During recovery, we all know what not to do, but what should we do? Picking out the behaviors that will help keep us on the path can be a little bit tougher. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) laid out dimensions to prioritize health and wellness. This post will go through our suggestions for how to take steps to help you build emotional strength during your recovery.
1. Manage Your Emotions by Practicing Coping Strategies
Building impactful, deep relationships while adapting to the ever-changing nature of life comes from emotional resilience. Effective alcohol and drug rehabilitation programs teach and encourage coping strategies to better navigate triggers and risky situations. It is important to practice these skills in a safe environment. But, their real use will come during your daily life when authentic problems come up, and you have to deal with them.
2. Manage a Budget
A critical part of recovery is your ability to manage your money responsibly. Creating a budget that plans for housing, food, and your other essentials will help you take your responsibilities in hand. The tougher part is doing the work to stick with your budget. Spending and saving effectively will also build confidence and get you back to managing more aspects of your life.
3. Keep Yourself Busy with a Hobby or Further Education
Continue building on your skills and knowledge to keep your mental fitness expanding. Stimulating your brain comes when you work on new skills like learning a new language or practicing a martial art. Going back to school or even taking a class at a local community college will also help you learn a new skill while practicing self-efficacy.
4. Discover Ways to Enjoy Your Job or Get a New One
Does your job serve you? Are you proud of the work you do, and do you get to learn while you are there? You will spend many of your waking hours at a job – if you hate your time there, you will be in a bad emotional and mental place. Occupational wellness is important for your overall health. Feeling satisfaction can come from any job. If you don’t have that, look for ways to discover positive aspects of your job or work to find a new one that better lines up with your goals.
5. Get up and Move While Eating Healthy
Physical health leads to mental and emotional health – strong in body = strong in mind. Think about putting the right food into your body that will energize you and make you feel full and happy without weighing you down. Create a schedule to do a physical activity either with your own routine, with a class, or following online videos. Training your body is especially important for people in recovery whose bodies may have suffered during the more intense portion of their addictive behavior.
6. Choose the Best Living Environment to Support Your Recovery
Staying healthy means having surroundings that support your goals. During recovery, you will need a living situation that is stable, supportive, and free from triggers or temptations for your drug or alcohol addiction. Living with your parents may be the best option for you. Another option is a sober living facility, such as Harmony Haus which supports men during the early stages of their recovery efforts. A sober home can be a great place for you to practice your coping skills, build your overall wellness, and prepare for sober life on your own.
Give Harmony Haus Sober Living a call at (512) 387-2978 to set up a walkthrough tour of our sober living home.
