It’s one of the hardest things to overcome on the road to recovery: shaking off that feeling of boredom. For some people, boredom during the recovery process can be easily overcome. But for others, it is a serious roadblock that can deter them from making a full recovery.
Acceptance
As always, the first step towards recovery is acceptance. When the cloud lifts and you find that you’re bored out of your wits, it is also time to accept the fact that you just don’t know what to do with the time on your hands. Accepting or acknowledging the fact that boredom exists doesn’t make you any less of a human being. It just means that you’re willing to face a problem head on and you’re not going to let circumstances drag you down.
Be Passionate
One of the best cures for feeling bored while staying sober is to find your passion. People who used to do drugs and drink in excess just never realized they were actually bored. But if you really think about it, they’ve been bored all along. Finding something to replace the void that sobriety has exposed is one of the best ways to avoid boredom. Find something that will keep you up all night in a good way. Whether it’s painting, writing, baking, or playing Sudoku, finding something that you are very passionate about can fill up a lot of your time.
Structure
If you’re still in the early stages of your recovery, you might find that following a self-imposed timeline or schedule of day-to-day activities can prevent you from feeling bored. Along with sticking to a schedule, keeping a diary and noting down all the times you felt bored (and writing down possible triggers) can also prevent you from being overwhelmed in the near future.
Too Busy
On the other end of the spectrum are people who are too busy and say yes to everything. If you are always too busy with work or things that you aren’t passionate about, it’s so quick to spiral down into a feeling of stress and boredom. It is a very dangerous combination that can be prevented by preventing stress from happening in the first place. So always take a breather and don’t let a feeling of ennui suddenly overtake you.
Inform Your Support Group
Boredom doesn’t sound like a potential threat or a big problem in itself. But it is a very real dilemma that prevents hundreds (if not thousands) of individuals from making a full recovery. One of the best ways to prevent boredom is to inform your support group. Tell them about the risks involved when a recovery person feels a sense of boredom or ennui.