The Wellness Diary

Insights, advice, new research, tips and tricks, and new resources to help you with your mental health journey.

Addiction Sandra Kushnir Addiction Sandra Kushnir

Understanding Addiction and Its Impact on the Brain

Addiction is a complex phenomenon that significantly disrupts the brain's carefully balanced system of reward, motivation, and regulation. It primarily interferes with the normal functioning of key neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine is often associated with feelings of pleasure and reward, while serotonin plays a critical role in mood regulation. The imbalance produced by addiction in these neurotransmitter systems has profound effects on an individual's behavior, decision-making processes, memory, and other cognitive functions.

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What is MyProAna?

MyProAna initially came into existence as an online platform that was envisioned to function as a supportive community for those individuals who were battling eating disorders. The primary goal was to provide a safe space where these individuals could share their experiences, seek advice, and find comfort in the understanding that they weren't alone in their struggles. However, with time, the narrative began to shift. The platform started facing substantial criticism as it was accused of endorsing unhealthy behaviors associated with anorexia (often referred to as pro-ana) and bulimia (pro-mia), treating them as lifestyle choices instead of serious health conditions that required immediate medical attention and intervention.

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How to Help Someone Overcome Porn Addiction

This addiction is characterized by an individual's inability to control or decrease their usage, despite the negative consequences it brings upon their life. These consequences can be varied and far-reaching, with the individual experiencing significant distress and impairment in multiple areas of their life. This includes their well-being, their relationships with family members, their social interactions, and even their performance in academics or the workplace. It's important to recognize that like any addiction, porn addiction can be a serious and debilitating condition that requires understanding, support, and appropriate treatment.

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Recognizing the Signs of Porn Addiction: A Guide for Individuals and Loved Ones

Much like any other form of addiction, whether it be substance abuse or gambling addiction, porn addiction can have profound and far-reaching effects on one's mental health. It can lead to feelings of guilt, shame, and anxiety, and can even contribute to the development of more serious mental health conditions such as depression. Moreover, the consequences extend beyond the individual's mental health. Porn addiction can also have a detrimental impact on an individual's relationships, leading to issues such as mistrust, dissatisfaction, or even breakdowns in relationships. It can also affect one's overall well-being, causing a decrease in productivity, motivation, and satisfaction in other areas of life. The implications of porn addiction are indeed profound and necessitate attention and intervention.

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7-Healthy Daily Habits That Can Help You Stay Sober 

Being in recovery can be overwhelming. But recovery can also be a great opportunity to revamp your life and create some healthy habits that will help you stay sober. They’ll also help you live a healthier life, now and in the future. Consider adding these healthy practices to your daily routine to live your best life yet.

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An Introduction: Color Therapy and Healing

Color is there everywhere you look, and also everywhere you do not look. You delight in its marvels consciously plus subconsciously. The point has been you see color all the time, but how often do you think about its origins and effects?

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5- Reasons Why Traveling Is Great for Mental Health

Getting out of your home and seeing other places is one of the best ways to meet the world, but also to learn more about yourself as well. Getting away from your everyday environment is great for your stress level and your anxiety, especially if you work hard every single day and need some time off. That’s why traveling might be the best way to boost your mental health, but if you’re still not sure that’s true, here are five reasons that will tell you why that’s the case.

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Should You Move After the Loss of a Loved One?

Although staying in the space shared with a beloved partner is a comfort to some, others can find it too hard. When that’s the case, it may make sense to move out and find a new space where you can get a fresh start. If you’re unsure, there are things you can consider that will help you determine whether you should stay in your home, or find a new space.

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Episode 45: It's Not About Sex: Healing Intimacy Issues That Lead To Compulsive Sexual Behaviors

In this episode, I am joined by Andrew Susskind, LCSW who is an author, podcast host and therapist. He specializes in compulsive sexual behaviors. Andrew shares his experience working with clients struggling with these behaviors, his own journey to recovery and brings insight into what we can do to begin normalizing and healing these types of addictive behaviors through vulnerability and trauma work.

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Money Anxiety: Creative Ways to Alleviate Financial Stress

If you’ve lost your job in the last few months, you’re likely dealing with a layer of stress you had no way of planning for -- and searching for a new position doesn’t do much to alleviate your anxiety. Hunting for jobs is tough and comes with a lot of rejection, which can be overwhelming for many of us. It’s OK to wait for the right opportunity to come along, but there are always bills to be paid and life to be lived -- money is simply a necessity of life.

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Episode 43: Coping With Covid-19

Jillian Ziesmer, LMFT and LPCC joins me to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on our mental health. Jillian dives into easy to use coping skills that can be used to deal with anxiety or depression that might be coming up for you at this time.

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8-Top Supplements for Brain Fog

Can’t help but fall asleep during your Zoom meeting? Coffee just not doing its job anymore? It might be worth a shot to try out a few supplements for brain fog. Read on for our top picks that can help get you back to a clear mind.

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Why Is Substance Abuse Among Older Adults Being Unrecognized?

As we get older, various medications and prescription drugs become important to our health. Whether you are enrolled in Medicare Part D or pay for these prescription drugs out of pocket, there is no doubt they play an important role in keeping us healthy. They treat a wide variety of illnesses, ailments and conditions many of us will deal with as we age. Unfortunately, some individuals will abuse these prescription drugs and they can become a problem.

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Toxic Positivity: It’s Okay To Not Be Okay

Toxic positivity refers to a pattern of behavior wherein a person adopts a lifestyle that engages in being positive at all points of time no matter what, because ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’. It involves rejecting the negative triggers of your life, thus investing all your attention and energy into the positive stimulants. How come a lifestyle that sounds like a mental detox, be labeled as toxic?

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The Skeletons in Your Mind

Jung was very well known for contributing new concepts to psychology that invoked a sense of imagination and symbolism, and simultaneously, an appeal to science and rational skepticism. Jung is probably best known for developing a framework to understand our conscious and unconscious by looking at it through a prism of archetypes and symbols as well as looking at our own past events to understand the present.

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