Loving An Addict | Al-Anon, Exhausted, Stressed, Overwhelmed, Coping
This podcast is for those who love someone struggling with addiction and feel exhausted, stressed, and overwhelmed. It focuses on setting boundaries, self-care, nutrition, exercise, and stress management from a faith-based perspective. The host, Tara Little, shares her personal experience of nearly 20 years trying to fix a loved one while neglecting herself. She offers tools and scripture to help listeners cope and find peace.
Episodes
31/ Can You Really Have Hope With Addiction? Yes, Hold Onto Hope Without Losing Yourself
Hey friend,
For over two decades of stress, exhaustion and an absolute roller coaster ride of emotions, one thing I refused to do is lose hope.
So many moments of frustration, fear and so much more made it very hard. I will not lie. However, I felt that if I did not keep hope in my heart and in my mind I was going to be giving up on my loved one.
I hope that this message brings you peace and re
30/ The Boundaries You Set When Loving Someone With An Addiction Aren't Always The Ones You Think...
Hey friend! I truly believe that boundaries are the absolute hardest for most of us when it comes to our loved ones and their addiction. We stay exhausted and stressed out trying to control all of the things. We simply can NOT control all of the things and in return it is wearing on your body physically and emotionally.
Although the hardest, it is critical that we do set boundaries but they are
29/ Why Do I Feel So Exhausted? Self Care Through the Hardest Times of Your Loved One's Addiction When You're Overwhelmed.
Hey friend. I know that addiction brings so many ups and downs and sometimes we feel that we can not handle one more thing. Here we need to set some boundaries to care for ourselves!
In this episode I want to speak to you about the importance of rest, both physical and emotional rest and nourishment. These are critical for you to continue to function under these stressful moments.
The consta
28/ The Real Reason I Left.. And Why My Heart Never Did
Hey friend
I am back and I am so sorry that I was away. This episode will share in more detail about my life experiences and why I felt that I needed to change. The reality was I did not.
I needed to lean in to self care more. I needed to set some boundaries for myself and manage stress just as I tell you.
You are who God has placed on my heart to be here for. You, the woman who loves someone
27/ Have You Tried Tapping In To Your Creative Side While You Are Coping With a Stressful Situation?
Whenever things are very stressful and you can not seem to even think about self care, maybe you need to try to tap into your creative side.
Tapping into your creative side can give your body and mind time to tune out all of the noise from everything going on that you can not control.
Even if you do not feel like you are creative, I urge you to try different things until maybe you find somet
26/ Are You Prioritizing Yourself While Caring For Them? Here Are 3 Ways You Can
When you are caring for someone else, whether it is from addiction or if it is due to illness or any other way you must find ways to prioritize yourself.
It does not have to be something major, it can be small things. If you do not take sometime to check in with you. You will notice you will eventually be constantly stressed and truly exhausted, both physically and emotionally
taraglittle@gmai
25/ Are You In A Season of Caregiving? Why You MUST Practice Self Care ...Even If You Do Not Want To
Life happens. Sometimes it takes loud wake up calls to realize you need to practice more self care. especially in hard seasons when you do not want to.
Whether it is addiction, children, a demanding job or your parents, we tend to be pulled in so many directions. One day you may notice that you have put yourself on the back burner far too long.
My life update and how it is a reminder for you t
24/ Why Setting Boundaries With An Addict Can Feel So Guilty (And Why That Doesn't Mean You're Wrong)
If you love someone struggling with an addiction, setting boundaries can feel incredibly uncomfortable and stressful. You may know deep down that you need to protect your peace, stop overwhelming yourself, or step out of the constant cycle of rescuing... but the moment you do , guilt shows up.
Why?
In this episode, we're talking about why guilt often follows boundary setting- especially when
23/ When The Stress of Their Addiction Disconnects You from Your Body, Try this..
We take our bodies' for granted. We go through our day to day worrying about everything and everybody, but what about our body?
Try this exercise throughout the day to check in with your body and see what it is telling you.
Have a question? email me
get more support here
mailto:taraglittle@gmail.com
22/ Are You Eating Your Feelings? When Food Becomes a Coping Tool When You Love An Addict
One way that you may be coping with the high stress situation of loving someone with an addiction is food. Let's face it we are exhausted, overwhelmed and under chronic stress. We are looking for ways to cope, even if we do not know it.
This is not abnormal and it is nothing to be ashamed of.
If you feel concerned or would like a shift for your emotional or stress eating. Try checking in with y
21/ If You Feel Angry About Their Addiction, You Are Not Alone. What Is It Doing To You?
Feeling angry tends to come with the territory of loving someone with an addiction.
