Lake Michigan – 8 Mental and Physical Benefits
Why do we gravitate toward water? Why is it so hypnotic to watch the waves? There is a reason every stretch of the waterfront is laden with houses and parks โ itโs where we want to be. In fact, those who live near the ocean swear by the healing powers of the salty sea. […]
Happy Trails – 5 Favorite Michigan Excursions
Atย Sanford Behavioral Health, excursions are opportunities for our clients to experience real life in the safety of treatment. Excursions provide authentic opportunities to unpack feelings and triggers. They also rekindle or develop new interests that help make long-term recovery manageable and fun. Happy Trails We recommend walking excursions while in treatment and long-term recovery. With […]
6 Reasons a Michigan Summer is Good for Mental Health
Michigan summer feels hopeful and restorative. Green is the color of life, nature, renewal, and energy. The color green is also associated with fertility, growth, and harmony.ย Blue stands for serenity, stability, inspiration, wisdom, and health. So, what better place to explore than Pure Michigan now that summer is here with all its shades of […]
6 Ways Michigan Summer Improves Mental Health & Recovery
Michigan Summer It’s Memorial Day weekend, and it finally feels like Michigan summertime has begun. Green is the color of life, nature, renewal, and energy. The color green is also associated with fertility, growth, and harmony.ย Blue stands for serenity, stability, inspiration, wisdom, and health. So, what better place to explore than Pure Michigan […]
101 Sober Things to Do to Beat the Winter Blues
Are you feeling the winter blues? There are many wonderful things about living in Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan. But, and thereย is a but, the winters are long. Many of the awesome things to do are currently buried beneath a crazy quilt of variations on the color white.ย Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a real […]
Michigan Autumn is Good for Your Mental Health
I was speaking to a colleague of mine yesterday. She asked if I had any ideas for inspirational thoughts on the monitors at Sanford West Behavioral Health Campus. As the Sanford Marketing Director, my answer to questions of this sort is always, “Yes.” I had been thinking about the mental health benefits of a […]
Michigan Excursions – Nature Therapy in the Great Outdoors
I work for Sanford Behavioral Health, and as the marketing director, I notice the organization’s communal language. Words have power and we are in the business of stigma busting, so we are mindful about our words when it comes to addiction, eating disorders, and mental health conditions. A few years ago, when we launched […]
Living Michigan Recovery – Best of Excursions
During the past six months, it has been a boon to live in Michigan. Especially for those in recovery from substance use disorders. With 103 state parks and recreation areas covering 306,000 acres, and lots of wide open spaces, those who were feeling cabin-bound were able to explore safely. And we all know that exercise […]
The Restorative Health Benefits of a Michigan Summer
Michigan summer… It’s finally Michigan summer. Last weekend I was mired in a rather “snakey” looking bog on the edge of Big Seven Lake. I could hear, but not see, the frogs with their burping, throaty chirps. There were tiny dragon-flies hovering over the water lilies and my inflatable kayak was listing to starboard. […]
Michigan Recovery – Hiking Your Way to Sober Success!
I was at a presentation last month. An august fellow in a well-cut suit was so excited about his topic (convincing us that voting to legalize recreational marijuana was a bad idea), he actually jumped up and down at the podium. DO (jump)!ย NOT (jump)! ALLOW (jump)! THIS TO HAPPEN IN MICHIGAN (jump, jump)! Sometimes I […]
