by Fiona Stockard | Mar 5, 2015 | Addiction Articles, Recovery
By Tim Myers
Practical Tips for Meditation
How many people with ADHD does it take to screw in a light bulb? Want to Ride Bikes?
See, that’s the problem people with ADHD have when it comes to meditation. I have ADHD. I have NOT been able to sit still since my head first popped out.
Going to the movies is a problem. Sitting in church is horrific. Going out to dinner is fine…until they ask if I want dessert. Dessert? Dessert? I’ve been sitting in this wooden chair for forty-five minutes, you have nothing good enough to keep my butt in this seat one second longer.
Now, my sponsor tells me that meditation is crucial to my long-term sobriety…so I’m screwed, right? Nope, even an ADHD affected individual like myself can find the necessary tools to meditate.
With that in mind, here are five meditation tips for people with ADHD!
5) You Don’t Actually Have to Stop Moving!
Buddha is a liar! Meditation doesn’t have to mean you sit still! Boom! Take a walk, go for a bike ride, or draw. As long as your mind is focused on the right thoughts or actions, you’ll be able to slow down.
You can pray, focus on a negative situation, and then think about how to handle it based on AA principles. You can even journal as a form of meditation!
4) Use Music to Focus!
Find a song with 100% positive lyrics or pick your favorite song and interpret the words to meet your desired goal for meditation. If you’re bummed, find a song that speaks to motivation and the improvement of your mood. The song doesn’t have to have lyrics either. Let the mood of the music lead your thoughts and help maintain your focus.
3) Two Minutes is All You Need!
Start at two minutes. Can ya meditate for two minutes? Start at two and then move to three. The longer you meditate, the more you’ll ratchet it up.
ADHD peeps may not be able to sit still, but we do love a challenge!
2) Make it a Routine!
ADHD affected drug addicts do love routine. It helps us stay on track and get stuff done. Most people think we prefer to be scattered, but that isn’t true at all. Routine is our comfort zone and it saves us from stress.
Pick a time for meditation that you can repeat day after day. This will ensure that you’re practicing your mediation techniques each day. This then makes the connection between you and your higher power stronger. Routine will also make it easier to stay in one place. The more you do it the easier it is.
1) Make it Fun!
Recovery got easy when it became fun. We first started doing drugs because it was fun and made us feel great. Meditation can unlock a whole new world of recovery if you make it fun.
As soon as it becomes a joy to do, you’ll do it every single day. Meditating everyday will make your reflection time more potent and more powerful than any drug.
Meditation will change your life. There’s no wrong way to do, just do it. Period!
by Sally Rosa | Oct 27, 2014 | Addiction Articles, Sobriety For Women
The Article Heard Round the World: Amanda Bynes and Mental Illness
Last week, a young writer name Sam Dylan Finch shed a very human perspective on Amanda Bynes and her ongoing struggles with mental illness.
The essay was, simply put, breathtaking. Since being published, it’s gone very viral. Sam explores how we as a culture view, and react to, celebrities with mental illness. Perhaps the best point made is the discrepancy between how we reacted to the death of Robin Williams and how we’re currently treating Amanda Bynes.
Laughter & Mental Illness: A Not So Subtle Hint to Treat Amanda Bynes with Compassion
We treat those with mental illness, and addiction, very differently when they’re alive and when they’re dead. For that matter, we treat average women suffering from mental illness, or addiction, very different from a suffering celebrity.
Why is this? Why do we place celebrities on a pedestal, while also tearing them down? Why do we view Amanda Bynes as the punch line of a joke and Robin Williams as a tragic reminder of our humanity? Why do we treat celebrity mental illness as entertainment instead of a deadly sickness?
Oh dear readers, I wish I knew! I don’t have an easy answer. I don’t think there is an easy answer. I think we’re human and messy and contradictory. I think we like to idolize celebrities and believe fame is possible, only to tear them down and make ourselves feel better.
For that matter, I think we treat celebrity mental illness differently than “normal” mental illness because celebrities seem untouchable. None of us really know what Amanda Bynes is going through. Hell, we don’t even know if she is mentally ill. While it’s clear something serious and tragic is happening in her life, she has yet to confirm any diagnosis.
So, assuming Amanda does suffer from schizophrenia, bipolar, or any form of mental illness, we still don’t understand her struggle (even those of us who have these same mental illnesses!). Maybe we treat celebrity mental illness differently because, surprise, it is different.
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think we should mock Amanda Bynes. I hate that she’s the butt of jokes. I hate that I’ve made these jokes. I hate that watching her Twitter is akin to watching TV for some people. Still, her experience with mental illness is very different than mine. Her experience with mental illness is very different than yours. Her experience with mental illness is just that, her experience.
