“Don’t Be A Sponge.”

What does that mean?

The world has always been filled with some rough stuff, but with social media, it is all now available to see 24/7. 

We spend a lot of time doom scrolling and playing the part of “keyboard warrior” all while neglecting the toll it has on our mental and emotional well-being. 

We don’t realize the impact that absorbing negative information has on our mind. 

Don’t be a sponge soaking up negativity all day; be on guard and take a break from all the chaos.

Self-care is very important, but when we think of self-care we don’t often think about taking a break from things like social media.

The constant stream of negativity, arguing, political posts, heart-breaking news stories, and more are often hurting us more than we realize. 

We soak in all of this negativity all day long and wonder why we always feel miserable and defeated.

Take a break from things like social media and see if it helps you feel a little better about yourself and life in general. 

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Don’t Settle for Sooner. 

What does that mean?

Human beings are naturally impatient. 

We want what we want now, even if it isn’t as good as what we could have later.

We settle for short-term feelings and elation instead of putting in the time, effort, and patience to see better, long-term rewards. 

Don’t settle for sooner; put in the work necessary to obtain long-term, sustaining benefits. 

There have been several experiments done that show even as children we are more likely to take the cookie in front of us than wait for someone to bring us something better.

We need to get better at thinking long-term and having the self-control necessary to say no to something good now for something great later. 

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Intentionally Add Value”. 

What does that mean?

If the power of life and death lies with the tongue, why do we always only every speak death over others and ourselves? 

People are walking around every day fighting their own battles, and we often act selfishly and look out for ourselves rather than helping others.

There is power in intentionally helping others.

There are people across the world desperate for someone to invest and pour into them. 

It is time we begin intentionally adding value to the lives of those around us. 

It doesn’t take a lot of effort to encourage one another, God knows we need it.

You have unique gifts, talents, and experiences that can be used to help someone else. 

Take the time to go out of your way to intentionally add value to someone else’s life today. 

It may not mean a lot to you, but it could mean the world to the other person.

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Process before progress”. 

What does that mean?

We all want to see the fruits of our labor before we put in any work.

We think we should be able to see progress almost immediately, but that’s not how it works. 

A lot of people will go to the gym a few times and then give up because they weren’t losing the weight they wanted or gaining the muscle they wanted.

They bypassed something very important.

In order to see the progress you want, you must commit to the process to get there. 

We all want to see progress without following the process.

We expect life to simply hand us great things without putting in any work to get there.

You can’t make progress if you don’t trust the process. 

Be patient, keep working hard, and then you will look back at all the progress you have made.

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Be who you needed”. 

What does that mean?

I think it is fair to say that we have all been in a situation that was less than ideal.

When we are faced with difficulty or the consequences of our own mistakes, it helps to have someone in your life that can help guide you and give you encouragement. 

We all need someone willing to show us unconditional love and support, especially at our greatest moments of weakness.

We also need to repay that kindness whenever things are going better for us.

Someone out there needs you to be for them what someone else was for you.

You needed someone once before, so you should take what you have survived and use it as a testimony to help someone else. 

Someone out there may need a word from you; you may be the only person who can help.

Encouragement is in short supply these days, and we can change that by being there for people, even if they don’t deserve it.

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Be a producer, not a parasite”. 

What does that mean?

A parasite is something whose sole purpose is to take.

Parasites take and take and take while contributing next to nothing. 

Most people in modern society are like parasites; they take from others and contribute next to nothing themselves. 

We need to be more fruitful and contribute to the world and people around us rather than constantly taking from everyone and everything else.

Become a producer and give something back to the world instead of being a parasite and always taking. 

It is much easier to be a parasite because it requires minimal work and effort; the world is constantly feeding you.

I want to challenge you today to put in the work and effort necessary to be a producer. 

Find something in this world that you can contribute to. 

Instead of taking other people’s joy, produce some joy of your own.

Instead of taking handouts, reach a hand out to others. 

Being a producer is a lot more difficult that being a parasite, but it is also much more rewarding to you and everyone around you.

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Stop reacting; start planning”. 

What does that mean?

