Breathe – Basic Steps Mental Health

Is Boredom a Problem?

Scott Alpert — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 15:36:02 +0000

We do a fun exercise in our Intensive Outpatient Program called “The Wall.” Taken from Pink Floyd’s The Wall, our participants are asked to tell the group what stops them from living a happy and prosperous life. After each participant tells us their problem, we have them bring their chair to the front of the […]

The post Is Boredom a Problem? appeared first on Basic Steps Mental Health.

Conscious Living

Scott Alpert — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 17:00:39 +0000

What’s familiar is familiar, no matter what it is. Bad relationships, addictions, bad habits. If it is a daily experience then trying to change it takes effort. Are you willing to do so? Hey, I get it. I too have been stuck in the same ol’, same ol’ time and time again, so being stuck […]

The post Conscious Living appeared first on Basic Steps Mental Health.

Managing a Crisis

Scott Alpert — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 16:00:57 +0000

When situations are too much to handle, it is natural to feel overwhelmed, shut down, panic, and regress to a childish state. If you ever have felt like this before you are not alone – one out of five people suffer from conditions that warrant serious treatment, but how many actually get the help they […]

The post Managing a Crisis appeared first on Basic Steps Mental Health.

The Benefits of Slowing Down

Scott Alpert — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 18:00:02 +0000

Have you ever made those rash decisions, blurted out something, and then later regretted it? Have you ever talked over someone else when they were speaking because you were impatient or defensive? Then this article was written for you. The cerebral cortex is the main area in the brain that processes information. When stressed out, […]

The post The Benefits of Slowing Down appeared first on Basic Steps Mental Health.

Surviving a Crisis

Scott Alpert — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 16:00:33 +0000

In 2001, the first Mental Health Urgent Care center in the country opened and I was fortunate to be one of the founding members. It is shocking that I have never written an article on surviving a crisis because of the thousands of crisis sessions I have taken part in. I’ve learned firsthand that when […]

The post Surviving a Crisis appeared first on Basic Steps Mental Health.

Mental Health Survival Tips

Scott Alpert — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 20:00:08 +0000

When situations are too much for a person to handle, they go into a crisis. Getting out of a crisis can seem impossible when the heart is racing, it is hard to catch your breath, or crying becomes so overwhelming you feel the tears will never stop. How to get out of a crisis takes […]

The post Mental Health Survival Tips appeared first on Basic Steps Mental Health.

Anxiety – A Different Perspective

Scott Alpert — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 17:00:01 +0000

Anxiety, even the word causes us to hold our breath. Did you know that holding your breath is at the root of the disorder? Holding one’s breath causes the oxygen levels in the body to lower, making the heart work harder and the mind to lose clarity. The antidote is of course breathing, especially deep […]

The post Anxiety – A Different Perspective appeared first on Basic Steps Mental Health.

The Three Foot Plan

Scott Alpert — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 19:00:49 +0000

Excited, I grabbed the basketball and toed the marker some 12 feet away from the basket. Same game, different environment. I was standing in front of my classmates at the University of Santa Monica, the graduate school where I studied Spiritual Psychology. It wasn’t new for me to shoot in front of a lot of […]

The post The Three Foot Plan appeared first on Basic Steps Mental Health.

Visualization – A Fun Exercise

Scott Alpert — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 02:46:43 +0000

Visualization is a great tool to use to take a break from normal life and feel at ease. Psychosynthesis, which is the first Spiritual Psychology approach from the early 1900s, used visualization as a way to center a person, and bring them good feelings. Do you feel a bit adventurous? If you need a pick […]

The post Visualization – A Fun Exercise appeared first on Basic Steps Mental Health.