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From Survival to Thrival: Self-Care Tips for Addiction Recovery

Picture of Nicholas Conn

Nicholas Conn

Nicholas Conn is a leading industry addiction expert who runs the UK’s largest addiction advisory service and is regularly featured in the national press, radio and TV.

Home > Blog > From Survival to Thrival: Self-Care Tips for Addiction Recovery

A boy is running for self care

Addiction is a chronic disease that is considered to be a problem of the weak inner self. It started with self-indulgence due to inadequate self-control. Emotional disturbance results in an augmentation of addiction. Often, people work on their own to recover from addiction. As recovering from addiction leads people towards obstruction and helplessness, people also seek assistance from their social surroundings or professional treatments. A person should develop such types of interests that add meaning to his life, and he must be acknowledged for life’s hardships. One should keep in mind that multiple attempts are required to recover from addiction. Passing through addiction recovery will have a number of ups and downs. A person has to go through a difficult pathway, but despite these difficulties, he will see their life as more worthy, which starts losing the impact of addiction on him, and with each passing day he will come closer to his recovery objectives. 

To maintain a healthy relationship with ourselves, we must be focused on self-care, as if we feel good or positive about ourselves, we will definitely transmit positive energies towards others, and they will feel the joy that we exhibit. Paying sufficient attention to self-care may seem selfish to others, but we cannot deny its consequences in our lives. As self-care leads us towards improved physical health, enhanced emotional and mental well-being, increased focus and productivity, better relationships, prevention of burnout, and increased self-worth and self-esteem,. By taking care of ourselves, we can alleviate the symptoms of stress, depression, and anxiety. It enhances our mental and emotional health, which gives us feelings of fulfillment, and we are able to tackle our daily tasks and problem-solving abilities more efficiently. It also helps us strengthen our interactions with others and boost our self-worth and self-esteem. 

Physical Self-Care

Self-care is anything an addict can do for the betterment of his physical, mental or emotional health. It takes away anxiety and improves our ability to think positively and connect with ourselves. Self-care is the first step in recovering from addiction. It starts with putting yourself first. It is tough for addicts because they have always prioritized addiction and drugs in the past. Physical self-care includes a healthy lifestyle, a healthy diet, and a proper sleeping schedule.

• Nutrition and Hydration

Components like drugs and alcohol can lead to malnutrition and deficiency of nutrients, which weaken the body and immune system. It is important for recovery to eat a balanced, nutrient-rich diet. A balanced diet includes fruits, green vegetables, dairy products, and protein-rich foods. These foods are a source of minerals and vitamins that support health and recovery. Avoiding sugar has a great effect on recovery. Excessive sugar intake can have negative effects on the mind and body. Taking artificial supplements can be beneficial, such as vitamin-B complex, citicoline, theanine an amino acid, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin-D, magnesium, zinc, vitamin-C, glutamine, etc. these multivitamins are beneficial for relaxing mind and helping in recovery.

Hydration is also as important as nutrition during recovery. Drinking enough water is helpful in detoxifying bacteria and toxins from the body. Drink at least 8 glasses of water (about 2 liters) per day. Drinking herbal teas and diluted juices is a great source of hydration. 

• Exercise and Physical activity

Exercise and physical activity play a major role during addiction recovery. Regular exercise can help improve physical as well as mental health. It improves the health of organs, strengthens the body, and also improves the sleep cycle. Physical activity also relaxes the mind and releases happy hormones, which uplift the mood and reduce depression, stress, and anxiety that lead to addiction recovery.

Physical activities like swimming, running, cycling, yoga, dancing, sports, and playing tennis or basketball can improve cardiovascular fitness, muscle growth, and brain health.

• Rest and Sleep

A proper sleeping schedule and taking rest from a hard, regular life routine are necessary for relaxation of the mind and recovery from addiction. Sleeping early and getting up early are very useful for body organs to function properly and a strong immune system. Only by setting up our sleeping schedule can we do a lot better in life. Taking a break from a hard life, giving yourself time, and reducing screen time can have an effect on the recovery process.

Emotional self-care

One’s emotions are actuated by personal, social, and cultural experiences. To identify emotions, one must focus on how his body behaves. Most of the time, physiological reactions give crucial clues regarding our emotional state. If you are nervous, you feel a knot in your stomach; your face showing redness or warmth means you are angry or embarrassed; excitement shows a smile on your face; if you are tense, you feel frightened, and you start sweating and your heart pounds. Similarly, if you have any past trauma or any cherishable moment, and when you think about that, your body starts behaving accordingly. 

Managing emotions is a skill that you have been learning since your childhood. Identifying and understanding your emotions makes it easy for you to manage your emotions in an adequate way. To understand emotions, one must focus on what is triggering a particular emotion at a certain time. The management of skills is crucial, as it can be helpful in dealing with intense feelings effectively. There are so many ways in which you can manage your emotions. 

