What to Look For in a Treatment Program
We currently live in a country where the attitude and swirl around substance use issues is very intense. Our country has long stigmatized the problem of addiction and most people develop their ideas about the struggle based on TV shows and anecdotal stories they hear in school, at work, and in the press. The recent […]
Avoiding Summer Induced Relapse Drift
Lifestyle changes are often difficult to initiate (i.e., change is hard!) and can be even harder to sustain. Often, behavior change is easier if you identify why you want to make a change, and then plan out strategies for how to work towards those changes. Part of the strategy should include identifying change supporting behaviors, […]
No, Really, It’s Not About the Nail
Have you ever had a conversation where you really just want to vent to someone, and they seem intent on solving your problem? Of course you have. Maybe you’ve even been the problem solver, and noticed the reaction of the person sitting across from you. In situations like these, the end result is frustration on […]
Behavioral Strategies for Coping with Stress
Ever wonder why it’s so hard to change a behavior? Maybe you really want to quit smoking, or drinking, or overeating and you have a long list of reasons why changing feels like an important thing to do (“I’ll be healthier”, “my wife won’t be angry at me when I come home”, “I’ll be more […]
Stop Stress from Stopping You
When trying to make changes, such as starting a new diet, trying to quit smoking pot or introducing an exercise routine, it is important to consider how everyday stressors impact your ability to achieve your goals. The first step of making behavior changes is to try and increase your awareness of yourself and your world. […]
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of … Values?
On March 20th, the world celebrated International Happiness Day. You missed it? That’s too bad. Or maybe, it isn’t. It’s possible that by missing out on Happiness Day, you might have saved yourself from the popular misstep that many other people in our society have tripped over. That’s right, happiness, or the pursuit of happiness […]
Mindfulness in Three Steps
Mindfulness, that eastern meditative practice you’ve been hearing and reading all about, can sometimes be a difficult thing to understand. What exactly are you supposed to “do?” The definition, which is difficult in itself because there is no one agreed upon definition, is also vague; purposely bringing your attention to the present moment in a […]
The Best Attitude for Change
If you are thinking about changing a behavior pattern (like overeating, smoking, spending too much money, drinking too much etc), it can be helpful to take stock of your attitude as you approach the problem. What do we mean by attitude? Our attitudes predispose us to respond positively or negatively toward certain people, issues, objects […]
Collecting Your Baggage
Baggage is often used as a metaphor to describe people’s unique histories that are informing their current thoughts, behaviors, and world view. When we think of baggage in that way, we realize that everyone has baggage, because everyone has a history! In fact, if we didn’t have baggage, then we wouldn’t really have a life, […]
The Importance of “Space Fillers”
The world of psychology has developed its own language for shedding light on how the world can influence our thoughts and behavior. One of the main concepts to understand is that of “reinforcement” because it is intimately involved in determining why we choose one behavior over another. For example, have you ever wondered why […]
