“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. 

“Depressing Darkness”

What does that mean?

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

Depression is a very serious and unfortunately common mental health issue. 

Like anxiety, depression affects everyone differently. 

Depression often carries such a negative stigma that it becomes very difficult for people to talk about and seek help for. 

They often feel like they are alone in their own darkness. but that doesn’t have to be the case. 

Your darkness is not completely unique; allow for other people who have found the light at the end of the tunnel to shine a light on your darkness. 

Your struggles are designed to keep you isolated, but there is healing in being vulnerable enough to share your burdens with others. 

The more we talk about things like depression, the more we realize that we aren’t alone in the darkness. There are people out there dealing with similar issues, and there are people who have survived much worse. 

If you are a survivor, if you have made it out of your own darkness, use your testimony as a light to help others see a way out themselves.

If you are currently in the darkness, please know that you are not alone and it is okay to talk about your struggles. Don’t let pride and ego lie to you. Being in the darkness doesn’t mean you are weak, and being brave enough to be vulnerable enough to talk about it is a sign of true strength, grit, and resilience.

Stop self-medicating and seek professional help to get you started on the path towards a better, happier life. 

Shine a light on your darkness.

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. 

“Turn Anxiety Into Blessings”

What does that mean?

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

Everyone has and deals with different fears and/or anxieties.

What if that anxiety had another purpose? What if beneath that anxiety was untapped potential to be and achieve more than you ever thought possible? 

Anxiety and excitement share a lot of the same chemical signals and pathways in your brain. What does that mean? It means that when you are anxious you can use that energy to propel you past that fear and into success. 

What if your anxieties were keeping you from your biggest blessings? 

I am going to get a little religious for a moment, but I think we can all relate to good, supportive forces and negative, hateful forces working in and against our lives.

If someone, or something, knew that you were going to do great things for the betterment of society, but they did not want that to happen, don’t you think they would try to stop you from getting to that point?

Think of it this way, if God knows that you have the ability and potential to speak to thousands of people about a better life, don’t you think the devil would want to stop that any way he could? 

Enter anxiety.

You won’t be able to speak to thousands if you get anxious about public speaking.

What if your greatest anxieties and fears were covering up the greatest blessings?

I want to encourage you today to look at what makes you the most anxious, and then I want you to ask yourself what you could do if you were able to push past it. 

Turn your anxiety into excitement and break through the walls between you and your potential.

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. 

“World Laughter Day is May 1st, 2024!”

What does that mean?

As I write this, today is May 1st, 2024. That means 2 very important things:

1. Today is World Laughter Day.
2. Today is the first day of Mental Health Awareness Month.

We live in a world that has too much anxiety, fear, depression, sadness, and worry.

Every once in a while we need to learn to find something to laugh about, something that brings us joy.

Mental Health Awareness Month is filled with amazing activities and events designed to help bring better awareness to mental health struggles while also removing their negative stigma. 

World Laughter Day is just the beginning.  

If “laughter is the best medicine”, we need to find more time to allow laughter in our lives.

Laughter releases important chemicals, like dopamine, into your body. These chemicals help to relieve stress and heal the mind and body.

The Commitment House is an Alcohol and Addiction Treatment Program and we know how important mental health is.

Most people who become addicted to something are trying to self-medicate their mental health struggles. Drugs and alcohol often provide temporary relief for mental health symptoms. 

Today, we want to let you know that it is okay to talk to someone about your struggles. Don’t let pride or ego get the best of you. 

Be vulnerable.

Allow yourself to talk to someone about what you’re struggling with and get help, today!

We hope you will participate in various Mental Health Awareness Month activities in your area; don’t forget to laugh today!

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. 

“Comfortable with the Uncomfortable”.

What does that mean?

We are all comfortable with some part of our lives. 

We typically eat the same food at the same places, talk to the same people, listen to the same music, watch the same shows and movies, and follow the same routine almost every day. 

Being comfortable isn’t necessarily a bad thing until you think about what you might be missing out on by staying comfortable. 

Staying comfortable means you might miss out on being good at or enjoying other things you’ve never tried before. 

We need to start getting comfortable with being uncomfortable if we want to grow and acheive more than the limits we’ve put on ourselves.

Getting uncomfortable simply means stepping out of your comfort zone to try and experience something new and unfamiliar. 

Uncomfortable can be scary. We don’t know what to expect or what might happen, but what if we turned that fear into excitement? 

What if we started seeing unfamiliar situations and opportunities as an exciting chance to be better and experience a better life than the one we were comfortable with? 

Turn fear into excitement. Turn failure into growth. Turn confusing into a challenge. Turn comfortable into uncomfortable. 

