Many people have told me how stressed they become as the holidays approach. Some have mentioned that the holidays trigger grief over loved ones no longer here, financial stress especially about gift-giving, even seeing family members they would rather not see. I know people from various religious backgrounds and traditions. I’ve noticed that some people […]
Category: Trillium Staff Writing
Writings by Trillium Staff about hope and recovery
Grounding: A Body-Based Practice for Calm
Emotions are not just in our minds. We carry emotions in our bodies. No-brainer, right? Before I continue, I want to address a question I got about the practices I write about here. Obviously, I will not claim that any of these will magically have anyone recover from mental health challenges. However, we also know […]
Yoga and Mental Health
Yoga! You see it everywhere…online, health clubs, community centers, even some churches. I am no expert and I am definitely not going to get into the original, ancient meaning and purpose of yoga. In the west we see yoga often as a physical practice. Before sitting down to write this I looked up the research […]
Sharing Feelings: What is your Intent?
“You really hurt my feelings and that wasn’t right?!?” If someone said that to you, how would you feel and respond? Some people would shut down, some would defend themselves, some would toss back accusations. What if we try this statement instead:”My feelings were hurt when you said that. You must have a reason. Would […]
Thankful
Can there ever be too much gratitude? Can we be thankful even in the smallest things? Thankfulness is about noticing and acknowledging the good in our lives. It can be for something external such as relationships, material things, experiences. And, it can be for something we have internally…resilience, talents, values. During this season there are, […]
Improving Sleep
It’s no secret that getting restorative sleep is important for your well-being physically, mentally, and emotionally. There is, of course, science to show how sleep affects your brain and body, hormones, chemistry, etc. I won’t get into that, but I will list a few recommendations: If you’ve been having difficulty sleeping do not expect these […]
Breathing and Mental Health
Breath work has become a popular topic along with other practices like yoga and meditation. This blog will not be a comprehensive dive into the different types of breath work, but just a general take on the benefits and even pitfalls. There are many different techniques such as box breathing, nadi shodhana (alternate nostril breathing), […]
Expressive Writing to Release Emotions
A while ago one of our members told me about a writing practice she does and I thought I’d give it a try. It’s called Expressive Writing and the purpose is to get thoughts and emotions out of our psyche and get a sense of separation from them. This is what she suggested: Pick a […]
The Power of Peer Support
If you wanted to learn anything wouldn’t you seek out someone with experience? When I was a competitive swimmer – a long time ago, I might add! – our team would watch videos of the greats like Mark Spitz. When I started my healing from lyme symptoms I sought out someone who had recovered. When […]
How to Make it Through a Rough Patch
Hey, I just went through a month long trauma capsule. Fun times. And, I’m out of it now and really proud of myself! Let me share with you how I saw my way through. First, I practice daily the skills I share on this blog. That builds resilience and makes it much easier to shift […]