Caroline McGraw

When you’re in the midst of major depression, daily life feels overwhelming. The thought of getting dressed seems daunting; the idea of going out with friends, impossible.

You know that you need help, but looking at lists of residential treatment centers for depression seems like way too much. How do I find inpatient treatment for depression? Where do I even start? How am I supposed to choose between all of these different options?

If you’re stressed about seeking treatment for depression, don’t worry; we’re here to help.

One of the most painful ways that we hurt ourselves is actually through our judgments. What are judgments and how can you turn them your way? 

Let's face it - family can be so stressful. In the worst cases, difficult, damaged people showing up to spend time with other difficult, damaged people. Perhaps no time of year makes this more evident than the holiday season!

Yet of course, the words “difficult” and “damaged” are just our own judgments, just stories that we tell. We could also say that our families are made up of beautiful, big-hearted, and funny people. But often we need to begin the healing process by acknowledging what’s hard about family life.

Today, you should give yourself forgiveness.

Why? Because to start off, we know that judgment is self-condemnation and self-forgiveness is freedom.

Did you know that stuffing down your anger impacts your mental health?

Serious conditions associated with stuffed-down anger include depression, anxiety, addiction, insomnia, and others, according to the nation’s top mental health experts.

Alcoholism and anger go together in more ways than one. Most of us seem to know about the "angry drunk" caricature. Even caricatures can be based on truth.

Did you know that nearly 1 in 5 people with addiction issues have trouble controlling their anger?

It's true, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA).

But did you know that unaddressed anger can actually lead to alcoholism and addiction?

Why is it that so many people who want to recover from addiction cannot? What’s missing in addiction treatment that prevents them from healing?

Sure, there are some who enter treatment under coercion -- be it from their partner, their parents, or their parole officer. But many people who seek treatment for addiction truly want to get well.

So why don't they?

If you’ve never been to residential addiction treatment before, the typical experience goes like this:

• Every day, there’s someone new checking in as someone else checks out;
• Everyone is at different stages in there recovery process;
• People are constantly coming and going;
• There is very little continuity.

Even in the better programs, there’s an ongoing sense of hustle, bustle, and disruption. There is a fundamental lack of stability and security, and all of this wears on you emotionally.

Moreover, it impedes your addiction recovery process.

If you’ve been carrying around a lot limiting beliefs since childhood, does that mean that you’re doomed to stay stuck?

What are limiting beliefs anyway, and where do they come from? 

If you’ve never been to residential addiction treatment before, the typical experience goes like this:

• Participants are constantly coming and going;
• Every day, there’s always someone new checking in as someone else checks out;
• Everyone is at different stages in there recovery process;
• There is very little continuity

Even in the better programs, there’s an ongoing sense of hustle, bustle, and disruption, a fundamental lack of stability and security. All of can wear on you emotionally and impede your addiction recovery process.