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. 

“Live Life Limitlessly”.

What does that mean?

We are very quick to put limits on ourselves, our lives, and our goals.

We always think there is some invisible ceiling that is there to prevent us from going any higher than where we are currently at. 

We say things like, “I’ll never make more money than this”, I’ll never stop smoking/drinking, “I’ll never lose any more weight”, “I’ll never pay off this debt”, and many other variations of those statements. 

We need to stop putting limits on our limitless potential.  

When you live life limitlessly, you are saying you are worth more than you think you are.

When you live life limitlessly, you are saying no to failure and yes to progress.

When you live life limitlessly, you are saying nothing can or will stop me from being and accomplishing more. 

Every ceiling becomes a floor with a new ceiling with each step you take upwards towards success. 

We were called to do more than just survive, we were made to thrive! 

Live limitlessly today and you’ll be amazed at just how much more you can do than you thought you could.

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. 

“Quit Consuming Crappy Content”.

What does that mean?

We all generally know that consuming nothing but sweets, candy, greasy food, and soda is not going to produce a very healthy human being.

We know that consumption of these crappy-for-us foods and drinks lead to obesity, diabetes, heart conditions, and more. 

While many of us may struggle to eat healthier, at least most people are aware that consuming those things are unhealthy and will not produce a better, healthier life.

If we know that to be true of our physical bodies, why wouldn’t it be true of our mental and emotional health as well? 

The things we listen to, watch, and the people we hang around have a greater influence on us than we may think. 

If you are someone who struggles with anger, maybe you should stop consuming so much political content.

If you struggle maintaining sobriety, maybe you shouldn’t listen to music that talks about drugs, alcohol, partying, and/or gang culture.

If you struggle with infidelity and lust, maybe you shouldn’t watch shows with nudity or sexually explicit content. 

If you want to see change, you can’t keep consuming crappy content that encourages the behaviors you’re trying to stop. 

Take a break from social media, listen to a different music genre, find a different group of friends to hang out with that will encourage you instead of bring you down.

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. 

“Pride Prevents Progress”.

What does that mean?

Pride is something we all struggle with much more than we would like to admit. 

Part of being prideful is being unwilling to accept your own weaknesses and shortcomings.  

We are a very selfish society, and many people carry a “my way or the highway” mentality.

We often times believe the lie that we deserve what we have because we worked hard to accomplish, achieve, and acquire it. We are quick to think we are the only ones who have it all together; we believe that everyone else is doing everything else wrong unless they adopt the way that we do things. 

What would happen if we swallowed our pride and entertain the idea that other people may know more than we do? 

Being prideful prevents society from progressing because we neglect the experiences of other people. 

The world is filled with people who were raised differently than we were, taught different than we were, and experienced life different than we did. 

If we remain prideful, we are saying that no one can do what I do as well as I do with as much success as I have. 

Pride is being apathetic to the people around us, their experiences, and their wisdom. 

If we want to properly progress as a society, we must put away our pride, utilize empathy, and give room to the thoughts, ideas, and beliefs of other people who may know better than we do. 

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 Dead-end Darkness”.

What does that mean?

If you are reading this, odds are that you have felt stuck in darkness at some point in your life. 

We all go through difficult times, trials, and tribulations that, while we are in the moment, feels like they will never end. 

The phrase, “there is a light at the end of the tunnel”, starts to lose meaning as we start to lose hope in the middle of our struggles.  

Even though our darkness may last longer than we would like, we can’t stick a dead-end on that darkness; we can’t lose hope that there is light at the end. 

No one’s darkness is meant to last forever; every battle will end eventually.

We can’t get discouraged when our darkest times persist for longer than we expected. 

Hope and faith is believing in better days, even if you can’t see them right now.

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. 

“Work While Waiting”.

What does that mean?

The modern world is filled with more and more things meant to make life more convenient for us. 

These things have led to us as human beings to become lazy, complacent, and expectant. We want to be able to sit back and have everything we want handed to us on our timetable. 

We pray for blessings, but treat God like a genie; we get mad when He doesn’t answer or help us when WE want Him to. 

While we are waiting for answers to our prayers, promotions, or the next chapter of life to get started, we need to keep doing the work that got us to that point in the first place. 

If you put in a year’s worth of hard work to get a promotion; however, you then decided to stop working as hard until you get the promotion, do you think your boss would still reward you with that promotion? 

Probably not, right?

The Bible says that faith without works is dead; we can’t stop working towards something we have faith God will provide.

Don’t get lazy. Don’t get complacent. Don’t just sit around waiting for good things to happen to you.

Put in the work and you will see the fruits of your labor in due time. 

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.