Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.

With A Restful Mind, Mark Allen Zabawa offers the first book designed to provide inspiration and support specifically for people living with mental health problems. A year of daily readings address the common life issues that arise for those with mental health problems and help those dealing with a disorder start or end each day more at peace with themselves and the world. By focusing thinking on positive, health-enhancing messages and presenting the kind of empathetic support that fellow contenders of emotional distress can offer, these meditations help you achieve the mental rest and self-acceptance needed for a balanced, healthy mind and peaceful life.

ˇ F o r e w o r d ˇ

Recovery from mental illness is a process. It means taking care of ourselves each and every day-spiritually, emotionally, and physically. It means actively working to make change. It means making health and stability a priority. Although we each recover in our own way and on our own schedule, we all need help, and help comes in many forms.

Some of us go to therapy, for example. Many of us use prescription medication under the care of a doctor. Some of us attend regular support group meetings and work with mentors or sponsors. These and the many other ways we take care of ourselves are sometimes called the tools of recovery. We choose the ones that work best for us.

Millions of people in recovery from various illnesses have used a tool called bibliotherapy, which means reading to promote growth and understanding. A meditation book, like this one, is a common form of bibliotherapy. Because it can help with immediate issues, it works like an aspirin. Because it promotes psychological and spiritual growth, it works like a vitamin. Like other recovery tools, it works best when used on a regular basis.

A Restful Mind is a testament to experience, strength, and hope. Its daily meditations speak to all of us, regardless of our diagnosis. Topics include having setbacks, reducing anxiety, taking medication, asking for help, experiencing inpatient treatment, and being gentle with ourselves. Each one-page meditation has three parts: a reflection, a question to promote awareness, and a thought for the day. It helps to read each meditation more than once.

We read a meditation book like this one for many reasons. It can offer reassurance. It can help us feel normal. It can help us see where we've been and where we want to go. It can help us think more clearly and understand ourselves better. Though not every topic may seem to apply to our situation on any given day, we can still gain new insights and perspectives on mental illness from the ideas and experiences of others.

Like doing anything new, reading this book might feel strange at first. Be sure to give it a fair chance. Use it to start your day or end your day. Or carry it with you and read it when you have time. The idea is to make reading this book a daily ritual on your recovery journey. The goal is growth, support, and understanding. Reading a meditation is like listening to someone who knows us and accepts us even though we have never met. With time, may A Restful Mind become a comfort, a companion, and a touchstone for you.

-Tim Mc, author of Today I Will Do One Thing

January

ˇ J a n u a r y 1 ˇ

As the new year begins, we may be tempted to look back and focus on what we fell short of accomplishing, rather than looking at all that we have accomplished. We may sense failure for not completing every task we began. Or we may feel let down because some of what we wanted to have happen did not. Let us be gentle with ourselves, however, for this is a new year and a new beginning. Let us look to our past for wisdom and guidance rather than failure and someone to blame. Let us look at what we achieved rather than at what failed to happen.

As we begin the new year, let us move forward with faith, courage, and the willingness to learn from each of our experiences. Let us focus on opportunities. But most of all, let us be true to ourselves and our recovery. Am I stuck on last year or can I begin the new year today with faith and an open mind?

Thought for the Day

Today is a new beginning.

It's hard for outsiders to understand why alcoholics relapse, but to someone experiencing alcohol addiction, even after completing treatment programs a relapse is still possible. Our post about Relapse Prevention has some ways to help prevent an alcoholic relapsing - but understanding exactly WHY relapses occur can also help prevent relapse from happening again.

Here are 10 Reasons Why Alcoholics Relapse:

1. They Did Not Quit For Themselves: When someone is forced into addiction treatment, whether by law officials or the insistence of family members or friends, there's a good chance that the alcoholic does not really want to quit for themselves yet. Until you have reached the point where you are going to treatment for yourself, you are likely to be less successful in treatment programs than if you went with an open mind and an earnest will to succeed at becoming sober for good.

2. Stress: Life is no bowl of cherries most of the time for most of us. Stress comes from all types of sources - family responsibilities and demands, our jobs, and even societal pressures. While most treatment centers will cover ways to manage stress effectively, unless you actually actively practice stress relieving methods that don't avoid drugs or alcohol, it is possible you may still think of alcohol or drugs as a means to solving problems.

3. Too Widely Available: Seeing alcohol everywhere, from TV commercials to standing in line at a grocery store can make it difficult for an alcoholic to resist the temptation. You might watch a beer commercial and find yourself wanting a beer so badly...same goes by walking past it at the store. While you can attempt to remove yourself from these triggers, it can be very difficult, especially as more time goes by since your last drink.

4. Hanging Out With the Wrong Crowd: Sure, you might like catching up with old friends from time to time, but some of these friends are not really friends at all, especially if they are pressuring you to have a drink. "Aw, c'mon", they'll say, "what's one for old time's sake?" Being prepared with the strength to say No can help - it is best if seeing these friends to limit to an activity that does not involve drugs or alcohol in anyway.

5. Ending Treatment Too Soon: When you end treatment too soon, you may find yourself a few weeks or months later thinking about drinking again and then too ashamed to crawl back for help. Even if you no longer attend weekly meetings or sessions, it can be good for you to attend one each month or on an other semi-regular basis.

6. Loneliness: When you remove yourself from bad influences or situations that can trigger drinking, you can begin to have feelings of isolation and loneliness. It's important to continue to have a social life while being sober. You can often meet people from AA meetings or by joining interest groups in your area that enjoy the same hobbies. (Try meetup.com for example)

7. Behaviors Don't Change: In order to stay sober, you must learn to change your behavior. Obviously, saying to change one's behavior is a lot easier than actually doing it - even non alcoholics can relate to having a habit they cannot change. Overcoming addiction must involve starting life fresh and doing things differently - otherwise it is likely an alcoholic may relapse again.

8. Failure to Have Support: Many alcoholics are forced to overcome addiction alone. Others may have the availability of help through family or friends - but family and friends often do not know what to do. A counselor may be able to help someone in the recovery process identify objectively what others can do to be supportive and encourage sobriety.

9. Life Gets Too Good: While this one may seem odd, for some alcoholics they may recovery seemingly successfully and life begins to come together well. Then comes the rationalization that one can drink to celebrate, or an occasional drink would be acceptable. While for some its possible to drink occasionally again after recovery, many can just as easily fall back into addiction.

10. Lack of Motivation: Motivation isn't easy for most people to find. Often people when going into a recovery drug or alcohol program are not highly motivated to quit or everything becomes so repeated and boring they become desensitized to it. The drive to stay sober can quickly vanish after things become better than they were before treatment. Successfully recovering requires that you continue to be motivated in staying sober for good.

Source:  Talk Rehab: Alcoholism Help and Support