We are a very reactive culture these days.

We are incredibly impulsive and make decisions based on our emotions.

These impulsive, reactive decisions often get us hurt, in trouble, or worse. 

If we want to put ourselves in a better position in life, we are going to have to stop being so emotionally charged and reactive. 

Instead of reacting to what someone says, does, or posts, try planning your response ahead of time.

Planning our reactions ahead of time will cut out the emotional reactions we make impulsively in the moment. 

When someone says ___________ to me, I am going to say ___________.

When someone cuts me off in traffic, I am going to ___________.

When someone is rude to me, I will __________.

Start planning out proper ways to respond to all the situations that you know get you emotional and more likely to do or say something impulsive.

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Replace “bad” with “new”!” – Jon Acuff

What does that mean?

We are often times our worst critic. We are quick to judge ourselves nd compare ourselves to other people.

When we try something new and don’t see the results we expected to see, we quickly assume we are just “bad” at that particular thing.

We neglect the phrase “practice makes perfect” and we expect to be overnight successes. 

What if we were to replace the word “bad” with the word “new”? 

You aren’t “bad” at something, you’re just “new” at it!

You aren’t “bad” at that hobby, you’re just “new” at it.

You aren’t a “bad” parent, you’re a “new” parent. 

“You aren’t “bad” at the new job you just got, you’re just “new” to it. 

Try to catch yourself every time you say you are “bad” at something, give yourself some grace, and let yourself know that you are just “new” at it!

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Practice Self-Care”

What does that mean?

It is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this week we are talking about stress and burnout. 

Stress is an unfortunately common mental health struggle that most human beings have to deal with nearly every day. 

We all experience different levels of stress, and we all have different limits as to how much stress we can take before we become overwhelmed and burnt out.

Stress can be good in the sense that it may motivate you to get more done, but it can also cause you to feel as if the burdens you are carrying are too much and you can’t take it any longer.

“Burn-out” is a popular term that has been used a lot lately to describe a feeling where you become so overwhelmed with the day-to-day, never-ending stresses of life that you cannot take any more. 

While stress may feel unavoidable, practing self-care is a great way to cut back on it and give yourself some breathing room.  

Practicing self-care regularly can help reduce the impact of stress and make burn-out much less common. 

Self-care, much like stress, can look very different for everyone; however, the key is to make sure your self-care is healthy and positive.

Many people use alcohol and illicit substances as a form of “self-care” or “self-medication” to deal with stress and burn-out, but that is not a healthy way to cope with life’s struggles.

Healthy, positive self-care activities may include knitting, reading, playing games, watching your favorite movies/TV shows, playing with your kids, taking a nap, yoga, etc. 

Self-care is vitally important in the fight against stress and burn-out. Try to find some time this week to practice some self-care.

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees. 

“Red With Anger”

What does that mean?

It is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this week we are talking about anger.

Anger is often an overlooked mental health struggle, but it can cause just as many issues as anxiety or depression.

Anger is something almost everyone deals with (similar to anxiety and depression), and the use of illicit substances and alcohol can make someone’s anger much worse.

Often times, anything we do or say out of anger is an impulsive and incorrect decision.  

When we are angry, it can be very difficult to make rational decisions. We are quick to lash out and make impulsive, reactive decisions that may have horrible consequences. 

Underlying anger issues will only get worse with time, and using things like drugs and alcohol will only make your anger worse and lead to even worse consequences. 

If you struggle with anger and making disastrous, impulsive decisions then I recommend you get plugged into many available resources that may help you: meditation, prayer, anger management, therapy, etc.

Anger may have you seeing red most of the time, but it doesn’t have to be the case. Take the time to find someone you trust to talk through your emotions.

Before making an impulsive decision in the heat of the moment, take time beforehand to pre-decide what you will do when you feel yourself getting angry. 

Coping skills are essential in making sure you do not make angry, impulsive decisions. You may also want to try avoiding people and situations that tend to make you angry.

If you or someone you know needs help receiving substance abuse treatment, please call (270) 900-0373 any time, any day, 24/7 for a screening with one of our employees.