During addiction recovery, many people work to not only get sober but to heal past relationships with others. This is crucial, but after leaving rehab you still need to concentrate on your relationship with yourself. This gives you insight into your behavior, improves your mood and, most importantly, helps keep you sober. Consider working the following tips into your daily life.
Perform regular self-care
Eat, sleep, and attend your recovery meetings and appointments regularly. Do your laundry, shop for groceries and clean your house. If you are hungry, tired or disorganized, you may not think clearly or make the best decisions.
Make a date with yourself
Spend some alone time doing what you enjoy every day, even if it is just sitting down with a book for ten minutes. Or, go to a movie or another event on your own, especially if you are interested but have trouble getting someone to go with you.
Meditate
Sitting quietly for a few minutes a day helps you settle anxiety and other negative emotions. Meditating puts you in touch with yourself and is good for both your mind and body.
Examine your thoughts and feelings
Keeping a journal works well for some people, but if that’s not for you, simply ask yourself questions like, “What am I feeling?” or “Why do I think this way?” Practice being honest with yourself.
Practice self-compassion
So you didn’t do something right or things are not going well. Think carefully about your part in the situation and what you can realistically do about it. Try not to rehash the past or beat yourself up over your regrets. Think to yourself: “I do enough, I am enough, I have enough.”
Turn off your phone
Enjoy some quiet time by yourself for an hour or so. If it is important, people will leave a message. When you do get back to those calls or messages, say no if you are over-scheduled or are uncomfortable with doing something.
As you go about sober living, you need new ways to relate to yourself and keep your addiction under control. Building a new, positive relationship with yourself is crucial to your recovery.