I'll never forget the day my friend Martin told me he just got diagnosed with cancer. As I sat sad and stupefied across from him over coffee I silently mused over the possibility that this charming old wise man may leave us way too soon. His erudition and idiosyncratic views of life are legendary. He| The Phoenix Spirit
As a woman in long-term recovery and a regular contributor to The Phoenix Spirit, I have written about my experience finding sobriety, struggling with and addressing cross-addiction, and being a part of a 12-step program. What I have not yet shared is that I am a trauma survivor, and how addressing my trauma has been| The Phoenix Spirit
"Every mile is two in winter." George Herbert The cold, dark days of the winter months can be a breeding ground for despair in some of us. I've battled a recurring low grade depression for many years. I never know when it will reappear but it often shows up in the fall when the days| The Phoenix Spirit
Retreats are a vital part of healthy recovery and overall wellness. They come in all shapes and sizes; with varied costs, time commitments, and focus. Taking time for a retreat encourages rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation. Integrating a mini-retreat into your daily self-care routine is a simple way to manage stress and enhance your overall wellness.| The Phoenix Spirit
In their new book Staying Sharp, doctors Henry Emmons and David Alter have combined the latest neuroscience research with age-old wisdom about resilience, mindfulness, and stress reduction to show that vibrant aging is within reach. Together they demonstrate how to blend the best of modern science and Eastern holistic medicine to form a powerful drug-free| The Phoenix Spirit
We know we can’t save anyone from their pain and suffering. We know trying to rescue or change someone in the throes of addiction drains us to the point of depletion; it becomes a never-ending cycle of feeling hopeless and helpless. We desperately want to maintain hope and feel guilty if we give up. The| The Phoenix Spirit
You ever have that day where everything is going great, you're excited for the day and then something comes up that just throws off everything?! A text, a call, something someone says to you... Lovely. Now my perfectly good day is ruined. All thanks to one person. One thing. You know what I'm talking about?| The Phoenix Spirit
“For fast acting relief, try slowing down.” Lily Tomlin Our yoga instructor asks us to come to a standing position “one vertebra at a time.” I am not that well acquainted with my vertebrae. How many are there? Do I take them in sequence? What if they aren’t interested in going alone? Yoga familiarizes me with the inner workings of| The Phoenix Spirit
Most of us don’t think much about what type of person we are. We have a hard enough time attending to the practical details of daily living—staying virus-free, caring for children, paying the bills, having enough food in the house, and knowing what our next project is at home. Few of us would choose having| The Phoenix Spirit
Whether an episode of depression remains manageable or takes any or all of these unhappy routes depend on a set of variables that can be summed up under the term "resilience".| The Phoenix Spirit