Andrew Warren, ASW, Psychotherapist at Recovery NOW just made it across the monkey bars.
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” The article below featured in The Atlantic revisits the benefits of play as an important part of a child’s development; assisting in areas of memory, cognition, social skills, and maybe even mental health. Although we understand that play does pay, it appears that children are playing less than years before and it could be related to our cultural fixation that our kiddos get into Stanford. Take the math book out of Juliana’s hand for a moment and let her know the top of the jungle gym has just suddenly transformed into the mast of her pirate ship.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/08/playtime-may-boost-kids-mental-health/568186/
Source: Pexels
Andrew Warren, ASW, Psychotherapist at Recovery NOW is getting his steps.
Most of us want to increase our physical activity. Some of us are equipped to do super lunges while shoulder pressing a Buick Skylark over our heads but for those of us that prefer less vigorous activity, walking works just fine. Below is a link to an article from the Mayo Clinic that features the benefits of walking as well as some strategies to make those walks more effective.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/walking/art-20046261
Source: Unsplash
Andrew Warren, ASW, Psychotherapist at Recovery NOW would like to help to meet you in the resilient zone
We’ve all been stressed and anxious (high zone), other times we are detached and numb (low zone). The Community Resiliency Model™ refers to the middle area between those highs and lows as the “Resilient Zone.” The “Resilient Zone” is the middle place where we experience calmness but we are able to be alert and attune to the world around us. Below is an image featuring 10 strategies that you could use if you begin to experience the high or low zones and you’d like to get back to the “Resilient Zone.”
Source: http://www.new-synapse.com/aps/wordpress/?p=1938
Andrew Warren, ASW, Psychotherapist at Recovery NOW practices gratitude…most of the time…okay, sometimes.
We’ve probably all heard a coworker, friend, or family member attribute their new found peace to the practice of gratitude. Maybe at times we are even able to do it ourselves. The article below shares the benefits associated with the principle of gratitude.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/compassion-matters/201511/the-healing-power-gratitude
Source: Pexels
Andrew Warren, ASW, Psychotherapist at Recovery NOW has to mindfully practice gratitude.
“Mom and Dad were so much tougher on me.” We’ve heard this before or maybe we even said it. Is it true? Maybe, but probably not. The link below is a Freakonomics Radio podcast featuring psychologists Thomas Gilovich and Shai Davidai. They discuss our general tendency to think that we have it harder than others; our bias to focus on our barriers rather than our advantages. Take a listen.
Why Is My Life So Hard?
Andrew Warren, ASW, Psychotherapist at Recovery NOW understands that we all need to slow down.
Our sympathetic nervous system activates our “fight or flight” response in stressful situations; it can be activated by day-to-day stress. Think of it as putting your foot on the gas. Now, think of our parasympathetic nervous system as the brake. The article linked below provides tips on how we can press the brake, especially if our foot has been on the gas for too long and too often.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/six-relaxation-techniques-to-reduce-stress
Source: Pexels
Andrew Warren, ASW, Psychotherapist at Recovery NOW understands that you need to get away sometimes.
We have given ourselves plenty of reasons to not make travel plans. The article linked below gives us 5 reasons to squash the naysayer in our head and make that trip a reality.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nomanazish/2018/01/22/five-reasons-why-travel-is-good-for-your-mental-health/2/#3bf23b0e74df
Source: Pexels
Andrew Warren ASW, Psychotherapist at Recovery NOW wishes you peaceful Mindfulness Monday.
Many of us need the mental marker of a holiday to give ourselves permission to slow everything down. Memorial Day is a holiday that can elicit perspective and gratitude especially when we think of the meaning of the holiday. Take a moment to think about Memorial Day and to remind yourself what you are grateful for.
Source: Pexels
Andrew Warren, ASW, Psychotherapist at Recovery NOW wishes you a Mindful Monday
It’s not easy but take a breath and try to be present in the moment that is right in front of you.
Somatic Experiencing (SE) was developed by Peter A. Levine, PhD to address the effects of trauma. He observed prey animals in the wild, whose lives were routinely threatened and they were able to recover readily by physically releasing the energy they accumulated during the stressful events. Humans, on the other hand, may often override these natural ways of regulating the nervous system with feelings of shame, pervasive thoughts, judgements or fears. When a person encounters a traumatic situation, they may either fight back, get away or not act on their urges. Experts say that it’s in notacting, or not being able to act, that an emotional “stuckness” can occur. According to SE, the traumatic event isn’t what caused the trauma, it is the overwhelmed response to the perceived threat that is causing an unbalanced nervous system. The aim is to help access the body memory of the event, not the story. SE is a body-oriented approach to the healing of trauma and stress disorders.
Somatic Experiencing is a mindfulness approach to therapy, supporting the body and mind in a holistic perspective. The therapy can bring more clarity and a general ease to the body, it can help one stay grounded during states of challenging activity, including highly stressful states from past traumatic experiences.
