Mal Duane Coach

Archives for September 2012

September is National Recovery Month

Did you know that September is National Recovery Month?

Recovery Month began in 1989 as “Treatment Works Month”, which honored the work of the treatment and recovery professionals in the field. The observance evolved to National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month) in 1998, when it expanded to include celebrating the accomplishment of individuals in recovery from substance use disorders. The observance evolved once again in 2011 to National Recovery Month (Recovery Month) to include all aspects of behavioral health.

National Recovery Month educates us on the fact that addiction treatment and mental health services can enable those with a mental and/or substance use disorder to live a healthy and rewarding life. It spreads the positive message that behavioral health is essential to overall health, prevention works, treatment is effective, and people can and do recover.

I believe we are all recovering from something, whether it’s a mental or substance use disorder, or the loss of a loved one. It is so important to stay in touch with yourself and how you are feeling, so you can continue to recover in a healthy manner. So, during National Recovery Month, I’d like to encourage you to keep up your journaling practice at least once a day. Or, if you haven’t begun to write in a journal, I encourage you to start today! Keeping in touch with your emotions is so essential to a healthy recovery. I personally find it so liberating to write exactly how I feel.

Five of my favorite journaling questions to stimulate my writing are:
  1. What can I let go of today that will release any limitations I may be feeling?
  2. Why is this person or situation causing me to feel negative about myself?
  3. Are other people’s opinions or perceptions controlling what I feel today?
  4. What inspired action could I take to change the situation?
  5. What is my vision for how I want things to be?

Guided journaling is also a great way to continue with your recovery. On our website www.AlphaChick.com, we offer the Alpha Chick Action Guide, which can help you let go of past pain and work toward your personal transformation.

 
National Recovery Month is a great time to begin work, or just to remember to continue working on your recovery. Journaling allows your authentic self to step forward and remove the dark shadows of living under others expectations. You can rebirth the voice of your true expression without fear, so you can develop clarity as to what you really want to attract into your life.
If you need help to start or continue your journey to recovery? Do you have an inspiring story to share?Please reach out, our community of Alpha Chicks are here to help!
 
Live Faithfully,
Mal Duane 

Mal Duane is a Best Selling Author and Personal Life and Recovery Coach who has overcome life challenges using the steps in the Alpha Chick Process. Her personal mission is to help women excel in all areas of their lives from business to personal relationships. Mal has been featured with Fox 25 Boston Morning Show, Aspire Magazine, Healthy Living and Metrowest Daily News. She has also been a featured guest on over thirty Blogtalk Radio shows discussing recovery and personal transformation.

Mal’s book, Alpha Chick, Five Steps for Moving from Pain to Power, is a best selling book and is available on Amazon.com.

 

Let’s All Live By The Golden Rule

Let’s all live by the golden rule!

“The wound is the place where the Light enters you”
Rumi  
 
If we paid more attention to the people in our lives, how many suicides or over doses do you think we could prevent? Sadly after the event has occurred and the families start a forensic psychiatric investigation, they always find the clues. Cell phone records and computer files are usually very helpful in creating a timeline of a downward spiral. Instead of constantly checking our own emails and text messages, maybe we should monitor our children’s more closely.

In Massachusetts there was a landmark case when six teenagers cyber bullied a beautiful young girl, Phoebe Prince. Phoebe started dating the ex-boyfriend of a malicious young woman who organized a group of classmates to torment her for several months. The outcome was that Phoebe ended up hanging herself. The cyber bullies were tried in court and found guilty. So many lives ruined for nothing. I am hoping to connect with Phoebe’s mother this month for an interview to discuss what we can do in our schools to prevent tragedies like this.

Although October is Stop Cyber-Bullying Month, I am sharing these resources now so we can all make a conscience effort to make a difference. School is back in session and it is a perfect time to teach kids the rules of social media and online engagement. These are my suggestions and I hope you find them helpful, I have also gathered some resources which are listed below.
  1. Don’t post anything on the web that is detrimental to ones character or their appearance.
  2. Understand that you are legally responsible for all content you put on the Internet.
  3. Monitor incoming and outgoing communications on all social networks that your children have a presence on. You may identify someone else being abusive to others.
  4. Encourage your children to report anyone to you that is posting negative comments about others. It is your responsibility to do something about it.
If we all pay attention we can eliminate tremendous heart ache globally for kids that are being attacked by their peers. Too many children lost their lives this year due to the severe bullying and character assassinations that were written by thoughtless, unconscious and unmonitored kids.

 

This is not just for kids, cyber-bullying often happens with adults and in the workplace.
 
I truly believe that if we collectively shine a light in the wound that is bullying, we can make a significant difference!
I would love to hear your experiences, thoughts and questions, please share them with the Alpha Chick community on our Facebook page; or if they are of a more personal nature please email me at malduane [at] alphachick [dot] com. 
 
Live Faithfully,
Mal Duane 

Mal Duane is a Best Selling Author and Personal Life and Recovery Coach who has overcome life challenges using the steps in the Alpha Chick Process. Her personal mission is to help women excel in all areas of their lives from business to personal relationships. Mal has been featured with Fox 25 Boston Morning Show, Aspire Magazine, Healthy Living and Metrowest Daily News. She has also been a featured guest on over thirty Blogtalk Radio shows discussing recovery and personal transformation.

Mal’s book, Alpha Chick, Five Steps for Moving from Pain to Power, is a best selling book and is available on Amazon.com.