SAN ANTONIO (PRWEB)
April 10, 2020

To encourage balance, self-care and strength during this 2020 pandemic, Warriors Heart Clinical Director and U.S. Navy/Army Veteran Dr. Rick Boone encourages four resiliency steps. During a recent Newsmax interview, Dr. Boone emphasized, “What we’re really about is the installation of hope,” and believes these pillars can help people “not just survive, but thrive” in the face of adversity.

Dr. Boone recently joined Warriors Heart as their Clinical Director, where he manages a team of licensed clinicians at the first and only private and accredited residential treatment program for “warriors only” (active duty military, veterans, first responders, EMTs, paramedics and Emergency Medical Services members) in the United States.

During this COVID19 “war against an invisible enemy”, Warriors Heart remains open as an essential healthcare business for our frontline protectors struggling with chemical dependencies, PTSD, trauma, anxiety and other recurring issues. To protect their team and clients from careless exposure to illness, Warriors Heart is taking extra precautions in their daily routine using a balanced approach, along with guidelines from the CDC and Texas Department State Health Services. Warriors Heart has also created a COVID19 Task Force that meets several times a week.

Recent trends that Warriors Heart’s team has noticed include isolation and alcohol sales have gone significantly up during this pandemic. Isolation can lead to depression and unwanted behaviors, which makes it more difficult when someone is already suffering from chemical dependency and any underlying disorders such as PTSD.

To encourage resilience, Dr. Rick Boone emphasizes, “No matter what views you may have of the seriousness of the pandemic, there are things we can do, ways we can think, and self-care we can apply that will help us not just survive this situation but actually thrive as people who are resilient in the face of adversity; people who, when bad things happen, react not with panic and despair but with courage and thoughtfulness, with patience and a capacity to absorb whatever is thrown at us by a life that promises no particular outcome. “

Based on an article written, Keeping Calm in Turbulent Times, by psychology professor, Jelena Kecmanovic, Director of the D.C.-based Behavior Therapy Institute, Dr. Boone recommends adopting these four mindsets and actions:

1. Accept (but don’t wallow in) Negative Emotions

2. Develop New (and healthier) Routines

3. Solidify Self-Care

4. Reflect and Reframe

1. Accept (but don’t wallow in) Negative Emotions – Dr. Boone explains; “Acknowledging and identifying one’s emotions, being mindful of them, allows one to understand better what one is experiencing. It may even provide insight as to what you could do to improve your overall well-being.”

2. Develop New (and healthier) Routines – While many activities normally used for stress reduction have been halted, Dr. Boone encourages finding replacements. He recommends asking yourself, “What skill is it that you’ve long wanted to develop for which you’ve just never found the time? Is there a musical instrument sitting in a corner waiting to be played? Is there an art or a craft you’ve been wanting to try?”

3. Solidify Self-Care – Dr. Boone urges everyone to focus on their own well-being and self-efficacy, in order to remain healthy and be able to help others if needed. In addition, Boone encourages everyone to surround themselves with positive people who are hopeful and think beyond themselves.

4. Reflect and Reframe – To gain personal insights and strength, Dr. Boone recommends daily reflections through “prayer, meditation, contemplative thinking about self, relationships, and/or one’s place in the world.” Boone expands, “Take time in the morning to reflect on your “gratitude list,” the 3 to 5 things for which, on this morning, you are most grateful. And live within the gratitude you feel.”

In addition to these action items, Dr. Boone emphasizes people should continue to “love their life.” Despite the disappointments and losses, Boone says that it is; “Far better to live it mindfully, with courage, generosity, and good cheer.”

Media Contact

Liz H Kelly, 310-987-7207

ABOUT WARRIORS HEART (Bandera, Texas near San Antonio):

Warriors Heart provides the first and only private accredited treatment program in the U.S. for “Warriors Only” (military, veterans, first responders, and EMTs/paramedics) faced with the self-medicating struggles of alcohol addiction, prescription and drug addiction, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and mild TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) in a private, 60-bed facility on a 543-acre ranch outside San Antonio, Texas. While there are other treatment programs for warriors in the U.S., Warriors Heart is the only true peer-to-peer program because others are mixed with civilians. Along with a 42-day peer-to-peer residential treatment program, Warriors Heart gives warriors the option of Day Treatment, Outpatient, and Sober Living (60 Day Minimum). Warriors Heart’s work has been featured on the TODAY Show, MSNBC, Newsmax, FOX 11 Los Angeles, KENS5 CBS News San Antonio, Dr. Drew Midday Live with Leeann Tweeden on Talk Radio 790 KABC, Forbes, The Chicago Tribune and Addiction Pro magazine. There is a 24-hour Warriors Heart hotline (844-448-2567) answered by warriors. https://www.warriorsheart.com/