Am I addicted to caffeine?!

About 54% of American adults drink coffee daily. And in recent years, researchers have come to discover that caffeine is likely one of the most abused substances in the world.  Could you be addicted?!Most people use caffeine pretty responsibly by drinking a couple of cups of coffee daily (about 3 to be more specific).  But if you have found yourself wondering if you're consuming too much caffeine then this post might just be for you.Broadly speaking, any kind of traditional addiction includes the principles of intoxication, tolerance and withdrawal symptoms.  Again, most people do not have a serious problem with caffeine, however if you find yourself increasingly irritable throughout your morning because you couldn't get your morning cup of joe, it might warrant further investigation.Intoxication by caffeine looks like the following, according to the DSM (Diagnostic Statistical Manual):

• restlessness
• excitement
• difficulty sleeping
• muscle twitching
• stomach discomfort/intestinal issues
• rambling thoughts or speech

Does that sound familiar?  I thought it might.  So maybe you've likely went a little overboard on caffeine before but could you really be "addicted" to it?  If you also have withdrawal symptoms, then the answer just might be yes.  Here are some symptoms that you may have experiencing caffeine withdrawal:

• Headache
• Fatigue and sleepiness
• Difficulty concentrating
• Irritable or agitated mood

If after reading those two lists you find that you see yourself in a lot of those items then it might be time to take a look at your daily caffeine intake and see if you want to make changes.  Who knows, you might even end up saving a lot of money!  If you decide to cut back just make sure you do it gradually so you can minimize those really uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms listed above.  You can even consider replacing some cups with herbal tea as you wean yourself off of coffee.  And of course, if you think that your caffeine use may be way more than normal, seek out the help of a licensed mental health counselor who can help you develop strategies to manage your intake effectively.

Niall Breslin on Ending Stigma

This week, I am sharing with you this video of former athlete and musician Niall Breslin.  In this clip Breslin, on an Irish TV show, discusses the importance of addressing mental health issues with men. While the video is short, Breslin touches on so many great points about battling mental illness and how we can all be better supporters of people in our lives who may be facing really difficult emotional times.

This video is a great compliment to my recent post 6 Ways to Support Counseling Awareness Month as it touches on bringing greater awareness, casting out stigma and embracing a healthier view on emotional health in general.  It is definitely worth a watch!

6 Ways to Support Counseling Awareness Month

Happy Counseling Awareness Month! As a member of the American Counseling Association, there's a big part of me that relishes in my role as an advocate for communicating on a larger scale about mental and emotional health. In an effort to inspire you to join the conversation around these issues, I'm sharing 6 Ways to Support Counseling Awareness Month.

Get to know a provider and learn what we actually do

There is still a lot of confusion about what mental health counselors or psychotherapists really do, and to be honest, it's hard to explain! In a nutshell, professional counselors work to help people achieve their life goals, typically using various forms of talk therapy. Most of us have experience helping people with severe and persistent diagnoses such as bipolar disorders or schizophrenia to helping others with other life changes and relationship concerns.  There is a lot of variety in the field which largely depends on the counselor's interests and their work setting.

Read our websites (and visit Instagram) and share our articles with a friend or loved one. Just spreading the word can be a great way to spread awareness and get to know what mental health counselors really do.

Show your loved ones that you care.

One of the most helpful ways that you can help us honor the profession of mental health counseling and promote wellness is to refer a friend or family member, who you know is having a difficult time, to a therapist. Oftentimes, we overlook some of the signs that our friends or loved ones might need some extra support. Sometimes they can not get adequate support from us or the other people in their lives. For them, counseling can be a god-send. If you are concerned about someone you love, express your concern and suggest that they consult with a psychotherapist for further support. Who knows, that conversation may be just what they need to get back on track.

Use your voice to fight stigma

This month you can use your voice and online presence to fight the stigma about mental health issues. Embrace wellness by treating mental health illnesses just like any other diagnosis. Have conversations with others about their emotional health and well-being. Share ideas of how you practice self-care.  And of course, leverage your social media accounts by using some of the following hashtags:

• #mentalhealthawareness
• #StoptheStigma
• #depression
• #anxiety
• #PTSD
• #EndStigma

Exercise compassion and practice random acts of kindness

There is no greater way to honor Counseling Awareness Month than to be a living example of the kind of compassion and care that therapists aim to embody for their clients everyday.  This month, challenge yourself to consciously complete an act of kindness everyday. How can you extend kindness to someone you encounter in your life? You can even make it a 30 day challenge between you and your friends to help spread the word about emotional health.  As Naomi Judd once said, "Slow down, simplify and be kind."

