prescribed. In some forms, this led to antibiotic-resistant bacterias, and in others, it’s created chronic health conditions from temporary ailments. 

In the mid-’80s, the evolution of the meaning of self-medication turned it into a powerful reframe for our behavior. It became acknowledged as a coping tool, which is universal and understood easily enough, since coping with the things we face is a struggle we all encounter. To journey through the darker moments, we seek relief. However, knowing where to find it can feel like entering a labyrinth of pain and confusion.  Self-medication became the term for all the cheats we employ to tolerate our existence in that labyrinth, not moving or progressing, but simply halting the mounting stress of trying to find our way out. 

Types of Self Medication 

Food

Emotional eating often feels harmless at first—comfort food after a hard day can be a soothing choice. This isn’t self-medication. However, when eating those foods becomes a salve for confronting the struggle of your experiences, you’re entering more dangerous territory. Your ability to choose other coping skills declines as you require the medicine (food) on a more primal level. In this case, your comfort foods move from operating as a helpful coping tool towards a more unhelpful one. This becomes emotional eating, a self-medicating practice that makes it difficult to differentiate between hunger cues and emotionally charged ones. 

Alcohol 

So quickly, alcohol can become a numbing agent for the things in life you find difficult to process. Once a couple of drinks on a night out leaves you longing for that feeling of carelessness they offered, it’s all too easy to slip into the daily habit of unwinding with drinks and leaning into them each time the stress of life becomes a bit too much to bear. 

Even more problematic alcoholic behaviors can begin in benign ways, like unraveling the stress of a rough week. But when the allure of self-medicating with drink becomes more influential than your self-preservation skills, it’s time to ask for support. 

Marijuana 

Often touted for its varied uses, marijuana is said to be a non-habit-forming natural alternative to many more dangerous drugs. While there are plenty of beneficial applications of marijuana, it is too frequently exchanged for emotional clarity in navigating difficult situations. 

Self-medicating with marijuana begins when you require its presence as a sleep aid or a comfort to be able to confront the things you face each day. Although not physically addictive, marijuana can worsen depression and perpetuate a cycle of helplessness in those who self-medicate with it. 

Stimulants

As the most widely varied category of self-medication, stimulants may be a nod toward utilizing tea or coffee to help you power through a tight deadline or a more sinister tailspin into hard stimulant drugs like cocaine or amphetamines. 

On the milder end of the stimulant scale of self-numbing, you may feel more productive or capable. Just because coffee, tea, or soda are widely accepted and have health benefits of their own doesn’t mean they cannot be abused. If you find yourself unable to function without these things, you’ve likely slipped into an addiction mindset with your self-medication. 

The off-label use of amphetamines, or outright abuse of cocaine, is a more clearly defined nod toward the risks of self-medication in that there are no benefits to their use beyond the euphoria they induce, which certainly doesn’t negate the cardiovascular risk they pose. 

Opiates

Prescription opiates and opioids like Percocet or Dilaudid are prescribed for heavy pain relief after traumatic injury or invasive medical procedures. These highly addictive drugs have a myriad of valid clinical applications, but their use when not under the direct care of a physician can create a dangerous risk. 

All produced from the poppy plant, these drugs bring with them a risk for addictive behaviors and worsened depression. Opiates are one of the most commonly abused categories of drugs. 

If you find yourself navigating life, leaning on a treat or a tool as a crutch to justify avoidance, or your relationship with something that once felt good has become a spiral you’re not sure you can control, you may be self-medicating. Removing those crutches may feel terrifying, but you are capable of anything, even when it’s hard. At Villa Kali Ma, we are here to help guide you back to self-healing when you’re ready.

Categories
Nutrition

Vegan Diet and Mental Health

Your mental health matters- and trying to support that in the everchanging uncertainty of a global pandemic alongside the catastrophic beauty of day to day life can feel a little bit like looking for a diamond in the dark. From the food you’re eating to the socks you’re wearing and the way you’re moving your body, everything comes into question when you’re grappling with the ways you can improve your mental health and flourish on your own terms. 

While it’s been suggested that a vegan diet can help you maintain a healthy weight, reduce diabetes risk and pain, did you know it also has many benefits to your mental health? We’re here to help support your interest in Veganism, guide your transition and illustrate the ways you can transform your mental health with plants. 

Cultivate curiosity and compassion 

Plant-based diets are rooted in excluding animal products and byproducts from what you eat, and they can feel a little overwhelming to begin. While veganism itself doesn’t enhance or alter your nature, it certainly has a way of provoking inner change. From considering the repercussions of removing animal products (and byproducts) in your life to sourcing new ideas for meals and snacks, veganism invites you to engage your mind in new and creative ways. Being vegan offers you an opportunity to exercise compassion in the small details of your life. You get the chance to choose not to contribute to the animal-sourced food industry while making space for you to get curious about the options you will choose. 

In one fell swoop, your new vegan meals will ask you to think outside the box and help you to get excited about potential as you do. Whether you’re reimagining your favorite meals or finding new ones, your mental health will benefit from the exercise of engaging with your daily meals in the curious way we engaged in play as children. The compassionate choice not to involve animals in that is a warm hug for the heart and mind on top of that. 

Viva la vitamins 

A common refrain when someone hears you are vegan, or considering veganism, is concern for your vitamin, iron and nutrient intake. Much of our society cannot fathom a balanced diet that doesn’t rely on animal products, which is understandable as less than 1% of Americans are vegan. 

