Summary:
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| Positive Mental Attitude |
Just because you’ve left the rehab centre doesn’t mean you can stop working on your recovery. No, this is just the beginning because now you must get used to living in the “real world” again. Although there are many people who are excited to return to work, their family and their friends, you shouldn’t make them your main focus.
Remain Active
When you return home, you’ll be tempted to crawl in bed and stay there because facing “reality” is overwhelming. The Cabin Chiang Mai says you can’t do this because it’ll set you up for relapse. Instead, schedule regular physical activity as part of your weekly routine (e.g. going to the gym, taking a walk, joining a team sport). This won’t only keep you busy, but it also helps you get the “feel good” endorphins you’re craving. Another benefit is that it’ll help counteract some of the damage that your addiction did to your body.Learn how to Relax
Stress is probably the main reason you started your addiction. While this may have worked initially, you can now see the damage it did. Don’t let yourself relapse by letting your stress get out of control. Instead, don’t take on too much. Make sure you have at least an hour for yourself daily so you can do things you enjoy (e.g. reading, yoga, praying, watching TV).Get Adequate Sleep
Unfortunately, millions of people deprive themselves of sleep on a daily basis. This depletes your “fuel tank,” but you still must make it through the day. As you do, you’ll notice that small annoyances blow up and simple tasks become unbearable. This is why you need 7 – 8 hours of sleep nightly. Practice good sleep hygiene to help with this (e.g. soft music or nature sounds, chamomile tea, darkening your room, turning off your phone). If you’re still having problems, seek help so you can face each day with positivity and energy.
Eat Balanced Meals
Make sure you have a healthy diet and don’t skip any meals. You should only eat when you’re hungry, not when you’re feeling depressed or anxious or when you’re sitting in front of the TV or having a bad day. Feeding into these cravings will only replace your previous addiction with food, causing you to gain weight and lowering your self-confidence – things that won’t help you. This is why you should plan your meals ahead of time and make sure they contain healthy food that fuels your body so you function better – both mentally and physically – throughout the day.Find new Hobbies
Now you have a lot of extra time on your hands so you’ll want to find new hobbies and activities. Don’t sit around thinking what you’d have spent your time doing in the past. Instead, find things you can do to better yourself like volunteering, taking classes, and finding ways to help you feel better about yourself. Doing so will help make your recovery more successful.Become Spiritually Active
Anyone who’s new in recovery is bound to feel empty, lonely, and vulnerable. You need to either build on your faith or spend time in nature to combat these feelings. This is because when you feel connected to something you’ll also feel like you’re a part of something that’s bigger than your daily struggles. In fact, studies show that meditating or practicing yoga has profound results on a person’s recovery. Even sitting under a tree and clearing your mind will help you get rid of all the chatter that’s running through your head and help you be more present in the moment. Try this for just 10 minutes a day and you’ll feel better prepared to face the day ahead.Make Positive Choices
Promises says that while this may sound easy, its importance often gets overlooked. The fact is the choices you make each day form you as a person. They start the moment you wake up when you decide not to roll over and go back to sleep and continue throughout your day. Your priority must be your recovery. The rest of your life will need to fit itself around this. Choosing a transitional housing can help you with – prioritizing your life and becoming accustomed to living in the real world again. The positive choices you make will bring changes to your lifestyle so your recovery gets the attention it needs and your life is better overall.Create Goals for Yourself
Since every choice you make is important, you’ll want to have a goal so you don’t just blindly make these choices. Remember, any goal is within reach if you’re specific, reasonable, and timely about it. For instance, if you decide you want to lose weight, determine how much weight, not just “some” weight (e.g. 20lbs). Make sure it’s achievable, then set a date by when you want to accomplish this and a schedule for how you’ll do so (e.g. lose 1lb each week for 20 weeks). Now every choice you make can be directed towards you achieving this goal.Take “Baby” Steps
Becoming sober is a major life change. Don’t let this tempt you to change everything at one time. This is too overwhelming and only sets you up to fail. Once you’ve failed you won’t be able to motivate yourself to make any more changes. This is why you should focus on one goal at a time.
