5 Tips for Practicing Self Care in Recovery
Long-term sobriety can only be achieved by the recovering person doing all they can to stave off a relapse. First-year recovering addicts are at a high risk of relapse, according to JAMA. Statistics show that recovering addicts going through their first year of recovery have between a 40 and 60 percent chance to relapse. Furthermore, addictive behavior causes people to forget how to take proper care of themselves. For these reasons, practicing self care in recovery is crucial to be able to maintain your sobriety.
5 Tips for Sobriety – Practicing Self Care in Recovery
In this article, we will explore several self care for addiction tips to help you with your long-term abstinence. The importance of self care in addiction recovery is clear, and the following looks at some of the best tips to help you stay abstinent during your recovery from addiction.
1. Learn How to Be Alone
We can surround ourselves with caring people but it isn’t realistic to expect someone to always be with you. There are times when you have to be alone. Practicing self care in recovery starts with being able to be by yourself with your thoughts. It can be difficult to do, but using the time to practice mindfulness through meditation can help you to be more comfortable with yourself and being alone.
2. Write Down Your Feelings
Emotions that are difficult to express to other people, such as loneliness or feeling overwhelmed by stress, can be more easily expressed when you write it down. Whatever you write will be just for your eyes. It can be very therapeutic to be able to write down everything that’s bothering you. Putting emotions into words can help you to sort out the more complex feelings that you have. You can even learn more about yourself through your writing.
3. Put Down the Phone
Social media such as Facebook can actually cause a great deal of stress in a person’s life. The peer pressure you feel as old friends achieve things in their life can be overwhelming. Taking all the energy that you spend on checking updates can be better placed elsewhere – somewhere less stressful. Practicing self care in recovery can be about not using any social media for a time.
4. Make Connections
One of the signs of that a relapse may be starting is when a person starts to isolate themselves, becoming increasingly overwhelmed by their emotions with no real outlets. It may sound like a great deal of effort at the time, but getting a chance to spend some time with friends or family can be very therapeutic and help to ease your mind. Self care for addiction becomes easier when you share the load.
You don’t have to connect with friends or family either; addiction specialists can be used at any time. Practicing self care in recovery sometimes requires seeing a therapist that can help you to talk about what’s bothering you, which helps to relieve stress.
5. Eat Healthy and Get Exercise
A healthy mind starts with a healthy body. The importance of self care in addiction recovery in this sense is about giving your mind and body what they need to be able to function properly. Exercise and healthy eating can help you to get a better night’s rest. It can improve your mood while reducing stress levels. It can also help you to think clearer, solving problems you have easier.
If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, get help right away. Make a phone call that will connect you to a professional drug treatment center. The call you make may save your life or the life of someone you love. Call us today at (800) 429-7690.