How Do I Practice Self-Care?
Focusing on Self-Care While in Recovery to Help You Create a New Way of Living
Recovery is so much more than getting sober, it is about designing a whole new way of living. Abusing drugs or alcohol is toxic to the mind, body, and spirit. After months or years of active addiction, we must put forth the effort to restore and maintain health in all areas of our lives.
One of the most important aspects of recovery and maintaining sobriety is practicing self-care. What exactly is self-care? Self-care is defined as the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one's own health or the practice of taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and happiness.
Tips to help you focus on self-care
Here is a list of tips that you can use to help you focus and prioritize self-care while in recovery:
Set healthy boundaries: It is a healthy practice to set boundaries for yourself about who you spend time with, where you go, and what you do. While in recovery, you will have many opportunities to form new relationships and gain new hobbies to keep you occupied.
Find balance: While it may be tempting to hyper-focus on one activity to help keep your mind busy, it is important to create a balance between work, friends, relaxation, and self-care.
Stay mindful: Being mindful means being aware of your physical and mental sensations, even when things get hard. By doing so, you can connect with your thoughts and emotions and explore the ones that you avoided while suffering from addiction.
Take “me” time: Spending time with others may be comforting, but it is important to learn how to be with yourself alone. As your life has drastically changed lately, you can take the time to reconnect with yourself and learn who you are again.
Connect with others in recovery: Many of the challenging aspects of recovery (ex. anxiety and depression) thrive in solitude. It is important to find a group of peers who support you and can help you overcome your challenges.
Gratitude and self-care
Being grateful is very important while in recovery. Whenever possible, be sure to take a moment to appreciate the things around you. Here is a list of ways that you can practice gratitude while in recovery and in your life overall:
Make a list of the things for which you are grateful
Regardless of the number of positive things in your life at the moment, be sure to think about what is going right in your life and what has been a positive change. Consider starting a gratitude journal to track your progress and help you list the aspects of your life for which you can be thankful.
Notice the small things
Being thankful doesn’t only have to be for large things. By focusing on the small details of your life, you may find that there is plenty to show gratitude towards. For instance, maybe someone complimented your outfit, or maybe you found a new book that you enjoy. Taking inventory of the small things will help you realize all that is going right in your life.
Help others
Helping others can have substantial positive effects in your life, whether you help a friend or volunteer at a local organization. By helping others, the reward centers of our brain are triggered so we are not only helping others but helping ourselves as well.
Forgive yourself and others
Remember that you are human and we all make mistakes. The fact that you are in recovery is a major milestone for which you can be proud. While you forgive yourself for past mistakes, try to also forgive others. By embracing forgiveness, you will find more positivity in your life and have a new perspective going forward.
Self-care activities
It is important to address all aspects of self-care: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Here are some things you can do to practice self-care in your daily life:
Physical Self-Care
Exercising
Eating a proper diet
Prioritizing a healthy sleep schedule
Maintaining personal hygiene
Mental Self-Care
Seeing a therapist or psychiatrist
Setting boundaries
Keeping stress to a minimum
Emotional Self-Care
Honoring your feelings
Talking about your thoughts and feelings with someone you trust
Journaling
Spiritual Self-Care
Engaging in prayer
Meditating
Practicing yoga
Connecting with nature
Attending a spiritual or religious service