Whether it’s your own uncertainty you’re trying to combat, someone else’s or just a new awareness of your nutritional intake, adding multivitamins, probiotics and supportive supplements may be a byproduct of your new vegan lifestyle. As such, your body may experience a more balanced micronutrient profile than you have before. The more commonly supplemented nutrients, like B12, Folate and Omega-3, are an important part of supporting mental health and adding them into your routine alongside your new vegan diet can have positive benefits on your wellbeing. 

Great for gut health 

Vegan diets can help to stimulate a more productive microbial colony in your gut, creating a more productive environment for your body to collect and store the nutrients it needs to nourish you through every day. While a vegan diet on its own can’t create this change, the creativity and new protein sources drive a natural encouragement toward new and more diverse whole food choices. 

When the gut is happy, so too is the mind. The Gut-Brain Connection is the link between what you eat and how you think- and it’s largely undervalued. By eating a vegan (and likely more versatile) diet, you can enrich your body’s connection to the mind and support a more productive exchange of information. Given that the Gut-Brain connection has been shown to correlate with anxiety, this is great news for supporting your mental health. 

Eating a vegan diet isn’t a miracle cure that will make you live forever, help your skin glow or give you superpowers. It isn’t always easy and the surprising list of limitations may feel frustrating as you begin a new journey. However, the benefits of being vegan can touch every corner of your life, from physical to mental health, and expand beyond you to making a difference in the ethical use of animals by the food industry. Supporting a cause you believe in through the choices you make will always benefit your mental health overall, but the day to day is yours to consider and cultivate. 

Our residential program is one of the very few substance abuse treatment centers that provides vegan meals and an emphasis on nutrition as a part of our holistic programming. Connect with us today to learn more about the way that we do treatment differently. 

Categories
Wellness

How to Nurture Yourself

Often when we are hurting, we find ourselves reaching past the healing we need toward means of comfort and distraction. It’s easier to distract from pain than feel it, and that distraction can move swiftly toward indulgence that becomes something more. Walking a path of distracting instead of feeling and indulging instead of healing, is a treacherous journey that often leaves you feeling worse after every redirection. 

So where do you go from here? When your impulse is to distract or indulge, how do you make choices that look or feel better for your wellbeing? Is self-care the way forward or self-nurturance? Will it require more pain for you to make a different choice? 

What does it mean to nurture yourself?

To nurture yourself does not mean to make yourself comfortable. In fact, it often means the opposite. Nurturing is a way of caring for ourselves in the challenging moments as much as the ones that come easy. We nurture ourselves in the moments we are afraid and push through; we nurture ourselves when we pursue something that we aren’t sure we will succeed at. We nurture ourselves especially beautifully when we allow ourselves to sit in emotions that are messy or situations that are uncertain. 

Nurturing is the act of giving the whole self holistic care. Much like parenting is to a child, nurturing yourself is the persistent and compassionate belief in your ability to overcome. 

Self-care vs Self-nurture

The much-lauded practice of self-care is everywhere in one form or another. That bath? Self-care. A pedicure? Definitely self-care. Yes, read that book, watch that show, indulge in that chocolate- it’s self-care, after all. But self-care is so much more than we are often shown. It is not all easy, and it’s certainly not the indulgent picture painted so often in media. Self-care can be difficult, rigorous work. The acts of care that help us move forward and progress in the world—like rising to a challenge—is self-care just as much as taking a shower often enough to feel clean and productive. 

Self-care is the verb to the self-nurture’s noun. Care is what we do, and nurturing is how we frame our thoughts about it. We nurture our thoughts, our needs and our worth. We care for them too, but first, we must nurture them into the certainty that they are valid and deserve to take up space. Though we need self-care to self-nurture, we must learn to nurture before we can offer ourselves true care. 

Are you prone to self-indulgence? 

Ah, indulgence. To sink into the wanting instead of the needing, and allow yourself to truly know decadence. It’s something special to be able to appreciate the finer things in your world- from small brief delicacies to extravagant ones. 

When indulgence becomes a form of coping instead of confronting, it becomes a substitute for nurture and care. Emotional pain may be difficult or confusing to feel. Often, it’s not clear what we’re meant to do with those feelings, and as society sweeps the messy things under the rug, we may want to as well. Indulgence can be something benign like an extra show, an extra scoop, or an extra hour- or it can seep into substances or habits that can become dangerous. Indulgence may become addiction if it’s not curtailed when it moves past an occasional treat into a daily habit. 

Re-writing your healing 

Stepping into the uncomfortable spaces to shape the way you nurture yourself can be difficult, but you are more than capable. Spend some time with yourself, considering the ways you approach your inner child. Give yourself the space to think about what would feel best in a variety of situations or emotional experiences. 

What would feel best when you’re afraid? When you’re angry? How can you celebrate your wins? Where do you look for clarity when you’re confused? 

Focus on these feelings and the authentic places you react and then apply them. Listen to your intuition for what you need, and move toward the nurturing habits that will allow you to give yourself those things. 

Ways to shape your nurturing 

The hows of nurturing yourself are always going to be highly specific. Just like your fingerprint and your self-care, it’s entirely unique to you. Shaping the nurturance you offer yourself is a delicate dance of identifying the unconscious needs that drive your emotions and sitting with them long enough to hear what they’re really saying. 

You can shape your nurturing through: 

  • Meditation 
  • Journaling 
  • Inner-child care 
  • Affirmations 
  • Moving your body 
  • Practice radical honesty 

This list is by no means exhaustive, but it never could be. You are so beautifully unique that the chances for nurturing yourself will bend and extend as often as you do. No matter where you are on your healing or recovery journey, it is never too late to learn to nurture yourself, and we’re always here to help. 

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