It is a strong emotion and one of many. Sometimes we try to suppress our anger while other times we feel so angry but we do not even know why.
Today I will go over why it is ok to feel angry but also what holding on to that anger is doing to your body.
Have questions? Have a topic you would love for me to d
20/ Always Emotional and Overwhelmed with Their Addiction? Your Stress Bucket May Be Full
Days, weeks and months of stress adds up. Their addiction is adding to all of the other stress that life brings and you may be feeling that!
If you find that you seem less tolerant, feel more overwhelmed or emotional, you are not crazy or weak. Your stress bucket is probably full. Listen as I explain the stress bucket with 3 tips to starting emptying yours.
Get more support here
19/ How To Lower Cortisol When The Stress of Loving an Addict Feels Overwhelming
Last week I shared my story about how the years of unmanaged stress from my loved one's addiction caused my cortisol to be chronically elevated.
This week I wanted to share some symptoms of chronically elevated cortisol and some tips on how to keep your cortisol regulated.
Maybe try incorporating one of these tools a day !
Remember the goal is never to have cortisol at zero. Cortisol is a benef
18/ I Didn't Know That The Stress of Loving An Addict Was Changing My Body...
Years of chronic stress, during my loved one's addiction struggles not only led me feeling overwhelmed, and exhausted, but I did not know that a lot of the reason for this was because I was not supporting my body.
I began to experience emotional and physical changes in my body due to a dysregulated nervous system and chronically elevated cortisol. Here is some of my story.
Ways to connect:
ge
17/ Stressed, Exhausted & Overwhelmed? 6 Foundations to Support Your Body Under Chronic Stress.
The purpose of this podcast is to support you as you navigate this season of chaos while loving someone with an addiction.
Today I wanted go over my 6 foundations of supporting your body while it is under this chronic stress.
Be the ANCHOR in the sea of turmoil that addiction brings. ⚓️
You do not need to try to overhaul your life all at once. Take these foundations a little at a time and sta
16/ Exhausted From The Chaos & Chronic Stress, but Can't Sleep? Try These Tips
Lack of sleep and loving someone with an a addiction tend to go hand and hand, unfortunately.
It seems that as soon as our head hits the pillow, our mind begins to wander.
Your body needs sleep to function and to juggle everything that you need juggle.
Let's get out of survival mode and become the anchor in the sea of chaos that addiction brings.
Today I am giving you some tips to help you
15/ Is their addiction causing you to lose yourself?
Addiction is a thief. It steals our loved ones away, it steals your joy and slowly it steals you.
Little by little as their addiction takes over and you become so many things that you did not even sign up for. You may realize that you do not even know who you are anymore.
I urge you to start reconnecting to yourself. Remember that your identity is not their addiction.
Get more support here
mailt
14/ Your Body Is Paying For The Chaos of Their Addiction.. Try This for Stress Management
In the sea of our loved ones addiction and substance abuse, we neglect ourselves including our minds and our bodies. This continues to leave us exhausted and eventually to burnout
To move us out of survival mode we need to support our body in many different ways.
One of the ways is moving it. The chronic stress that we experience shows up as headaches, tension, joint pain, and more.
Stress Ma
13/ 4 Simple Tips To Start Your Morning More Peaceful . Especially When Under the Chronic Stress of Addiction
It is easy to jump out of bed and start scrolling, turn on the news, or open the laptop and start checking emails.
When you are under the chronic stress of loving someone with an addiction from substance abuse or alcohol. Try these 4 simple morning routines to start your day in a more peaceful way. Begin to go from barely coping to creating safety in your body in moment that you can.
Balanced
12/ Why Trying to Rescue Them is Keeping You Exhausted, Stressed and Eventually Burnout
When your loved one is struggling with addiction from substance abuse or alcohol it is normal for us to want to rescue them or fix them.
But what is this doing to your body? Are you carrying more that you need to be? Are you taking on to much and barely coping?
Lack of boundaries leaves us stressed, exhausted and ultimately burnout.
Where can you make changes this week to remind yourself wha
11/ When You Love Someone With an Addiction From Substance Abuse , Are You Exhausted From Grief?
When you love someone struggling with an addiction from substance abuse or alcohol one of the hardest emotions that many do not talk about is the grief that you experience for someone who is still alive. The stress and exhaustion you may be feeling could be linked to the fact that you are trying to push these feelings away.
get more support here
mailto:taraglittle@gmail.com
10/ Loving Someone With Addiction Leaves You Exhausted: Chronic Stress Effects Explained with Cassie Hutton
Hey there! I am so excited for today's episode. I have with me a special guest, Cassie Hutton.
