DBSA Omaha New Hope

With a sizable crowd attending our most recent DBSA meeting, facilitator Miriam made a fascinating presentation entitled “ Things Mentally Strong People Don’t do, Part II “. 

During this evening’s presentation, she focused on things that we can and cannot control. What I found most fascinating was when Miriam spoke of our “ locus of control “.   We discovered a locus of control can be either internal or external.  It’s a belief about whether our actions are dependent on what we do, ( internal control) or on events outside of our personal control ( external control).  People seem to have either an internal or external control mindset, with a middle ground somewhere between the two being the desired place to reside. She advised it’s important to develop a balanced sense of control. 

Miriam advised to identify the things or problems we can control in our lives, and to let go of things we can’t control. If you do so, you’ll have more time for the things you can control. Also trying for complete control can lead to more anxiety. Sometimes giving up control can make you a stronger person. Learn to have more balanced thoughts, and begin practicing more acceptance. If you start to give up a little control, you may actually stop stressing out so much, and feel less stressed, which is a great feeling to have! 

Please join us next Thursday October 7th, when Miriam will be presenting “ Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do, Part III” 

With a near capacity crowd attending our most recent DBSA meeting, we were treated to facilitator Don’s newest presentation. Entitled “ The Voices” Don went on to describe voices we sometimes have in our head, representing good and bad ideas. He advised that it’s sort of spooky to have inner voices talking to you, but most of us have them, at one time or another. 

Don presented a fun fact for the evening; asking us, did you know that 95% of our brain activity happens at an unconscious level?  And only 5% of our cognitive behavior comes from our conscious mind. Yet another important reason for us to make sure we are getting our rest each and every night. Don also talked about getting rid of negative self-talk. Negative self-talk can be that voice inside our head, our inner critic that seems to always want to convince us how “bad” we are. He encouraged us to get up off the couch and do something. If you are having trouble getting motivated to clean the house, you can start by setting a timer for 20 minutes. You may find that the chore you thought would take forever , won’t take long at all! 

Don advised once we have quieted the inner negative self-talk, to focus on the good stuff that our inner voices are telling us. He mentioned a few ways we can listen to our good inner voice. Most importantly he advised we should first find some quiet time to listen better to our good inner voice.  We can do that by turning off the phone and shutting off the tv.  We could also meditate, exercise, do yoga or even take a hike or walk somewhere. Whatever works for us, that will help to slow down our mind, and live more in the moment.  This will allow your good inner voice time to shine.

It was a very fascinating and thoughtful presentation from Don tonight. Please make sure and join us next Thursday September 30th, when Miriam will be presenting “ Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do – Pt. 2”

Our most recent DBSA meeting was very memorable, with Don presenting the evening’s topic “ Managing Change “.  After brief introductions were made from around the room, Don went on to dive deep into managing change, and how greatly change does affect our daily lives. Don described our daily experience as living in a “ simmering cauldron of change” . I liked that description!

We all realize that most changes are out of our control, especially when it comes to external changes. For example, with the recent experience we all had with Covid over the last year and a half, our daily schedules had changed dramatically.  We can however control how we react to change.

Don recommend that we flip the script, on how we handle change. He mentioned we should re-focus, reflect, and also focus on our self-care. Don suggested that when change happens, it’s time to set some boundaries, and control your reactions and learn to accept change all around us. It’s important to realize not every change affects you, and to work the problems that are important to you. 

Don advised in regards to change #1) think it over before reacting #2) acknowledge feelings #3) take a breath #4) take actions when you can and #5) let it go!

Very informative and always interesting presentation from Don this evening. Be sure and join us next Thursday September 16th, when Steve will be presenting. “. Things to do When you Feel Yourself Slipping “ 

Our most recent DBSA meeting was quite fascinating, with Miriam presenting our topic of the evening “ Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do, part I “

After brief introductions were made by our rather substantial gathering, Miriam went on to describe many things that Mentally strong people don’t do. Included among the list, Mentally strong people don’t resist change, and they don’t worry about pleasing others.  They are not afraid to take risks, and also don’t procrastinate. They don’t resent other people’s successes, and most importantly they don’t fear alone time.

One of the most important thoughts I took away from the discussion, is mentally strong people don’t give away their power.  Some ways you may give away your power, are by avoiding confrontation, holding grudges, or even letting others determine your self worth. It’s important not to become a victim of your own circumstances.     

In order to take your power back, you need to identify who is taking your power, and ask yourself is there any validity to their complaints?  If there is, ask yourself if you want to change your behavior?  One of the most important benefits of taking back your power is that it will reduce your anxiety and depression!  Couldn’t ask for anything better! 

Miriam will be presenting a Part II on this topic sometime soon.  I can’t wait to learn even more about things mentally strong people don’t do! Please be sure to join us next Thursday September 9th, when Don will be presenting the evening’s topic:  “ Managing Change “ 

     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”