(Disclaimer: This transcript was made using A.I. technology. Please excuse any errors.)

Music 0:00
Welcome to the Atheists in Recovery Podcast, where we talk about finding hope in recovery. And now your host, Dr. Adina Silvestri

Adina Silvestri 0:11
Hola Atheists in Recovery, and welcome to Episode 72 of the Atheists in Recovery podcast. Today is our last episode of 2020. Which is crazy to think about, but I will be using December to prep for 2021. Get caught up on some new episodes for 2021 and then focus on some self care. Now's a great time to catch up on old episodes, re listen to some of your favorites. Today's podcast is all about holiday affirmations. And so you may be asking, what is the holiday affirmation? It's really any sentence that brings about positive self talk, and you can utilize it. In an everyday setting. It doesn't have to be just while you're utilizing mindfulness or meditation, and you use positive self talk to strengthen your thoughts. And as you know where your thoughts go, your body will soon follow, you'll start to feel lighter, less stressed, and more free. So I thought, instead of me just talking about holiday affirmations, I would bring on a few of the most popular past guests to help me talk about this topic. And then how in the love, they'll also talk about how they utilize their affirmation, and their everyday lives. So listen to our friends, and then I'll share mine at the very end. All right, let's get started.

Rob Imbeault 1:43
The affirmation I think I love the most is that I love and respect myself. And I write this down every day in my journal alongside some gratitude. And when I started writing that down, I know it sounds cheesy. But it was completely untrue. I didn't love and respect myself. But I wrote it down every day. And even in those times, I asked myself, why am I not that person that I love and respect. And I came up with reasons why and I fixed them. So over time I became a person that I indeed love and respect. So it meant that much more to me, persevering in the beginning, and then actually becoming it. And now I am

Adina Silvestri 2:27
Hey Rob, good to hear from you. I love that affirmation. And I also love that you appreciate it even more now. Because in the beginning, you didn't really believe that you were a person that you loved and respected. But through perseverance, you were able to endure the difficulties. And eventually you became that person, you are that person. And so I think that's just another reason to really do that deep dive and figure out and ask the questions. Why don't I believe this? What are these feelings trying to tell me right now? What are these negative feelings trying to tell me right now? I'm a firm believer in asking feelings, questions. And so I love that that's worked out for you. And thank you so much for sharing.

Brandon Bergman 3:19
Hey, everyone, Brandon Bergman, Associate Director at the recovery Research Institute of the Mass General Hospital here, you know, the holidays are coming up, and they can be lots of fun, they can also be stressful. So I'm here to offer a reminder of what to do if you are feeling like taking a drink or a drug or otherwise feeling stressed out. Remember to halt. This is a strategy that's part of a traditional recovery framework. And it's also part of several empirically supported interventions. That is, remember to ask yourself, Am I h hungry, a angry, l lonely, or T tired? This is a message of self care if you're hungry, eat something. If you're angry, do something to get your mind off it or do something to express the anger in a healthy way through communication or, or perhaps exercise. If you're lonely, reach out to someone. And if you're tired, certainly make sure to get some rest. So as long as the holidays come up, I hope everybody enjoys themselves and connects with their loved ones. And if you do feel stressed out or have a craving or feel like taking a drink or a drug, always remember H.A.L.T.

Adina Silvestri 4:24
Hey, Brandon,

thanks so much for coming on. And I love that you share the acronym halt from AA I think it's so important right now during the holidays that we all are setting boundaries and making sure that biology is so important making sure that everything's taken care of and that not everyone loves the holidays, which is what you said you said that it can be great or it can be really stressful and so making sure that you take that time to take care of yourself and then things will just be easier on All around. Alright, thanks again. So for my holiday affirmation, I am talking about finding the beauty in everyone and everything. And this usually culminates with me thinking it not really writing it, but thinking it on my morning walks, I have a pretty extensive morning routine. And so I go on these morning walks, and it's usually to a park and I'm taking pictures of anything and everything that I find beautiful. And sometimes I even send those beauty pics to people that I love. And so it helps me feel better. It's a nice little love note to the people that I care about. And it really it's a win win. And so, you know, like Brandon said, like, we all know, sometimes the holidays are triggering, they're not always happy, a happy time for everyone. And so I just want to make sure that you're taking good care and making sure that you listen to your body, because it will tell you what it needs. You're just able to be able to listen, listen and acknowledge. So the podcast will resume after the new year. And just be sure to subscribe to the podcast if you haven't done so already so that you don't miss an episode. And you can do that by going to atheistsinrecovery.com or you can subscribe wherever you consume podcasts. All right, thanks, guys. Bye.

Music 6:26
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