Wonderful Major Changes

ZOOM EVENTS!

"Highly Sensitive" Warriors
March 17th 2-3:15p

The purpose is to counter mental health stigma with education, empowerment, support and skills. Each group will begin with a check-in, a skill or education time, and then peer support. The group is led by Corey Jones, a certified peer specialist who is in recovery herself from borderline personality disorder and who considers herself a highly sensitive person. This group is open to everyone except cisgender men.

Zoom Info

ID: 837 1276 7952 Passcode: 921206

Zoom DBT Peer Support Group
March 24 7-8:15p

We are in the middle of the emotion regulation module.  This is a group open to people who have taken DBT before and for newbies, for people with many diagnosis, or none.  I believe that DBT skills are really just life skills, and are useful for anyone struggling to manage their emotions during Covid, or any other life situation.  I think family members who support people with addiction or mental health challenges would also benefit greatly from learning the skills.  I have been practicing and studying DBT for the last ten years, but I do want to emphasize that I am not a registered DBT therapist, so I ask that people not join if they are in crisis.

Zoom Info

ID:864 6836 2450 Passcode: 236989

Hope Is Real Blog Post - Toxic Positivity

We've been talking a lot about emotion myths in my DBT Support Group and in my Drug Court Wellness Group.  I've blogged about them before. We had to spend quite a bit of time unpacking this emotion myth a few weeks ago: 

All painful emotions are the result of a bad attitude.

NOT TRUE! 

Sometimes life is painful.  Attitude is very important and it is indeed helpful to have a positive outlook, but it is unnatural and inauthentic to try to have a good or positive attitude all the time.  To me, recovery is about having the freedom to be myself, and sometimes that is not pretty!  People die, get sick, lose things, experience family strife and rocky relationships, make mistakes, and fail big time.  This does not mean that they are not in recovery; it means they are human.  Making mistakes is how we grow.  Feeling our feelings is how we mature.  

The message that one must be positive all the time is a concept called, "toxic positivity," and it leads to burnout.  What most people in recovery learn the hard way is that the longer we deny our deep feelings, the longer we will stay in pain.  But if we allow ourselves to ride our pain like a wave, then the pain will pass much quicker.  Learning how to ride my emotional waves of pain was a huge growing point for me in my recovery.  I inwardly wince every time a motivational speaker seems to be promoting toxic positivity instead of radical authenticity.  I take great care to monitor my energy and let it be a healing force when I can.  I do this not by putting on a fake smile but by honoring the times when I feel hurt and riding them out.

All painful emotions are the result of living.  Healing comes from authenticity and vulnerability; not from a positive attitude.