Have you ever said, “That stresses me out” or “That makes me so anxious”? We often mix up stress and anxiety, but it’s important to know that feeling stressed is a normal part of life. It helps us grow and learn new things.
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Providing Judgement-free Support for Mainers
Keith Bellefleur, resident of Oakland, ME, has recently taken the position of OPTIONS (Overdose Prevention Through Intensive Outreach Naloxone and Safety). Liaison for Somerset County. OPTIONS is one of the state’s strategies to reduce fatal and non-fatal drug-related overdoses in...
Equipping Maine's First Responders to Combat Compassion Fatigue
Maine Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are trained to respond to different types of service calls. They are often first on the scene of an overdose-related event. In just September 2023, EMS responded to 276 suspected opioid...
In a society that is increasingly recognizing the importance of self-care and wellness, a new trend is gaining momentum—the Recovery-Friendly Workplace (RFW).
Originally launched in 2018 by New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, the program is now in place in more than 25 states. In Maine,...
On a rainy morning in Bangor, Ashley Roberts, OPTIONS Liaison for Penobscot County, is meeting up with a public health nurse and other members of the behavioral health team at Community Health and Counseling Services. They head out together weekly to provide mobile...
Like so many Mainers, I live in a small rural community. For some this community is a source of strength, an anchor in life’s storms. For others it can seem at times that the long memory of community can make it hard to make...