Understanding Drug Addiction

According to National Institute of Drug Addiction – addiction is a chronic disease which can be characterized as a drug seeking behavior and use. It is either difficult to control or compulsive despite of it’s harmful and serious consequences.

What is challenging about addiction is it’s interference with an individual’s ability to resist the intense urges to take drugs. It causes persistent changes in the brain which also makes it a “relapsing” disease.

People in recovery are at an increased risk for going back to drug use even after years of not taking drugs.

The long term usage of drugs causes changes in the brain chemical systems and circuits, which includes: learning, judgement, decision-making, memory, behavior and more.

While there are some people don’t get addicted and some do is due to multiple factors. Higher the risk factors, higher will be their chances of getting addicted.

Biology – genes have a role in making a person more prone to addiction. Gender, ethnicity and existing mental disorders may influence the risk of addiction.

Environment – different influences, family and friends, economic status. Other factors such as peer pressure, abuse, early history of drug may increase likelihood of addiction.

Development – interaction between genetic and environmental factors affects addiction risk.

Drugs at any use can lead to addiction. However, it can be cured and prevented.

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Great lessons from Tuesday’s with Morrie

Tuesday’s with Morrie in a memoir by Mitch Albom. It is about a series of visits he made on every Tuesday’s to his sociology professor Morrie Schwartz who gradually dies of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Throughout these days both discuss about various topics about life and living.

“We need to forgive ourselves. For all the things we didn’t do. All the things we should have done. You can’t get stuck on the regrets of what should have happened.”

As you grow, you learn more. Aging is not just decay…it’s growth. It’s more than the negative that you’re going to die, it’s also the positive that you understand that you’re going to die, and that you live a better life because of it.”

“There is no formula to relationships. They have to be negotiated in loving ways, with room for both parties, what they want, and what they need, what they can do and what their life is like.”

“Love is how you stay alive, even after you are gone.”

“Death ends a life, not a relationship.”

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Why rejection hits hard?

Photo Courtesy: Jakayla Toney

Rejection is one invisible wound that hurts a lot. Honestly, no one wants to feel that way, but sometimes in one or the other way we face it.

Rejections involves a response. It often evokes feelings of hurt, anger, guilt, shame, loneliness or social anxiety. A big part of its impact comes from perception of the rejection.

While some rejections can be categorized as minor but devastating because it makes us vulnerable. There are rejections which may have a debilitating impact such as when we fired at job, when our partner or a friend leaves us.

The answer is our brains 🧠. Evolutionary psychologists suggests that when we were hunter gatherers who lived in tribes. As we could not survive all alone, being excluded from tribe was considered a death sentence. As a result, we developed an early warning mechanism to alert us when we were at danger of being excluded or left out by our tribes — and that was rejection. People who experienced rejection as more painful over the years it passed on along their genes.

Scientists who have studied brain MRIs to study people who have undergone rejection show similar brain activity as those who were experiencing physical pain.

So, while we know why rejection hurts, important part is the need to overcome it before it takes a toll on us. Guy Winch in his Ted talk speaks about how it is essential to work on battling negative thinking and changing our responses to failure will not only heal psychologically but build a stronger resilience.

What do you do when you encounter rejections?

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All about Meditation

Photo courtesy: Jared Rice

Meditation is growing popularity among the western nations nowadays. Meditation is a process which focuses on nurturing awareness of here and now. It helps in achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state.

Meditation is beyond a practice, it’s a tradition that has been followed and passed on to the generations. It is intimately bound up with the religious context within which it was practiced in the past.

As per Indian philosophy – The quintessential manual on meditation is the Yoga Sūtra. It was composed by approximately 200 CE and includes philosophical positions and meditation techniques from traditions of the Sāṃkhya, Jaina, and Buddhists. Ethics and principles are an integral part of meditation.

Meditation is about practice and the more you do the better you become. Repeated practice tends to make seasoned practitioners.

You can meditate in simple ways by taking a comfortable seat in a comfortable position which is free of distractions or noises. Next you may or may not set a time limit. If you are someone who likes to set a time limit, you can set it to 10-15 minutes if you are a beginner and increase gradually or if you don’t like to set a time limit, just go ahead and begin. Stay stable and notice your body in a relaxed state. Focus on your body, you can choose to keep your eyes open or close. Take a deep breath in hold and release slowly. You may have thoughts, it is okay. Keep at it and bring yourself back to focus on your breathing calmly and at peace. Here is a free guided meditation for you from headspace.

Once you are done, just feel the relaxation in both your physiological and psychological states.

Most importantly, appreciate your journey. You may also choose to hum any prayer or quote or chant or play something based on your preferences.

If you try different methods, do share it below in the comments.

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Why grit is so important?

Photo courtesy: Apollo Photography

Grit is one word many of us would have come across when we look at job descriptions while applying or hear someone talking about it. Why talk about grit at all and why it is so important?

Angela Duckworth is a leading expert on “grit”. She explains grit – is passion and sustained persistence applied toward long-term achievement, with no specific concern for rewards or recognition. It goes along with resilience, ambition, and self-control in the pursuit of long-term goals.

She in her ted talk explains how we need to look beyond IQ in our education. We need to implore and look at what is it that makes an individual stick to their goals despite the challenging situations. She talks about grit in great volumes. Grit is sticking with your future. Grit is living life not a sprint instead of a marathon.

So how we can develop it?

Data shows that by developing a growth mindset one can surely get closer to grit.

Carol Dweck studied human motivation and attempts to bridge between developmental psychology, social psychology, and personality psychology, and examines the self-conceptions.

She draws attention towards a growth mindset which is based on the belief that one’s basic qualities are things he/she/ they can cultivate through efforts.

Here are 3 quick ways to work on it:

  • Dive deeper into authenticity – stick to your uniqueness, it could be something you can do better or your own qualities. Pretending to be somone diminishes who you really are.
  • Be brave at facing your challenges – try looking at those challenges as an opportunity to outgrow your own fears. Each challenge has can add to your experience.
  • Censor your thoughts and words – it is really important to pay attention to your thoughts and words. If your thoughts and words are low how can you expect a positive outcome? The way you speak to yourself is integral to your own value and ethical standard.

Building on grit might be an extra effort. However, once you are in practice, the mental processes work for you, resulting in a greater possibility that you get the results.

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