• First of all, smile, as it is the simplest or initial way to manage your emotions and is helpful in making you calm and relaxed.

• Do some exercise as it releases happy hormones in the brain, which send positive signals to our body, and our body starts behaving accordingly and starts managing our emotions.

• Be humble and kind to others, as it has positive impacts on both your body and mind.

• Be realistic and strong enough to accept reality. If some unfavorable things are happening around you, be open towards them and find appropriate ways to take yourself out of them.

• Sometimes spending time with others and listening to their opinions can give you a whole new perspective on life or any particular issue you are dealing with. 

• In your spare time, instead of sitting alone or overthinking, distract yourself by watching TV, reading, or engaging in any other type of activity so you forget about the things that are disturbing your mind.

• Identify your strengths and start working on them, so you will be more optimistic about yourself.

By practicing the above-mentioned strategies, you will be able to understand and manage your emotions more efficiently.

Emotional resilience is not about winning the battle; it is an art that refers to adaptability that is wreathed with self-belief, self-worth, and self-compassion. Through this, we can empower ourselves and bounce back from trauma, stress, or any pressure that is disturbing our mental health and lowering our internal motivation.

Through several key components, we can build emotional resilience:

• You must be self-aware of your emotions. Understand your emotions, internal conflicts, and strengths, as it contributes efficiently to building emotional resilience by looking in our own selves and making us more capable towards adaptability.

• You have to set boundaries and learn to say no if people around you are placing unrealistic demands on you.

• Spend time with supportive people who always encourage you and have an optimistic approach to life.

• Try to find a balance between work life and a life that gives you pleasure and peace.

• Don’t be a perfectionist. Make mistakes, as it is part of healthy living.

• Spend time on self-care. Exercise, eat healthy, have a massage, be with your loved ones, and enjoy their company.

• Don’t burden yourself. Set small goals and achieve them instead of larger goals to maintain motivation.

• Take your failures as an opportunity and learn from them instead of demotivating yourself.  

• Express yourself. Tell others what you are feeling, what makes you happy, and what disturbs you. This will help you unload your preoccupied thoughts.

• Be grateful for the things or lives you are living. Learn to appreciate.

Seeking help from professionals can lead to early recovery from mental health disorders. If you feel constantly depressed and your relationships and routine are disturbed by emotions, you must seek help from professionals.

Professionals help lead towards quick and momentous recovery in mental well-being. They provide authentic treatments to overcome symptoms and give new hope and meaning to life. By openly sharing your doubts or negative thoughts with professionals, you can raise awareness and change your negative approach into a positive one. They also provide assistance with self-care and help individuals restore their self-confidence so they can manage their mental health in an effective way. 

Mental Self-Care

Addiction recovery is not only about leaving a particular substance; it is also about restoring an addict's life along with their mental health. Mental self-care is essential in this process as it helps to control stress levels, take away anxiety and depression, and give you the ability to think positively on this journey.

• Mindfulness and Meditation

Mindfulness and meditation allow you to be present in the moment, accept reality, and improve for your own benefit. During mindfulness, an addict accepts thoughts and emotions without judging them as they breathe deeply with rhythms. For long-term recovery, an addict should integrate mindfulness into their daily routines, which also helps to prevent relapse recovery. Meditation also helps reduce consumption of drugs, alcohol, etc. Meditation has a lot of neurological benefits, such as helping to deal with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and stress. 

• Stress Management Techniques

A drug-addicted person, along with stress, whose brain started to secrete stress hormones, can relapse the recovery. To manage stress, there are the following techniques:

Positive company:

Surround yourself in a positive environment with positive people. Avoid any stressful situations The most important step of mental self-care is “saying NO” to people and circumstances and prioritizing your health and mental peace. Your surroundings and the people around you have a very powerful impact on your thoughts and mental health.

Physical activities:

Physical exercise, yoga, and other physical activities help a lot to release stress.

Healthy lifestyle:

Live a healthy life, spend more time in nature, and make it your habit to go for early morning walks. Eating healthy meals and healthy food also helps the mind to refresh.

Addiction therapist:

Addiction therapists play a major role in mental ease as they help in counseling and guide them to deal with mental and emotional changes. An addiction therapist creates a very comfortable environment for patients so that they can freely share their thoughts and get guidance.

• Continuing Education and Mental Stimulation

Continuing education and mental stimulation help increase personal growth and give people new direction and motivation in life. By focusing on cognitive functions such as memory, attention, intuition, extraverted thinking, etc. Creating a new motive in life, such as continuing education or learning new skills, can help you focus on something positive and produce better opportunities for yourself. Continuing education helps in building new relationships with different people, which reduces monotony in life.

Social Self-Care

Social self-care is also very important in addiction recovery as it helps in building new relationships and supportive social networks. Social self-care involves having relationships with individuals who aid in the recovery process, such as family and friends.

