DBSA Omaha New Hope

     Our recent DBSA meeting on August 26th was amazing, with facilitator Becki presenting her topic for the evening “ distress tolerance “.  After brief introductions were made from those attending, facilitator Becki started her presentation by having us take part in a two minute breathing exercise, to help calm any anxious feelings we may have been experiencing. I found this breathing exercise to be very helpful, and a great way to open her presentation!    

Becki went on to discuss how trauma can affect your window of tolerance. She explained that when you are in your window of tolerance, you usually feel like you can handle whatever is happening in your life. You might feel stressed, but it doesn’t bother you too much. If you are in a hyperarousal mode, you may be anxious, angry or feel overwhelmed. If you are in hypoarousal mode, you may feel spacy, zoned out, or frozen. So most importantly, we want to stay within the window of tolerance if possible.

Becki stressed the importance of being aware of our distress triggers, and went on to present different acronyms to help us cope with our distress.  One of the acronyms she mentioned was STOP.  S for stop, stay still, T take a step back from the situation, O for observe what is happening, and P for proceed once you are prepared.       

Becki also stressed the importance of having our own personal way to de-stress, whether it be listening to music, working on an art project, attending a yoga class, or even going on a long walk. She reminded us to just be mindful if you are feeling stressed, acknowledge your feelings, don’t judge the situation or your feelings and then just move on.     I found this topic to be fascinating, and possibly we could have Becki present a part two on this topic at a future meeting!      Be sure and join us next Thursday September 2nd, at 7pm, when facilitator Miriam will be presenting the topic “ Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do, Part I “ 

A month or so ago, I presented a topic where in the first hour we started letters to our younger selves. Part of the point was to show to ourselves just how much we have grown and how far we have come. It was also to show those that perhaps were still in the beginning of their recovery that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. That things can get better if you put in the work.

DBSA national has an entire series of these letters to my younger self, accompanied by podcasts from many of the authors. If you are feeling down, these can be inspiring stories that may help lift you or just get you through your day. Click on this link to go to the “Letters to My Younger Self” page.

Our recent DBSA meeting on August 19th was inspiring, with facilitator Renee presenting her topic for the evening “ Gender Literacy Crash Course”.

After brief introductions were made from attendees around the room, facilitator Renee started her discussion by helping us become more familiar with gender neutral, and gender inclusive pronouns.  Renee discussed the importance of respecting others and asking them which pronouns they might prefer to use, rather than disrespecting someone with the wrong pronouns.     Renee also briefly discussed the importance of inclusive housing and the lack of gender-inclusive restrooms in many businesses throughout the country. This topic was very helpful and informative, and Renee did suggest that there may be more Gender Literacy discussions at future meetings.     Be sure and join us next Thursday August 26th at 7pm, when facilitator Becki will be presenting the topic “ Distress Tolerance “ 

Our August 5th meeting was quite energetic, with a total of 20 attending. After introductions took place, an ice breaker question was asked; “ what is your favorite Olympic sport” ? Facilitator Steve presented tonight, discussing “ tips for managing social anxiety “ .  Tips were given on how to manage anxious feelings and situations, including ideas on how to reduce negative thoughts.  Also included were various coping strategies to help alleviate anxiety. Please join us next week, on Thursday August 12th at 7pm,  when we will have game night.

Our July 22nd meeting was full of high energy.  With 18 people in attendance, after short introductions took place, we also posed the weekly ice breaker question; “ what was your favorite outdoor game when you were younger “ ?      Facilitator Renee made her debut presentation entitled “ Positive Affirmations”.  Renee had listed the alphabet on the white board, meanwhile we all voiced positive affirmations that correlated with each letter of the alphabet. Not only did we each learn different words or positive affirmations, but I truly believe a fun time was also had by all.     Don’t forget to join us this Thursday July 29th at 7pm, when we will have Kris as our guest speaker.

Our July 15th meeting got off to a great start, with a total of 18 people attending.  As we went around the room for short introductions, in addition our ice breaker question of the evening was “ what is your favorite Summertime dessert “ ?   All of the talk about delicious desserts really made me hungry!      Facilitator Miriam presented this evening’s topic, “ Will the Real You Please Step Forward, Part III “.   Miriam did a great job in prompting the group to have a thoughtful discussion on encouraging ways to allow your true self to shine.     Please be sure to join us this Thursday July 22nd at 7pm for our weekly DBSA meeting.      The topic this week will be:  “ Positive Affirmations” 

Tonight’s topic was “living in the past”. With 14 people in attendance, facilitator Don talked about the consequences of living in the past and why, for most of us, it is harmful. We started writing a letter to our former selves about a bad time in our lives. Don used the story of a time when his work life fell apart and how he came to terms with the aftermath. We also took a look at who we are today versus who we were in the past. Noting that we change who we are over time led to the possibility that the bad decisions that we have made throughout our lives might not have actually been bad at the time for the person we were at that time. Please be sure to join us on Thursday July 15th for our weekly DBSA meeting at 7pm. The topic this week will be “ Will the Real You Please Step Forward, Part III”. 

 Our pre-4th of July DBSA meeting got off to a spectacular start, with a total of 13 people attending .  As there were some tension filled commutes for some on their way to the meeting this evening, ( thanks to traffic accidents on the freeway ) attendees took their turn at the ice breaker question of the evening; “ How much extra time did it take you to get here tonight “ ?      Facilitator Steve presented this evening’s topic , “ Maintaining a Positive Self-image “.Helpful tips and reminders were given to all on how to give yourself a healthy positive self-image tune-up.    Please be sure to join us on Thursday July 8th for our weekly DBSA meeting at 7pm. The topic this week will be “ Living in the Past”. 

 With threatening weather and rain surrounding the area, tonight’s DBSA meeting still managed to get off to a great start with a total of 11 people attending.
Short introductions took place, and attendees also took their turn at answering the ice breaker question of the evening, “ what is your favorite thing to do when it’s raining “ ?
    Facilitator Miriam presented this evening’s topic, “ Will the Real You Please Step Forward Part II “  Great lessons were taught by Miriam on how to stay true to your inner self.
Please be sure to join our friendly group for this week’s DBSA meeting on Thursday July 1st.  Thursday’s topic will be “ Maintaining a Positive Self-image “

    With 16 people in attendance, tonight’s DBSA meeting got off to a great start with a special announcement.  At tonight’s meeting our mandatory mask mandate was lifted, as our meeting location no longer requires that you wear a mask. How nice it was to see everyone’s real smiling faces once again!  Please also note if you are more comfortable wearing a mask at our meetings, please feel free to do so.
        After short introductions took place, facilitator Steve presented a topic this evening   on “ The Importance of Self-Care” .  This topic was a great reminder of the many areas of our daily lives where self-care plays an important part.
    Please be sure to join us for this week’s DBSA meeting on Thursday June 24th, at 7pm. Thursday’s topic will be “ Will the Real You Please Step Forward Part II. “