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by Dr. Adina McGarr | Jun 5, 2012 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Is addiction a disease or a choice? While one may not be responsible for getting the illness, it doesn’t abdicate one’s responsibility for making different choices to manage or eradicate it.

Posted via email from My Santa Barbara Therapy Updates

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We all lose our cool sometimes...expected with chi We all lose our cool sometimes...expected with children, frowned upon as an adult. I am an imperfect mother and yes, I have lost my cool and yelled at my children 😳.⁣ ⁣ Like the time a few weeks ago, when I was doing a LIVE online ZOOM workout (@jt_depaz_energie you need to mute your participants, in case they forget to!) and yelled above the music in my earpod for them to stop fighting and go to their rooms.⁣ ⁣ My children don’t usually listen the first time, so I am in the habit of repeating myself. You get the picture…..Anyway, the host did alert me that I needed to mute myself, but not before, you guessed it, the entire class heard me loud and clear.⁣ ⁣ This was not my finest moment, yes I was embarrassed, and yes I need to do better. But these missteps are not the core of who I am and yours aren’t either. ⁣ ⁣ Let them be things you learn and grow from rather than moral failings that define you are. ⁣
Ever wonder why you’re still not enjoying that t Ever wonder why you’re still not enjoying that thing you thought would make you so happy? I just knew that once I finished graduate school, got married, lived in Santa Barbara, had a house, had a thriving private practice, etc. that I would be satisfied. But, you know what, I’m not.⁣ ⁣ I have a fancy, perhaps little known, phrase to share with you. “Hedonic adaptation” and it is responsible for the programmed dissatisfaction we all have. We are hardwired to want things, relationships, and experiences that will activate our reward system in the brain. BUT…..once we have them, they stop being rewarding, we adapt, and we are onto searching for the next reward. ⁣ ⁣ Good for survival and new developments, not so good for sustained satisfaction when it comes to our stuff, our accomplishments, and even our relationship with our significant others!⁣ ⁣ Slow down, be intentional about taking in the good, thank you @rickhansonphd, and use your mind to outsmart this brain trap.⁣ ⁣ DM me to get on my waiting list for my free resource on how to take back control of your mind⁣
Have you ever sleep trained a baby? I didn’t ha Have you ever sleep trained a baby? I didn’t have to with my first, but my second one’s sleep difficulties were doing me in! We tried all the “soft” methods, but she was relentless, smart, persistent, and she only wanted her mama. ⁣ ⁣ It broke my heart to try the “cry it out” method and during the process I almost wavered and gave in so many times. But, there was something that helped me stick with the change and that was “my why” or the meaning behind why I was changing something. ⁣ ⁣ Change is hard, but it is so much more doable and sustainable if it is inspired by meaning. The next time you are trying to change something that is hard for you, call to mind the meaning behind your change.⁣ ⁣ I’d love to know something hard that you have been able to change!⁣
Who else is trying to plan a summer vacation? Ami Who else is trying to plan a summer vacation? Amidst restrictions, precautions, and disparate needs of a 2 and 7-year old, we are having a hard time deciding where to go! ⁣ ⁣ I am a big fan of warm weather, which thankfully we have in Santa Barbara. What we don’t have are pine trees and that woodsy feeling. Somewhere with just lake access is not so great for our 2 year-old, but she does love a pool! ⁣ ⁣ Where can we go in California that checks the warm weather, pool, and pine tree criteria?⁣
They say silence is golden. For me, I completely They say silence is golden. For me, I completely agree. In fact, I get my best work done in the stillness of the morning when no one is up. ⁣ ⁣ There is something about that first espresso combined with the tranquility of the morning that I really treasure and love carving out for myself. I seem to think the most clearly and be more creative.⁣ ⁣ This is one of the ways that I set myself up for success and self-care. How beautiful that it is a blend, which is probably why it works so well! ⁣ ⁣ How about you? What leads to your most productive time?⁣
Time is running out! Well, not really, that’s j Time is running out! Well, not really, that’s just something people say to raise your anxiety and prompt you to take action. ⁣ ⁣ Other peoples’ words are powerful in influencing your behavior and so are Yours! Be a critical consumer of what your mind tells you, it doesn’t always tell the truth. ⁣ ⁣ Dm me for a great resource on learning how your mind can work against you and how to make it work for you instead!⁣

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