• October 7, 20213 min

    Fight-Flight-Freeze: Stress and the Brain

    Imagine you are hiking in the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee. As you round the corner on the path, you see an adorable black-bear cub scamper across into the bushes 10 yards ahead of you. Then, [...]

  • September 16, 20212 min

    Recovery Awareness Month 2021

    What is “recovery”? Recovery is…..more than sobriety. Recovery is…..more than wiser choices. Recovery is…..more than mental wellness. Recovery is…..more than healthier relationships. Recovery is…..more than better activities. So, we ask again, what is “recovery”? Of [...]

  • August 23, 20213 min

    3 Easy Nature Moments that Benefit Your Mental Health

    Although many students are lamenting the end of their summer break, for most of us (adults), summer was just another season of the daily “8 to 5 grind.” Perhaps you have felt it too, that [...]

  • July 26, 20213 min

    Generational Myths that Stigmatize Mental Health

    According to Mental Health America, 46% of adults in the US will experience symptoms of mental illness at some point in their lifetime. This year alone, nearly 1 in 5 adults in the US will [...]

  • June 18, 20213 min

    The Case Against Cannabis Use

    “I got my peaches out in Georgia…I get my weed from California,” sings pop megastar Justin Bieber on his most recent hit song, playing on every radio station in the country. Cannabis and its derivatives [...]

  • April 21, 20211 min

    Response to the FedEx Shooting in Indianapolis

    The Willow Center strongly condemns the horrible violence that occurred last Thursday at the Fed Ex facility here in Indianapolis, and we are heart-broken about the loss of so many precious lives. It would be [...]

  • March 18, 20213 min

    When the Going Gets Tough

    It’s been one year since the State of Indiana shutdown in response to the first surge of the COVID-19 pandemic. One year of unplanned transition. One year of loss and grief. One year of anxiety [...]

  • February 18, 20213 min

    Gratitude in Recovery

    It is the middle of February. In the Midwest it is cold, dreary, windy, and it seems like we have not seen green grass in ages. I have always wondered why I chose to live [...]

  • January 13, 20212 min

    Setting SMART Goals for the New Year

    The beginning of each year is filled with expectations. It is a time to reflect on how far we’ve come and to set goals for our next steps. It’s a time we often select New [...]

  • December 2, 20203 min

    The holidays are different this year.

    As I finished FaceTime-ing my family on Thanksgiving day last week, I could not shake the overwhelming feeling that “things are not as they should be.” Being away from my family for the holiday out [...]

  • November 2, 20201 min

    Overcoming Boredom in Early Recovery

    Boredom can be an unexpected, yet frustrating, feeling in the early stages of sobriety. The brain has become accustomed to unnaturally high levels of dopamine from repeated substance use, and will need time to “reset” [...]

  • October 15, 20202 min

    The Opposite of Addiction is Connection

    According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), loneliness and social isolation is directly associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. The CDC also reports that social isolation also significantly [...]