well-being

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The Courage to Face Addiction

Jason Hopcus, CLC, MSLC addiction, colorado, connection, counseling, exercise, gratitude, happiness, health, Healthy Practices, healthy students, high school, life pressures, meditation, mental health, mental health care, pressure, psychology, recovery, Scholarship, self-care, sociology, stigma, Students, substance abuse, substance use, support group, Teens, well-being, wellness, whole health
The Courage to Face Addiction

Addiction is a struggle that many face. To do so, takes an immense amount of sacrifice, and willingness to beat. A task that is not easily done. The first step requires one to acknowledge their addiction. This can be the hardest step, as it has become part of the addict’s life, habits, and takes priority over most things in life. The mindset of an addict is counter-intuitive to a non-addict. The struggle of someone who wants to fix their problem but is not able to because of their internal conflict can be a relentless back and forth cycle of attemptsRead More

Life pressures have teens on overload

Jason Hopcus, CLC, MSLC Anxiety, college, colorado, community, connection, depression, education, educators, gratitude, happiness, health, Healthy Practices, healthy students, help, high school, kindness, life pressures, meditation, mental health, mental health care, mental illness, NAMI Blog, pressure, Scholarship, social, Students, teachers, Teens, time management, well-being, wellness, whole health
Life pressures have teens on overload

Today, teens get a lot of ‘future’ pressure from parents and older adults to be a certain way and succeed in the ways they see best, which can result in considerable undue stress. The expected norm is that you have to do well in school while taking part in extracurricular activities to secure admission to a choice school or prestigious university. This pressure can make a youth feel as though they aren’t doing enough, aren’t good enough, and ultimately can lead to them giving up overall. Personally, my parents have always pushed me to do my best. Once, I hadRead More

Practicing Self-Care After a Traumatic Injury

Jason Hopcus, CLC, MSLC aging, Anxiety, colorado, community, connection, counseling, depression, douglas county, education, exercise, gratitude, happiness, Healthy Practices, help, kindness, meditation, mental health, mental health care, NAMI Blog, nursing, psychology, recovery, self-care, sleep, well-being, wellness, whole health
Practicing Self-Care After a Traumatic Injury

Recently, I was walking my daughter’s adorable dog Raleigh when I saw two other cute dogs with their owner approaching on the path. All three dogs barked excitedly and jumped joyfully. Raleigh accidentally bumped my legs and I fell down hard on the pavement. Instantly, I knew I was seriously injured. The man with the two dogs quickly called 911, paramedics came, and later that night I had surgery to repair my crushed right femur. After a couple days in the hospital, I went to a rehab/nursing center for three weeks until I could safely handle myself at home. Self-careRead More

A whole health approach to wellness

Jason Hopcus, CLC, MSLC aging, Anxiety, arapahoe county, colorado, community, connection, counseling, depression, douglas county, exercise, geriatric, gratitude, happiness, health, Healthy Practices, healthy students, help, isolation, journaling, kindness, meditation, mental health, mental health care, mental illness, NAMI Blog, nursing, psychology, recovery, sleep, social, support group, teachers, time management, well-being, wellness, whole health

Most of us have to work for wellness and there are practices that help. This is Part Three of my wellness plan/practice, which includes gratitude, massage, and medicine. Previously, I discussed connection, meditation/mindfulness, healthy eating, adequate sleep, movement/exercise, and time in nature as fundaments to my wellness. Gratitude Psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky found that 50% of happiness is determined by your genes, 10% by the circumstances in which you live, and a full 40% of happiness is determined by your actions, your attitude or optimism, and the way you handle situations. I am happier and calmer when I intentionally practice gratitudeRead More

Practical Steps to Wellness

Jason Hopcus, CLC, MSLC aging, Anxiety, arapahoe county, colorado, community, connection, counseling, depression, douglas county, education, exercise, geriatric, gratitude, happiness, health, Healthy Practices, help, isolation, kindness, meditation, mental health, mental health care, mental illness, NAMI Blog, psychology, recovery, seniors, sleep, social, stigma, support group, time management, well-being, wellness, whole health

Life is not merely being alive, but being well. – Marcus Aurelius Studies show that sleep and exercise are the two most important factors contributing to wellness and happiness. My Wellness Plan – Part Two focuses on sleep and movement/exercise, as well as the importance of spending time in nature. Adequate Sleep A few nights without sleep can gravely impair mood, judgement, and concentration. Unfortunately, a great number of us are chronically sleep deprived. Stressful schedules, lack of genuine connection, too much screen time, and too little exercise are some common reasons for sleeplessness. Anxiety caused me to have insomnia,Read More