• Building a support network

Support network concerns with the people who encourage you in your recovery. For instance, join recovery groups, set up meetings with people who have recovered from addiction, listen to their motivational stories, and learn useful ways that made their journey successful. There are recovery programs and online recovery groups that help you meet with recovered addicts, such as 12-step groups, recovery coaching, recovery education centers, etc. Attend informative ted talks or educational workshops. Communication with family or loved ones makes this recovery easy for you. Communicate with your family and be honest with them about your recovery. Spending more time with your family is also helpful in this recovery. Never skip your sessions with an addiction therapist; always share your issues with them. A strong support network creates a better environment for better recovery.

• Healthy Relationships

Healthy relationships are advantageous for addiction recovery. You have to build healthy relationships by being faithful and honest with your loved ones. Tell everything about your recovery journey. Don’t hide anything from them. Express your sadness, happiness, or any stress with them without any thought of judgment. Spend quality time with your family. Search for encouragement from your family during this journey. Accept differences in thoughts, admit reality, and live with clarity. Focus on building your better personality and stop blaming anyone for anything in life. 

• Setting Boundaries

Setting boundaries is very essential in this addiction recovery journey. Disconnect yourself from people who lead you down this life-threatening path. Stay away from stressful environments and stressful situations that may relapse during recovery. Stay calm and be direct in your statements. Don’t allow anyone to enter your personal space.

Spiritual Self-Care

The basic aim of spiritual self-care is to find one's inner being and to get close to God. There are several ways a person can find spiritual care for himself, which can lead to the satisfaction of the inner soul. Different religions have their own different methods to pray in front of their creator. Spiritual care plays a vital role in recovering from any kind of addiction. It deviates the mind in a proper way and helps an individual think outside the box to live a better life.

• Finding Meaning and Purpose

The prior meaning of spiritual self-care is to find the real you and understand your existence in this world. To find out the real you, you must go to the grass-roots level, which is the basic one, and find out the purpose of rehabilitation.

• Meditation and Prayer

Meditation, as well as prayer, both play a vital role in the positivity of an individual. Both can lead to the right path. Meditation helps to face all kinds of fears that an individual carries. On the other hand, prayer can lead you down the right path.

• Connecting with nature

Nature always attracts people and has a huge impact on people’s minds. A simple walk in the woods can heal many problems. Any exercise on the seashore can freshen you up.

Practical Self-care

Before you start practicing self-care, you must analyze your energy levels. What sort of things can you bear easily? Have a look at your daily routine to find some time for these kinds of activities, which can lead you to become a better person.

• Time management and Organization

Time is the basic element that plays a vital role in performing any kind of task. You must learn time management and apply it to your daily routine activities. Organize your time while using social media platforms and applications.

• Financial Planning

The basic purpose of financial planning is to be aware of the upcoming financial challenges and to focus on the current economic situation of an individual. A person must plan his financial activities according to his needs.

• Developing new Hobbies and Interests

Look for those hobbies which fascinate you when you are young, such as reading, cooking, playing an instrument, etc. Try out new activities and develop new interests, which can be helpful to develop as a new person.

Long-term Strategies for Thrival

Some of the strategies you should focus on for the journey. You have to be very smart in your strategies. Your strategies must be ahead of their time to fulfill the requirements of the current society.

• Setting and Achieving Goals

Your vision for future goals must be clear. You should put a huge effort first to set up a goal and then to achieve that particular goal. This process needs careful consideration of what you want to achieve.

• Maintaining Balance in Life

Just to maintain a balanced life, you have to say no at different stages of life and identify those activities that give you energy. Your company and friendship matter a lot at this stage; you must be surrounded by highly quality relationships to have a balance in life.

• Ongoing Self-assessment and Adjustment

Self-assessment is a way that encourages any individual to assess and evaluate their learning. In this process, any individual gives feedback to himself. It is very important as it allows them to reflect on their work and adjust according to their requirements.

Conclusion

Addiction can harm you internally; it affects your body, your mind, your soul, and everything. To overcome that addiction, people tend to do different things, such as find favors from their friends and family members. It is important to know that if a person really wants to get out of it, he must try three to four times at least. To go through this process, he will face some difficulties, and after that, he will be able to live a new life. Self-care plays a vital role in this process, as it tends to do those kinds of things that are pretty helpful for the betterment of any individual and to move forward with his new life.

The first one on the list is physical self-care, which includes nutrition and hydration, exercise, and physical activity; the last one is rest and sleep. The second one is emotional self-care. It has its own unique importance because emotions play a vital role in the rehabilitation process. The third one is mental self-care, which includes mindfulness and meditation and emphasizes some techniques of stress management. The fourth is social self-care, which includes healthy relationships, social boundaries, and a support network. The fifth one is spiritual self-care, which helps to find out the main purpose of living and to connect with nature. The sixth one includes practical self-care. In this process, an individual learns how to manage their time, plan their finances, and overlook their hobbies. The last one is strategies that will be helpful in the long term and maintain a balanced life to fulfill all the goals, respectively.

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