Cassie is a HTMA Practitioner who helps women heal burnout through holistic, trauma informed functional care.
She is going to talk to you about how the chronic stress of your loved ones addiction from substance abuse or alcohol can be depleting you leaving you burnout and exhausted.
Get more support wi
9/ Did Their Substance Addiction Cause Another Stressful Day? Your Body Needs Support At Dinner.
Hi there!
I know that sometimes eating meals or preparing meals is the last thing on our mind but it is key to giving our body the safety it needs and the mental and physical energy it needs during the stress and exhaustion that we experience when we have a loved one with an addiction from substance abuse or alcohol
Today I will give you some simple but nutrient dense dinner meal ideas.
Links
8/ Exhausted Loving Someone With An Addiction ? Is Your Body Getting the Support It Needs Midday?
Hi Friend!
I know that sometimes when we are in the thick of things the last thing that we want to do is eat. Or maybe you want to grab some sugary foods only to cope.
We are under stress, burnout and exhausted from our loved one's addiction from substance abuse or alcohol we want to let our body know that it is safe and that it will be fed.
Today I give you three simple balanced lunch examples
7/ Women Loving Someone With An Addiction from Substance Abuse : Why Skipping Meals Worsens Stress and Exhaustion
Do you find yourself skipping meals because you feel too stressed or exhausted to eat?
Are you finding yourself binging on sugary snacks in the evening to cope with the stress and overwhelm of your loved one's addiction?
Today I want to discuss the importance of nourishing your body with balanced meals to help create safety in your body and nervous system to help prevent burnout.
Get more su
6/ Walking On Eggshells? How Keeping The Peace With Them Hurts You Leading to Burnout
Today we discuss the last state, the Fawn State of the nervous system.
How people pleasing or enabling during your loved one's addiction from substance abuse or alcoholism is slowly causing you to lose yourself and how to take steps to move out of this state.
Get more support here
Contact me!
mailto:taraglittle@gmail.com
5 / When The Chronic Stress and Exhaustion Shuts You Down: The Hidden Toll Of Their Substance Addiction.
In today's episode I talk about the Dorsal state or freeze state of our nervous system.
Months or years of being in the flight or fight state can eventually put your body in a shut down state.
If you are struggling with the stress, exhaustion and feeling burnout out from your loved one's addiction from substance abuse or alcohol you may find that you are in this state.
I give you examples of
4 / Exhausted From Loving Someone With An Addiction? Calm Your Nervous System From Flight or Fight
`Weeks, months or years of focusing on your loved one's addiction can you put your nervous system in a chronic state of flight or fight. Especially if you do not know what to look for. Are you feeling chronically stressed, exhausted, or burnout?
Are you setting healthy boundaries for yourself?
Listen up for some symptoms that can help you determine if this is happening to you.
Also, 3 simple
3 / Feeling Guilt When Setting Boundaries With An Addict? Why It Feels Wrong and How To Find Relief
Boundary setting is key to taking control of your wellbeing when it comes to loving someone struggling with addiction.
Lack of boundaries and self care is causing you to feel stressed, exhausted and can lead to burnout.
Try the tip in today's episode to remember the things that you can and cannot control.
If you found this helpful please share this with someone you feel needs to hear it.
Ge
2 / 5 Scriptures for Stress Management When You Love Someone With An Addiction
5 scriptures to turn to when you are really struggling with your loved ones addiction.
Scripture gives us guidance for how to cope with our stress, and exhaustion.
1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you
Psalms 46:10
Be still and know that I am God
Philippians 4: 6-7
Do not be anxious about anything-
Present your requests to God
Matthew 11: 28-30
Come to me all
1/Struggling With Loving Someone With An Addiction? Lack of Boundaries and Self Care is Sabotaging You and Keeping You Stressed and Exhausted...Here is my story
Today I want to introduce myself and give you my story that led me here to start this podcast for you.
You will hear how 20 years of my life was spent in turmoil while my loved one was battling addiction. In these 20 years I did nothing to cope in a healthy way. I neglected my body, failed to set boundaries and let myself become a shell of myself.
I was chronically stressed, exhausted and ev
Trailer | If You Love Someone Struggling With Addiction and Feel Stressed, Exhausted, and That You Have Lost Yourself... This Is For YOU
Welcome to Loving An Addict
If you love someone struggling with an addiction, you are likely exhausted, chronically stressed and are struggling to set boundaries to protect yourself.
This show is for YOU. This is not about your loved one and their addiction. This is about you and your needs during this season.
You may feel that self care seems selfish or impossible even but I am here to tell y
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