Are We Bad People for Laughing? A Critical Look at Our Reactions to Mental Illness & Death
Sam’s essay made me question my reaction to Amanda Bynes and her public unraveling. It also made me question my reaction to the death of Robin Williams.
When Robin Williams took his life, as a direct result of mental illness, I mourned. I wasn’t alone. Our entire nation mourned. We celebrated too. We celebrated the life, career, and personality of a wonderful man. We celebrated the legacy of a one-of-a-kind comedian and social critic.
Why is it that in death, be it from mental illness or addiction, we mourn the sufferer? Why is it that we wait until they’re gone to celebrate their achievements? Why don’t we try to help while they’re alive?
Again, I wish I knew! I can’t come up with a single reason I haven’t tried to help Amanda Bynes (in whatever small and tiny way I can). I can’t come up with a single reason I don’t have the same compassion for her that I have for a woman who walks into a meeting.
Why is that? Why do we laugh rather than help? Why do we mourn afterwards, instead of offering help during?
Let’s start the conversation with those questions. If we keep asking ourselves why, sooner or later we’re going to have to answer. If we keep the fact that Amanda Bynes is sick, rather than simply crazy, at the forefront of our minds, maybe we’ll show her the same compassion we show each other.
by Sally Rosa | Oct 27, 2014 | Addiction Articles, Sobriety For Women
Zelda Williams, Robin Williams Daughter, Reveals Her New Ink
Without giving in to hyperbole, it’s safe to say that Robin Williams death shocked the nation. We lost an actor, comedian, and social critic with few peers.
In the wake of his passing, a conversation was sparked about mental illness, depression, and effective mental health treatment. That’s been the silver lining – a renewed and honest look at how we can help those suffering from mental illness.
Robin Williams daughter Zelda is keeping the conversation going. She recently revealed, via Instagram, a touching memorial to her father. It’s a tattoo of a hummingbird with Robin’s birthday underneath.
Hummingbirds have a unique appeal to the Williams family. They can be seen throughout almost all of Robin Williams movies. His memorial service also featured wristbands with hummingbirds on them.
Thank you for reminding us about your father, Zelda. More importantly, thank you for continuing the conversation your father starter. We can all change!
by Fiona Stockard | Jul 16, 2013 | Recovery
Addicted to Recovery
Hi, I’m Krissy and I’m an alcoholic. I grew up in a small town on the outskirts of Boston. From as far back as I can remember, I felt apart from, instead of a part of. Until I found alcohol, anyway!
I can’t remember when I learned how to tie my shoes or what my first birthday was like, but I can tell you EVERYTHING about my first drink. I can tell you where I was, who I was with, what I was wearing, even what the weather was like! After that first drink, I couldn’t imagine living my life without alcohol. For me, alcohol was a channel, a way to be comfortable in my own skin. I never realized it was going to be a catalyst for grave destruction.
In my early twenties, I worked as a bartender and went to college. Daytime drinking and partying all night were normal. Needless to say, I soon crossed that invisible line where alcohol was a need and no longer a want. I’d tell myself I needed alcohol to feel normal, or that I’d just have one. Turns out one drink is too many and a thousand drinks are never enough. When the party was over, when everyone was moving on with their lives, I was left alone. I was left alone with my disease.
It wasn’t too long before I found myself suffering from an anxiety disorder. I unsuccessfully tried to fix this with alcohol. Panic attacks dominated daily life, which, in turn, fueled my addiction. The only solution I knew was alcohol.
By now, I was drinking every night, often to the point of functioning blackouts. I found myself in jails, hospitals, and more unfamiliar places than I can count, but I still wasn’t willing to admit I had a problem. However, I was willing to quit drinking for long stretches. Of course, these would be followed by destructive relapses. Half-measures availed me nothing!
I was told, on my last trip to the ER, if I continued down this road, I’d die. By the next morning, I was willing to admit total surrender to my disease. I admitted that I was an alcoholic, powerless and hopeless. I crawled my ass into a sunrise meeting, broken and scared. This is when my recovery journey began.
Honesty, openness, and willingness were taught to me. I walked through hell for over a decade and I was finally ready to experience freedom. I opened up my heart and my mind. Amazingly, the mental obsession began to lift and people could see glimpses of my old self peaking through.
Today, I am truly grateful to feel what it’s like to be recovering from my disease. I’m finally at peace with my past. I have a sponsor, work the steps, and participate in service to keep myself focused in my recovery. My life has miraculously changed and for that – I’m truly grateful.
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