March 28th 2023

“There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.“

John Green, 2019

“The true definition of mental illness is when the majority of your time is spent in the past or future, but rarely living in the realism of NOW.”

Shannon L. Alder, n.d.

Latest from the Blog

Twenty-Four Hours a Day Thursday, March 23

Thought for the DayStrength comes from the fellowship you find when you come into A.A. Just being with men and women who have found the way out gives you a feeling of security. You listen to the speakers, you talk with other members, and you absorb the atmosphere of confidence and hope that you…

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by JOSHUA BRIDGES March 23, 2023

Twenty-Four Hours a Day Monday Mar 20

Thought for the DayWhen we were drinking, we used to worry about the future. Worry is terrible mental punishment. What’s going to become of me? Where will I end up? In the gutter or the sanitarium? We can see ourselves slipping, getting worse and worse, and we wonder what the finish will be. Sometimes…

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by JOSHUA BRIDGES March 20, 2023March 20, 2023

Twenty-Four Hours a Day Friday Mar 17

AAA Thought for the DayA.A. also helps us to hang onto sobriety. By having regular meetings so that we can associate with other alcoholics who have come through that same door in the wall, by encouraging us to tell the story of our own sad experiences with alcohol, and by showing us how to…

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by JOSHUA BRIDGES March 17, 2023March 17, 2023

MENTAL WELLNESS

What Is Mental Wellness?

Five Key Things to Know About Mental Wellness

1. Mental wellness is more than just the absence of mental illness.

The complex relationship between mental illness and mental wellness is best understood by envisioning them sitting on two separate continuums (see figure below). The horizontal axis measures mental illness from high to low, while the vertical axis measures mental wellness from languishing to flourishing. About 85% of the world’s population does not have a diagnosed mental illness, but these people are not all “mentally well” or thriving because of pervasive stress, worry, loneliness and other challenges. On the other hand, those who have a diagnosed mental disorder can still have moderate or positive mental wellness (e.g., having good relationships, feeling happy, or functioning well at a job). Practices that increase our mental wellness are increasingly recognized as protective factors for our mental health, as well as helping reduce the severity and symptoms of mental illness (alongside conventional treatment regimens).

2. Mental wellness is an active process of moving from languishing to resilience to flourishing.

On one level, mental wellness is about prevention; coping with life’s adversity; and being resilient when we face stress, worry, loneliness, anger and sadness. On another level, mental wellness moves us toward a deeper, richer and more meaningful human experience, which is often described as flourishing. What it means to flourish is subjective and personal, and it is shaped by individual values, culture, religion and beliefs. For one person, it can mean functioning at the top of their game and achieving their life goals, while for another, it might mean self-transcendence.

3. Mental wellness helps to shift the perspective away from stigma to shared humanity.

Even though the mental health field has done a lot of work to mitigate the stigma surrounding mental illness, a sense of shame, denial and secrecy continues to afflict people in communities and cultures around the world. Mental wellness can help shift our focus toward a more positive and empowering approach (how we can feel, think, connect and function better), rather than just avoiding or coping with illness. It emphasizes our capacity to build resilience; to reduce suffering; to find inner peace and joy; and to seek meaning, purpose and connection—a universal longing shared by all people.

4. Mental wellness grows out of a grassroots, consumer-driven movement.

People desperately need non-clinical, non-pathologizing strategies to cope with everyday mental and emotional challenges like stress, burnout, loneliness and sadness. Evidence shows that improving our mental wellness can even reduce our risk of developing mental illness, but not enough attention is paid globally to mental illness prevention and mental wellness promotion. Consumers, practitioners and businesses have led the charge in seeking self-directed, alternative solutions outside of the established fields of medicine, psychiatry and psychology. They are bringing centuries-old natural and holistic mental wellness modalities into the mainstream, pushing science into areas where it has not gone before to consider the efficacy of ancient practices and emerging solutions.

5. Mental wellness is multi-dimensional, holistic and personal.

Mental wellness recognizes the integrated and holistic nature of our health and wellbeing. The state of our mind affects our body and vice versa. Sometimes, when our circumstances change, we need to adopt new practices or strategies to handle stress, improve resilience, and deal with adversity. In this study, we segment the key strategies for mental wellness into four main pathways: activity and creativity, growth and nourishment, rest and rejuvenation, and connection and meaning. Each of these has mind-body and internal-external dimensions (see figure below). Together, they represent a menu of options for pursuing mental wellness; there is no set path, and people can choose the strategies and activities that are the most important or effective for them.

The Mental Wellness Economy

GWI defines the mental wellness economy as consumer spending on activities, products and services whose primary aim is to help us along the mental wellness pathways of growth and nourishment and rest and rejuvenation. It encompasses four subsectors:

Self-improvement
Brain-boosting nutraceutical and botanicals
Meditation and mindfulness
Senses, spaces and sleep

GWI estimates that the global mental wellness industry was worth $120.8 billion in 2019 (see figure below). This estimate represents consumer expenditures on the four subsectors that we have defined as part of the mental wellness industry; it focuses on proactive, wellness-focused, consumer- and private sector-driven activities (that is, things outside of the psychiatry, psychology and clinical/medical spheres). These figures are broad, global estimates that we aggregated based on a wide range of secondary data sources.

