Importance of Practicing Self-Care in Recovery
Addiction is an extremely complicated condition that affects pretty much every aspect of a person’s life. It robs you of your ability to control your actions and intensifies the challenging emotions that caused you to abuse substances in the first place. There’s usually a common theme running through the life of someone caught up in a cycle of substance abuse: low self-worth. As such, building confidence and learning to love yourself are integral components of the recovery process.
Why Is Self-Care in Recovery So Important?
Stress, poor diet, insomnia, loneliness, lousy self-image and boredom can all cause emotional stress that’s difficult to cope with. Some people turn to drugs or alcohol as a means of escaping from overwhelming or painful feelings. As such, you must make a marked effort to minimize the risk of falling victim to the triggers mentioned above. Self-care is about listening to what your mind and body need and actively looking after yourself.
Sometimes, you get into habits and patterns of behaviour that aren’t constructive or conducive to positive change. By making sure you’re disciplined enough to eat healthily and get regular exercise, you can avoid most of the feelings that drive you to use. Spending your free time pursuing meaningful hobbies that you find fulfilling gives you further protection against low self-esteem.
Exercise and Diet
You don’t need to turn into a gold medalist or eliminate all carbs, but making sure you move your body every day and avoid processed foods where possible is a sure-fire way to feel better. Self-care isn’t about judgement, so you can work out as tentatively as you like. A 10-minute walk every day is better than no exercise.
Pursue a Hobby
Build a website: Make a website about whatever you’re passionate about, whether it’s comedy, music, plants or model villages. It’s rewarding to have something online that you can call your own.
- Gaming: The gaming world shows no signs of slowing down, with games to suit everyone’s tastes and preferences. It’s a great way of releasing tension and building on specific skills.
- Get painting, drawing or designing: If you’re inclined to pick up a pen or paintbrush, it can be incredibly therapeutic. As you practice, you’ll see yourself improve and gain a tremendous sense of self-worth.
- Learn an instrument: Learning an instrument is a great pastime for any music lover, with tangible results. You can start playing anything these days with the help of a YouTube tutorial. Soon enough, you’ll be able to start a band and write your own songs.
- Make a podcast: If you’re a person who loves to talk about a particular subject or has a group of friends with great banter, why not start a podcast? It’s something you can work hard on as a side project and share with the world.
- Write a book: If you love to write, put pen to paper and write a book. Self-publishing has opened up the world of fiction and non-fiction to absolutely anyone. The sky’s the limit once you’ve built up your self-esteem!
Rehab in Victoria, Canada
Recovery Works is a 10-person holistic rehab in Victoria, Canada, with a mission to help people overcome the trauma that leads to addiction. Call us today at +1-778-430-1212 to speak to one of our friendly admissions advisers.