Randi Corrigan, MA, LMHC

A friend of mine posted this and I couldn’t appreciate it more. Alcohol abuse is extremely under-appreciated in our culture and as someone who has helped many individuals battle alcohol and drug addictions, I feel very passionate about the protection of people’s choice of sobriety. We live in a culture that overindulges in (most things) but alcohol definitely; and have a habit of shaming or criticizing someone who chooses to abstain from a quite toxic substance. ... This past year alone, during the pandemic, we have seen alcohol abuse increase significantly with higher rates of liver damage in individuals in their 20’s and 30’s!!!! Let me repeat that again. 20 and 30 year olds are experiencing liver failure!! I know LOTS of people, both in my personal life, and my patients that WANT to cut down on their drinking but they are worried about the social pressures of saying no thank you to an alcoholic beverage. We shouldn’t have to feel guilty for choosing sobriety and I really hope to normalize the choice of sobriety for people moving forward . Please share this so we can normalize the choice of sobriety or abstinence whenever we choose it. #sobriety #abstinence #alcoholabuse

Inner child work is so necessary in order to move forward and be the best version of ourselves. ~ Wounded children who were raised in emotionally neglectful or abusive environments carry these wounds into every relationship and situations in life, continually seeking the love and nurturing they simply never received from their caregivers. It is unfair and near impossible to expect our adult partners to provide for us all that our inner children did not receive.~Once you recog...nize the burden lies on you, you can start your journey towards healing. The part we fail to recognize when we are governed by our emotionally minded inner child, is that we are now capable of providing for ourselves all that we need. Everything we are seeking externally is already within us. ~ You can call it re-parenting or self-love, but the power lies within you. First identify all that you were neglected of, and give that to your adult self. Sometimes it’s being your own cheerleader and talking nice to yourself. Reminding yourself each and every day that you are a beautiful worthy and capable being. Maybe it’s nurturing your inner child with a more nutrient diet and healthier lifestyle. (Yes this sometimes means laying off the alcohol and getting a good nights sleep) People often laugh at me when I tell them how important my sleep hygiene is and that I allow no one or thing to interfere with it. This is because of the years I was robbed of my quality sleep due to anxiety and other trauma in my past. ~Sometimes healing your inner child is returning to some of the hobbies or activities you enjoyed doing as a kid. I, again have no shame in sharing that my favorite hobbies currently are coloring and riding bicycles mindlessly for hours around the park, as I enjoyed doing as a kid. ~Maybe your inner child needs hot baths, wrapping yourself up in a warm blanket and watching a good movie. Or maybe they need silence and peace once in awhile. Another common attachment we fail to recognize as adults is the need for constant social interactions or noise and distractions since it’s familiar to us due to growing up in chaotic home environments. ~What does your inner child need? See more

Gratitude exercises can literally shift your neurochemistry by producing neurotransmitters that create a more positive mood. And repeated practice can create new neural pathways and alleviate anxiety and depression. Even when the world feels like it’s falling apart around you, try to identify ONE thing you can be grateful for. What brings you happiness, fulfillment, safety or pleasure today?? Today I am grateful for the warmth from this beautiful sunshine #positivepsychology #neuroplasticity #gratitude #mindfulness #sunshine #congitiveshifting #dopamine #serotonin #depression #anxiety #mooddisorders

This is sweet.... but no .... . This concept of needing another person to complete you is complete horse shit. We have been sold this fantasy that once you find you’re prince in shining armor you have made it. . The Catholic Church tells men they literally cannot survive without women (which I agree to a certain extent hahaha I’m kidding ). But let’s get real people. You’re partner does not define you nor complete you and the longer we support this narrative the longer it ...takes people to do the work!! Let me say this loud and clearly : YOU’RE PERSON IS YOU!!! You are the love of your life. Not one thing or person in the world will provide you with that complete validation. It breaks my heart to work with so many people (myself included at times in my life) with such deep shame about being single or not having found their person. Why has society taught us that there is something wrong or flawed within with us as human beings to be single? Have we ever considered a world in which single people are actually happy and fulfilled?? Can you imagine that!? No, because we’ve been sold a dream that actually supports toxic and unhealthy relationships just so people have a partner. If you are in a relationship and you are not happy, please do not stay because of the shame of being alone. No one deserves to be with someone that doesn’t make them feel just as safe, and secure as if they were alone. If you’re relationship is causing you more anxiety and suffering than anything else, please do not fear being alone. I tell all of my patients struggling with this because it comes from a place of wisdom: the emotional work you do as a single person will last you a lifetime and is more valuable than any successful relationship. It requires BRAVERY and resilience. So many of us are bringing our dirty ass laundry into relationships and wondering why we’re not happy. Because were focused on the wrong things. It’s perfectly okay to embrace your solitude. Embrace your individuality. And wash you’re damn clothes before engaging with another person . Hear me when I say; YOU ARE WORTHY, YOU ARE WHOLE. YOU COMPLETE YOU See more

Our biggest stressors are OUR OWN THOUGHTS! Our nervous systems are hard wired to detect danger but how often are we anxious and our sympathetic nervous and fight/flight responses triggered when we are not actually in the face of danger? We must be mindful of our thoughts as too much stress can cause disease in the body. Animals in the wild have a similar fight/flight response, and if you ever witness them in this action, you will see how quickly they also recover to homeostasis. This is because they LET IT GO. Humans tend to ruminate on things and retrigger these response inducing cortisol and adrenaline when it’s really unnecessary. Gain ways to practice mindfulness and other ways to activate your parasympathetic (rest and digest) system. You don’t need to be on high alert all the time !