Recreational Therapy During the Holidays (It’s Spooky Spirit Week)

The holiday season has begun, and one of the biggest reasons we hear for putting off residential treatment is, “I do not want to be in a treatment facility during the holidays.” At Sanford Behavioral Health, we think the holidays are a very good time to commit to getting help for an eating disorder. Why? […]

Election Anxiety? 10 Tips from the Experts to Outlast the Onslaught!

There is a familiar adage that states, “This too shall pass.” It means both good and bad situations don’t last forever, and one may be tempted to use it when a loved one or colleague says they have election anxiety. After all, the onslaught of slogans and requests for donations will pass. A presidential term […]

Surgeon General’s Warning – Social Media is Hazardous to Mental Health

In a recent New York Times Guest Essay, United States Surgeon General Vivek K. Murthy announced he would call for a warning label on social media platforms. The goal is to increase awareness that social media has not yet been proven to be safe. A surgeon general’s warning label is similar to those on alcohol […]

5 Questions for Sanford Founder Rae Green on Body Acceptance

Body acceptance, body neutrality, body positivity – these phrases are often interchanged but mean different things. Body positivity means loving your body as it is; body neutrality focuses on what the body can do. According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), “body acceptance includes body positivity, body neutrality, and body liberationโ€”for all.” Today, we […]

Talking About Food with Your Child – Dr. Anna Flores

Notes from Dr, Anna Flores’s presentation “Talking About Food with Your Child” Language matters. Children are wildly impressionable and there is a strong connection between what we say about food, how we eat, and how we feed ourselves as adults, and what the young people around us are going to say about food, how they […]

Eating Disorder Admissions All-Star Team: Responsibilities and Rewards

At Sanford Comprehensive Treatment for Eating Disorders, we are proud of how we have evolved since we opened the first standalone residential treatment center for eating disorders in Michigan. Our residential program is now two years old. Over the past two-plus years, we have also developed day programs and partial day programs for eating disorders, […]

10 Tips for a Thankful Sober Holiday

As a person in recovery, I am thankful every day. During the holidays, I am particularly aware of my blessings, and this is Thanksgiving, the time to be loud and proud about the things one is grateful for. I do remember the early days of recovery and how nervous I was that the festivities would […]

Holiday Anxiety – Women Feel It More Than Men

It’s almost the Thanksgiving holiday, a time for gratitude and reminiscence about holidays past, but my memories of Thanksgiving mostly involve my angst-ridden mother bustling about while the rest of the family watched the Macy’s parade and played cards. She used to do this predictable “thing” whenever I would indicate frailty, especially during the holidays. […]

SAD, Sunday Scaries, & Seasonal Anxiety – Best of Excursions

It is that time of year when the air cools, and the invitations to feast, drink, and be merry begin to arrive. Obligations at work, parties, lunch with friends, and family get-togethers are all part of navigating real-life recovery from addiction, eating disorders, and mental health conditions during the holidays. For those new to recovery, […]

The Isolation of Addiction

At Sanford Behavioral Health, we have a case study of a client in the final days of their isolation and active addiction. They were a smoker but not allowed to light up in the house. So, this individual would take a bottle of Jack Daniels to an unheated garage behind their house, sit on a […]