Addiction counseling, in-person meetings, new hobbies – all of these activities are used by those in recovery. You can now add smartphone applications (apps) to this list. This technology is now being used by many as a tool to help an individual maintain their recovery.

Tip: Managing stress does not have to include the use of alcohol or drugs. The best way to handle stress is through healthy habits.

Exercise, healthy eating, sleeping well and maintaining close relationships are important in stress management. These key actions can help reduce stress levels and improve your quality of life. Quick fixes like drugs or alcohol may temporarily mask stress but the long-term effects are unhealthy.

To download the book, The Telling Room Project: Advice to Incoming High School Students from Casco Bay Region Upperclassmen

School has started and your child may need help with organization, from GreatSchools, “Good students manage their time well and keep track of their assignments, notes, projects and test preparation. You can help.” Read the article here

A new study finds devices at bedtime are cutting into teens’ much-needed sleep time and directly impacting their mental health.

A 2017 study published in the journal Child Development found that using smartphones late at night, specifically for social media, is directly linked to depression, poor coping skills, and reduced self-esteem in teens. In light of recent evidence that the time teens spend on their phones has negative effects on their wellbeing (including a survey that found 1 in 5 teens say they regularly wake up in the middle of the night to check social media), giving kids and teens a digital curfew — a designated time each night when all devices are turned off and kept out of reach — just makes sense, says Lynette Vernon, the study’s lead researcher at Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia. Click here to read the full article.

Tip: Athletes who sleep at least 8 hours per night are 68% less likely to sustain an injury compared to those who get less sleep.

Lack of sleep impacts reaction times and performance and causes fatigue. Aim to sleep at least 8 hours per night to maximize muscle growth, repair and recovery. This will also help improve cognitive skills and concentration. All of these factors together can contribute to a lower rate of athletic injuries.

The SIRP program is provided free by Casco Bay CAN. The next class is September 28th and September 29th, please contact cascobaycansirp@gmail.com for additional information to to register!

Article from Lynn Lyons, MSW @LynnLyonsMSW @lynnlyonsanxiety

The shift that needs to happen

The beginning of the school year is a great time to think about the accommodations we put in place for anxious students. In my experience, most plans are not working and schools and parents are the first to acknowledge this. They’re trying to help, but the prevalence and intensity of anxiety continues to grow. Why?

Schools and parents, with the best of intentions, act in a loving, caring, helpful manner…but they often seek to provide the student with the comfort and certainty that anxiety feeds upon. Of course, concerned adults want to keep anxious kids in school, but when the plan focuses on allowing a child to avoid anxiety-provoking situations, children never learn the skill to step toward challenges; they feel permission to avoid them.

Think of it this way: anxious children already know how to get out of things.That’s anxiety’s main coping strategy. If the accommodation plan is based on creating escapes, avoiding challenges and keeping the classroom “safe” (which to anxiety means keeping the environment predictable and comfortable) then adults are actually making the anxiety stronger and more permanent.

To manage anxiety in a new way, the child must learn how to stay in the situation, and thus, respond differently to the thoughts, feelings, and sensations that worry and anxiety create.

This takes work. It requires a paradigm shift, and it’s easier when we start early. As we seek to increase the emotional resilience of our children (and simply make their childhoods less stressful), here’s the question to ask: how do we help children tolerate uncertainty and gain confidence through experience, mistakes, and adaptability?

Can we create an environment that truly makes room for mistakes and failure, without an undercurrent of expectations and performance? I think so. It’s our job to love them into action rather than join their fear and support their avoidance.

Accommodations based on avoidance may be well-meaning and effective in the short-term, but they are the opposite of what we need to do for anxious children.

Tips to Guide Teens To Find Purpose in Life