For more information:

GWI’s 2020 report Defining the Mental Wellness Economyis the first comprehensive study of mental wellness as an emerging global industry. The report offers a definition of mental wellness, clarifies concepts and outlines pathways, defines mental wellness as an industry for the first time and delineates its segments, estimates the size of the global wellness economy, and examines subsector trends and developments.
GWI’s 2020 white paper Resetting the World With Wellness: Mental Resilience in a Time a Stress and Trauma looks at how the COVID-19 pandemic is taking a toll on the world’s mental wellbeing and how this acute stress could have a lifelong impact.

Mental health: Overcoming the stigma of mental illness

False beliefs about mental illness can cause significant problems. Learn what you can do about stigma.By Mayo Clinic Staff

Stigma is when someone views you in a negative way because you have a distinguishing characteristic or personal trait that’s thought to be, or actually is, a disadvantage (a negative stereotype). Unfortunately, negative attitudes and beliefs toward people who have a mental health condition are common.

Stigma can lead to discrimination. Discrimination may be obvious and direct, such as someone making a negative remark about your mental illness or your treatment. Or it may be unintentional or subtle, such as someone avoiding you because the person assumes you could be unstable, violent or dangerous due to your mental illness. You may even judge yourself.

Some of the harmful effects of stigma can include:

Reluctance to seek help or treatment
Lack of understanding by family, friends, co-workers or others
Fewer opportunities for work, school or social activities or trouble finding housing
Bullying, physical violence or harassment
Health insurance that doesn’t adequately cover your mental illness treatment
The belief that you’ll never succeed at certain challenges or that you can’t improve your situation

Steps to cope with stigma

Here are some ways you can deal with stigma:

Get treatment. You may be reluctant to admit you need treatment. Don’t let the fear of being labeled with a mental illness prevent you from seeking help. Treatment can provide relief by identifying what’s wrong and reducing symptoms that interfere with your work and personal life.
Don’t let stigma create self-doubt and shame. Stigma doesn’t just come from others. You may mistakenly believe that your condition is a sign of personal weakness or that you should be able to control it without help. Seeking counseling, educating yourself about your condition and connecting with others who have mental illness can help you gain self-esteem and overcome destructive self-judgment.
Don’t isolate yourself. If you have a mental illness, you may be reluctant to tell anyone about it. Your family, friends, clergy or members of your community can offer you support if they know about your mental illness. Reach out to people you trust for the compassion, support and understanding you need.
Don’t equate yourself with your illness. You are not an illness. So instead of saying “I’m bipolar,” say “I have bipolar disorder.” Instead of calling yourself “a schizophrenic,” say “I have schizophrenia.”
Join a support group. Some local and national groups, such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), offer local programs and internet resources that help reduce stigma by educating people who have mental illness, their families and the general public. Some state and federal agencies and programs, such as those that focus on vocational rehabilitation and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), offer support for people with mental illness.
Get help at school. If you or your child has a mental illness that affects learning, find out what plans and programs might help. Discrimination against students because of a mental illness is against the law, and educators at primary, secondary and college levels are required to accommodate students as best they can. Talk to teachers, professors or administrators about the best approach and resources. If a teacher doesn’t know about a student’s disability, it can lead to discrimination, barriers to learning and poor grades.
Speak out against stigma. Consider expressing your opinions at events, in letters to the editor or on the internet. It can help instill courage in others facing similar challenges and educate the public about mental illness.

Others’ judgments almost always stem from a lack of understanding rather than information based on facts. Learning to accept your condition and recognize what you need to do to treat it, seeking support, and helping educate others can make a big difference.

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IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS STRUGGLING WITH DEPRESSION, SUICIDE, ADDICTION, OR OTHER MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. PLEASE REACH OUT. ASK FOR HELP. CALL A HELPLINE. ATTEND A SUPPORT GROUP. TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR, THERAPIST, COUNSELOR, FRIEND, OR FAMILY MEMBER. NATIONAL HOPELINE NETWORK, SUICIDE & CRISIS HelpLINE 1-800-442-HOPE(4673)

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Daily Reflections

EQUALITY

March 28

Our membership ought to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hence we may refuse none who wish to recover. Nor ought A.A. membership ever depend upon money or conformity. Any two or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 563

Prior to A.A., I often felt that I didn’t “fit in” with the people around me. Usually “they” had more/ less money than I did, and my points of view didn’t jibe with “theirs.” The amount of prejudice I had experienced in society only proved to me just how phony some self-righteous people were. After joining A.A., I found the way of life I had been searching for. In A.A. no member is better than any other member; we’re just alcoholics trying to recover from alcoholism.

More About Alcoholics Anonymous

Just for Today

Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts

March 28

Facing Feelings

“We may feel that being in touch with our feelings will trigger an overwhelming chain
reaction of pain and panic.”
Basic Text, p. 29

When we were using, many of us were unwilling ot unable to feel many emotions. If
we were happy, we used to make us happier. If we were angry or depressed, we
used to mask those feelings. In continuing this pattern throughout our active
addiction, we became so emotionally confused that we weren’t sure what normal
emotions were anymore.

After being in recovery for some time, we find that the emotions we had suppressed
suddenly begin to surface. We may find that we do not know how to identify our
feelings. What we may be feeling as rage may only be frustration. What we perceive
as suicidal depression may simply be sadness. These are times when we need to
seek the assistance of our sponsor or other members of NA. Going to a meeting and
talking about what is happening in our lives can help us to face our feelings instead
of running from them in fear.

Just for today: I will not run from the uncomfortable emotions I may experience. I
will use the support of my friends in recovery to help me face my emotions.

More About Narcotics Anonymous