6 Must-Have Tools for Recovery
It’s important to stay healthy and live a healthy lifestyle in recovery. There are many ways that you can do this, such as eating right, staying active, and managing stress levels but what are some others?
Here are 6 tools that will help you stay on the path to wellness:
Healthy support is a must
The idea of recovery is over-stigmatized, with both hope and fear. Recovery can be a daunting prospect, especially if you don’t have friends or family to support your sobriety journey at the beginning.
One of the most important things is an active support network that will help them through their struggle and root them on in their fight against addiction. Research shows the connection is important when working to break the addiction cycle. Especially for those in the early stages of recovering from any substance abuse problem – whether abstinent or still using – developing strong relationships helps navigate the rougher waters in recovery.
Intentional cognitive shifts
Setting intentions and creating daily cognitive shifts is a necessary step to living in recovery.
There are very few things that can have as much of an impact on your life as the thoughts you think every day. This makes it clear why setting goals for yourself consistently throughout each day is so important when looking at ways to recover from addiction or mental illness. Consciously planning out what’s ahead can make sure that nothing slips through the cracks while also maintaining motivation!
Don’t take life too seriously
Life can be difficult or easy. There are many reasons for taking life too seriously, but it is important to remember that there’s always going to be something to get worked up about. Bring awareness to the ease of life can help bring out the more positive aspects of being alive. This also goes along with – Don’t take anything personally. One of the four agreements (taught by Don Miguel Ruiz Jr., author of The Four Agreements) is to not get offended by people’s words and actions, because they’re never about you or what you did; it has nothing to do with you at all. This agreement frees us from getting caught up in this world. Practicing this will feel free in a world where many others seem to let their emotions take control.
Gratitude is key
Since ancient times, people have been aware of how being grateful can lead to increased happiness and reduce stress. In a recent study, Berkley researchers found that practicing gratitude can enhance your mental health. The participants in the study were asked to keep an online journal. They reported what things they had been grateful for each day and how those events made them feel. Participants who engaged with this exercise experienced more happiness on average than those who did not practice daily gratitude. Meanwhile, stress was reduced by 44% among people engaging in regular mindfulness activities such as meditation or thought exercises meant to increase awareness of one’s thoughts without judgment.
Small wins to celebrate
When up against cravings or negative thoughts, it’s important to remember the long-term goal for your recovery. To reward yourself throughout the process for having strength. This could involve anything in life from an accomplishment at work or school, building healthy relationships with family and friends, to getting treatment for any mental health issues that you may be avoiding or drowning in. Small wins along your journey need to be celebrated. They build up momentum and keep dopamine receptors alive and happy. Celebrating these small victories can also help reduce stress and anxiety.
Learn how to meditate
Learning how to meditate is an important tool in keeping healthy. In recovery, we have lots of distracting thoughts and we can put those at ease by focusing on breathing and being mindful. Simply observing rather than judging what you’re thinking about. Meditation shows us our own patterns so we don’t just get stuck in a loop of negative thoughts.
These 6 tools will help you maintain recovery and stay on the path to a healthy, happy life. Satori is here to set the stage for finding what is right for you. Join us for a free trial of our latest course here!