Getting more Connected in the New Year

Jason Hopcus, CLC, MSLC aging, Anxiety, arapahoe county, colorado, community, connection, counseling, depression, douglas county, education, exercise, geriatric, gratitude, happiness, health, Healthy Practices, healthy students, help, isolation, journaling, kindness, meditation, mental health, mental health care, mental illness, NAMI Blog, recovery, seniors, sleep, social, Students, support group, teachers, time management, well-being, wellness, whole health
Getting more Connected in the New Year

Welcome to 2019! The New Year is a time most of us set intentions. We put closure on the past and look forward to the future with a renewed hope and anticipation. Right? Maybe that’s my own idealistic view. For many, optimism for the coming year doesn’t look any brighter than what’s come and gone. Mental Health and its effects can weigh us down, forging ahead in what feels like concrete boots. But it doesn’t have too… Those challenges can be compounded by those resolutions we set and don’t keep. You know the ones…to lose weight, to exercise more, or to makeRead More

Mental stability can be challenge for aging

Jason Hopcus, CLC, MSLC aging, arapahoe county, colorado, community, connection, counseling, depression, douglas county, education, exercise, geriatric, geriatric, gratitude, happiness, health, Healthy Practices, help, isolation, meditation, mental health, mental health care, NAMI Blog, psychology, seniors, sleep, stigma, support group, well-being, wellness, whole health
Mental stability can be challenge for aging

Contributed by: Jessica Gibbs jgibbs@coloradocommunitymedia.com Isolation, depression key issues as seniors go through life changes Toward the front of a crowded conference room at Legacy Village senior community in Castle Pines, 82-year-old Marilyn McQueary sat quietly through a presentation on finding purpose in life after retirement. Then the speaker asked the gathered seniors a question: What were their needs? McQueary wanted to share. She knew from personal experience that connection to resources and social interaction can be key to healthy aging. She has lived in Castle Rock with her son and daughter-in-law for about 14 months, moving from Florida afterRead More

A Path to Happiness and Well-Being

Jason Hopcus, CLC, MSLC Anxiety, arapahoe county, community, depression, douglas county, education, educators, exercise, gratitude, happiness, health, Healthy Practices, healthy students, journaling, kindness, meditation, mental health, mental health care, NAMI Blog, presentation, psychology, recovery, sleep, social, Students, support group, teachers, time management, well-being, wellness, whole health
A Path to Happiness and Well-Being

The Science of  Well-Being  People want to be happy and the study of positive psychology can help. Recently, I completed The Science of Well-Being, a free online course offered by Coursera. It is a ten-week program adapted from the most popular course at Yale University taught by Professor Laurie Santos. Dr. Santos created the original Yale course for two main reasons. First, she observed that many Yale students were unhappy, which was also prevalent at other universities. Second, Dr. Santos realized she wasn’t as happy as she could be. Each course participant completes lectures, quizzes, and readings, which explore the most prominent studies aboutRead More

Scholarship to Connect the Dots Between Mental Health and Learning Disabilities

Jason Hopcus, CLC, MSLC Anxiety, arapahoe county, colorado, community, counseling, criminal justice, depression, douglas county, education, educators, health, healthy students, mental health, mental health care, mental illness, NAMI Blog, psychology, recovery, Scholarship, sociology, special edcuation, stigma, Students, teachers, well-being, wellness

My name is Morgan Miller and I am a proud recipient of a 2018 NAMI Arapahoe/Douglas Counties Seeds of Hope Scholarship. Receiving a scholarship from NAMI ADCO helps support my goal of becoming a special education teacher. In my studies and work, I have observed an often overlooked correlation between learning disabilities and mental health. My passion for this work has been a dream since childhood. I believe as a future educator, I can help highlight the need for educators to know about mental illnesses and their prevalence in those with learning disabilities. In recent years, I have worked with individuals who haveRead More

2018 NAMI ADCO Seeds of Hope Scholarship

Jason Hopcus, CLC, MSLC Anxiety, arapahoe county, colorado, community, counseling, criminal justice, depression, douglas county, education, educators, health, healthy students, mental health, mental health care, NAMI Blog, nursing, presentation, psychology, recovery, Scholarship, sociology, special edcuation, stigma, Students, teachers, well-being, wellness
2018 NAMI ADCO Seeds of Hope Scholarship

On April 25th, NAMI Arapahoe/Douglas Counties hosted its inaugural Seeds of Hope Scholarship Awards Breakfast at the Hilton Denver Inverness. We proudly awarded six scholarships to local students pursing a degree in a behavioral health or human service field. Our 2018 NAMI ADCO scholarship award recipients were: Talia Brown – Legend High School, Parker, Health Sciences and Psychology Sophie Camp – Mountain Vista H.S., Highlands Ranch, Psychology and Sociology (criminal justice) Sarah Knapp – Skyview Academy, Highlands Ranch, Psychology Brianna Lawrence – Regis University, Nursing and Psychology Morgan Miller – University of Colorado, Denver, Special Education Kimberly Smith – ArapahoeRead More