Engage in proper self-care

As many therapists will tell you sometimes it is even hard for us to make sure to engage in proper self-care.  And by self-care I mean taking time to relax and decompress from the responsibilities of work and family.  While most of us love our jobs and have passion for our work and other life roles, it is just as important to give some of that love and care to ourselves as well.  Take five minutes out of your busy day just to sit in silence and breathe.  Take a 10 minute walk alone during your lunch break to stretch your legs and give your brain a bit of a rest.  Write down five things you are grateful for as a way to cap off the day.  No matter what you decide to do, practice the art of loving yourself in a way that works for you.

Share your own story

One of the most powerful ways that you can contribute to the movement of increasing awareness of mental health issues and counseling is to share your own story.  If you are a therapist yourself, share about what made you decide to choose mental health care as your profession or even share a more personal story about how you overcame a difficult time in your life. If you have ever been in therapy or received counseling, this month presents a great opportunity to shout out a counselor who was there for you in your hour of need.

By taking some of the steps listed above you can be sure that you are creating an environment that helps reduce stigma, promote emotional health and empower others to seek out support.  There is strength in numbers and if we gather our voices together we can continue to push emotional health issues to the forefront of mainstream conversations so that we can create a healthier environment for all of our family members, loved ones and friends around the world.

A Discussion on Trauma with Dr. Jamie Marich

Today I'm excited to share with you a video of a TedX Talk with Dr. Jamie Marich, a mental health professional and humanitarian who I've had the pleasure of meeting in person at a training in the city back in 2014.This talk encompasses so much of what Dr. Marich is about:  her centeredness and being grounded in not just the jargon of mental health but the need to be human as we interact with each other's hurts, and not just as professionals but as people.  One quote from Dr. Marich that really stuck out to me so clearly embodies this and her overall philosophy.  Marich shares the following:

"This world is full of hurt people with unhealed emotional wounding. When these wounds remain unaddressed, we play through the game of life in various degrees of an injured state or we run the risk of pervasively harming other people by bleeding all over them, metaphorically speaking."

Check out the powerful and enlightening full TedX Talk below:

Bouncing Back from Injury: Recovery in Mental Health

Recovery has become a buzz word for the substance use treatment community for some time now, but the concept also applies to those who have coped with some serious mental illness or have been challenged by a recent episode.To look further into the concept of recovery I think it might be helpful to move, for a moment, outside of the context of mental health and look at a basic definition for some further insight.If you conduct a quick search on Google you will find "recovery" defined as:

1. a return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength.
2. the action or process of regaining possession or control of something stolen or lost

I actually find both of those definitions helpful in thinking about mental health.Recovery is a process by which one regains something or fosters the development of an area after an injury.  Athletes recover from injuries.  People, more generally speaking, recovery from stresses like abuse, divorces, hospitalizations and bouts of depression.  In both cases it always takes time and some intervention to recover and heal.Healing can be a long and sometimes painful process.  Just like physical therapy, counseling may be uncomfortable at times but the hope is that, just like an athlete, you can emerge on the other side of the "injury" a healthier and more knowledgeable person. In a word, stronger.Think of the many baseball pitchers who have had to have Tommy John surgery in order to pitch again. Think of Grant Hill and his ankle injury in the early 2000s. Consider Amar'e Stoudemire and his various injuries.  We can learn a lot from athletes.One of the most helpful things you can do to move forward in your recovery is to figure out what your new goals are. Think of the accomplishments you want to achieve over the next six months, one year and two years.Here are some questions you may want to ask yourself as you embark on the new part of your journey:

• How do I see myself after I recover?
• What do I want from life?
• What kind of work would I like to do?
• What kind of family environment would I like to have?
• What gives me energy and excites me? What really is my passion?
• And, how do I achieve these things?

As you begin the exploration and healing process, keep a journal, make lists and break down bigger tasks into smaller, more manageable objectives.  Set yourself up for success! And if you find yourself getting stuck along the way, enlist the help of a knowledgeable family member, loved one, or a third-party like a therapist who can work with you to re-create the life you've been hoping for.  And as Nike says, "Just do it!"