Starting your recovery journey can be a daunting task and may bring many emotions to the surface. At times it can be exciting to know that you are making giant steps towards a healthier way of life, and at other times you may feel your are taking a step back. For instance you may feel defeated or angry at the need to let go of the life had previously known in order to move forward in a healthy way.
There are many challenges when starting recovery, but with support, routine and structure these challenges can be overcome just like others we may have faced in our lives. While seeking support from our friends and family can be a great way to remain positive about the changes we are making it is equally important that we can provide our own self-support to aid us in our recovery journey.
Recovery
There are many steps involved in ones recovery; from recognizing you have a problem, to seeking treatment/support, to continuing recovery after treatment. No matter what step in recovery you are currently experiencing, there are a number of ways to seek support. When we start our recovery journey, we may feel like support is all around us. Whether it be friends and/or family that have advised and supported your decision to seek professional help, or the professionals themselves who initially worked with you, or the peers in some of the recovery rooms you may have attended. While all these supports are important there is another source of support that can have a major impact on your success – yourself.
How exactly can you support yourself through recovery?
Your Environment
Your surroundings can have a big impact on your lifestyle. Your old environment may be detrimental to your new life of recovery. Changing your environment may mean you have to change your job, location, and even those you surround yourself with. Moving, switching schools, or finding new supporting friends may be key to you continuing to succeed in your recovery.
Your Support System
Maybe you are finding you are lacking a great support system, or maybe those you have around you are not/cannot provide you the support you need. This can be very discouraging and may put an added strain on your recovery journey which is why finding yourself a new, healthy support system can enhance your recovery journey. Most communities offer a wide array of support groups for you to join so you may meet other individuals whose gaols align with yours. If you live in a more rural area where support groups may be hard to find or if you are feeling shy, there are many different online communities that provide support for those in recovery.
Your Hobbies / Habits
Your life has changed, so your hobbies and habits will likely need to change also in order to support your new recovery lifestyle. What used to work for you before recovery may not work for your new lifestyle. For an individual who is in recovery from alcohol, their old habit of visiting the same bar every Friday evening with the same people may not provide the best motivation for remaining sober. Removing this habit from their life can be a major challenge. The alternative to going out doesn’t have to mean staying in away from people. A new Friday activity could be meeting sober friends to play boardgames, or volunteering at a local shelter.
If you want to learn more about ways to support yourself through recovery, check out our Strength blog How to Rebuild Your Life After Addiction Recovery.
There are a number of ways to support yourself in your recovery journey. You may find that some work great with your lifestyle but you may also find that not all of them may work for you. There is not a one size fits all approach to recovery. The best way to find what works best for you is to cater to your likes and the lifestyle in which you want to live.
If you are interested in reading more about recovery, check out our Strength blogs I Completed Residential Addiction Treatment – Now What? and Top 10 Self-Care Tips for individuals recovering from addiction. If you would like to discuss recovery, how to support yourself in recovery, or general mental health with our team, or talk to a professional for more information, please contact us HERE.