April 24 - Stress: How it manifests and how to address it

We all have stress in our lives. Stress is not a distinct medical diagnosis and there is no single, specific treatment for it. Treatment for stress focuses on changing the situation, developing stress coping skills, implementing relaxation techniques, and treating symptoms or conditions that may have been caused by chronic stress.

mar. 27 - Decluttering: Mental Health & Your Environment

Wherever you are on the continuum of collecting to hoarding, most of us have more than we need of at least one thing. If you are a trauma survivor, it can be even more difficult to let go of physical objects.

Research suggests the obsessive need to collect and keep material objects may serve as a coping mechanism for grief, loss or posttraumatic stress [http://tinyurl.com/5ff7w98d]. Holding onto things even after they’ve lost their usefulness (broken down car, empty cardboard boxes, etc.) can give a person a sense of autonomy or make them feel that in times of scarcity, they will have resources (whether of actual value to others or not).