Five Ways to Stay Motivated and Achieve Your Goals

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Let’s face it: this is the day and age of instant gratification. You want a coffee, order it on your app, and pick it up in 2 minutes. You want a book you heard about, it’ll be at your door in 24-48 hours. No one has to wait for anything anymore. Thus, staying motivated is…

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4 Smart Ways to Find Your Passion When You Feel Unmotivated  

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When apathy overwhelms your senses, searching for passion is likely the absolute last thing on your mind. You may find that just navigating daily life zaps all of your remaining energy and drive. Unfortunately, allowing this cyclical pattern to continue can leave you trapped in a world devoid of color. You can break out of…

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What is Project Semicolon About?

what is project semicolon about

A new trend has been sweeping those who have ever considered, thought about, or attempted suicide. It’s the semicolon symbol (;), and it’s being tattooed as a statement of continuation. This is known as Project Semicolon. Project Semicolon has a simple mission statement: “A semicolon represents a sentence the author could have ended, but chose…

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Healing with Art for Beginners

art therapy OPI Living

  You may have heard of Art Therapy – a type of psychotherapy that encourages the expression of emotions through artistic activities, such as painting, drawing, or sculpture. This psychotherapy is based on the belief that the creative process involved in the making of art is healing and life-enhancing (dictionary.com). Art can be an excellent…

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Overcoming Depression: Daniel’s Story

young adult disabling depression

Not long ago, on a nice sunny day in south Florida, I sat on the edge of my bed, pen and paper in hand, and began to write. I wrote about my life: the trials and tribulations of my despair, my desperate quest for inner peace, and an announcement that I had given up on…

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Is it Sadness or Depression?

is it sadness or depression OPI

Sadness vs. Depression It is not uncommon in our society for the terms sadness and depression to be used interchangeably. However, not only is this inaccurate, but it also diminishes and belittles the severity of depression. In working here OPI’s residential treatment program, I have seen and treated many young adults suffering from depression, and…

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Healthy Body, Healthy Mind: Exercise and Mental Health

exercise mental health young adults 2

With the New Year now upon us everyone has resolutions on the mind, and the most popular of all is to get in better shape. Gyms all over the country get tons of new members coming in, diets are some of the most popular searches online, and people are determined to whip their bodies into…

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Pet Therapy: The Healing Power of a Pet

pet therapy healing

What is pet therapy?  Take a moment and think about your favorite current or childhood pet. Doesn’t it just put a smile on your face and give you a warm and fuzzy feeling inside? What many people don’t realize is how much we, as humans, gain from our pets and how owning and caring for…

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A Prescription for Happiness (Ben’s Story) Part II

Ben Moroski men bpd 2

Click HERE to read the Part 1 of this article. Living a life you love may seem like a luxury to some. For Ben, it is not. For those with serious depression, it is the difference between stumbling through the week and confidently showing up for the daily tasks of life. It is the difference…

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How to Reclaim Your Inner Joy (Even in Times of Grief)

reclaiming inner joy roanne bpd

We can’t really truly, fairly, and in dignity, comment on the suffering of another human being. It is impossible to know the unique and detailed experience of another, and to speculate about it is, in the grand scheme of things, counterproductive. So what can we do when we hear about a tragic event that moves…

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The Healing Power of a Good Laugh

The Healing Power of a Good Laugh

Alisa Foreman, MA, MFT, Director of Outpatient Services at OPI, explains why genuine, prolonged laughter doesn’t just make us feel better in the moment, but also helps to heal our bodies and psyches. Think back to a time where you had a good laugh. I don’t just mean a quick “ha-ha” laugh, I mean a…

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Depression

Depression is an extremely common psychiatric disorder and affects up to 25% of people at some point during their lifetime. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is often initially diagnosed as major depression, and these disorders frequently occur together. Depression and BPD are both conditions that cause problems in interpersonal relationships as people struggle with mood fluctuations,…

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