The mind cannot live without the body and the body cannot live without the mind. This simple concept highlights the importance of a holistic connection between one’s mental state and the physical well-being of their body.
This idea is a hallmark of the rehabilitation process and the cornerstone to not only beginning your recovery journey, but also achieving sustained sobriety and long-term happiness. While the initial phases of rehab tend to focus on aligning your mind, body and spirit to achieve a healthier existence, effective self-care is the key to sustaining your substance abstinence.
In this post, we’ll review why self-care is important to addiction recovery and discuss 5 ways to take care of yourself in order to ward off relapse.
Why Self-Care in Addiction Recovery is So Important
A primary component to addiction recovery is addressing the elements within your own life that were askew and that contributed to your addictive impulses and maladaptive behavioral patterns. Implementing an effective self-care plan enables you to monitor the emotional rollercoaster associated with recovery by properly caring for the thing you are trying to heal: yourself.
An appropriate self-care plan focuses on the whole of yourself, including your emotional stability, physical well-being and spiritual health. By creating a plan that addresses all of these components, you are working to balance all facets of your life and constructing a scenario where sustained sobriety is truly achievable.
How to Care for Yourself in Recovery
While this may seem like a complicated concept, properly caring for yourself during the recovery process is not that complex. What is required is clinical guidance and support in order to not only construct an effective self-maintenance plan, but to also implement that plan and follow through with the established expectations.
Identifying a few key concepts to incorporate into your self-care plan is an excellent place to start. Let’s take a look at 5 self-care strategies you can work into your recovery right now.
- Include Daily Physical Activity
This can include anything from weight training to simply walking around the block. The key is to include some physical activity on a daily basis that helps your body naturally release dopamine, increase oxygen intake and improve blood flow throughout your entire body.
- Establish a Morning Routine
The way you start your morning can set the tone for the rest of your day. Making time to incorporate a short meditation right when you wake and including a nutritious breakfast and calming herbal tea are just a few ideas that you can include in an effective morning routine. These simple steps allow you to prepare your mind and body to better handle whatever stress you may encounter throughout your day. - Make Sure to Get Enough Sleep
It really cannot be overstated: getting enough sleep is essential to a happy and healthy mind state. An appropriate amount ranges between 7 to 9 hours per night, which enables the body to achieve a state where the brain can rejuvenate and the physical body can rest, relax and recharge. - Foster a Positive Social Support Network
A large portion of self-care includes the people you choose to spend your time with. Being selective on who you allow into your social support network allows you to avoid the influences that may have negatively impacted your addictive behaviors. Be sure to surround yourself with a support network that positively impacts your recovery process. - Strive for Balance
As you transition out of treatment, whether it be a residential facility or an outpatient program, it is easy to become overwhelmed with all of the responsibilities that are associated with daily living. Make sure to strike a healthy balance between life expectations and self-maintenance. This is essential to your sobriety and overall happiness. Creating specific times throughout your week to do something simple, just for you – perhaps grabbing a coffee or tea and just sitting in a quiet spot – is a realistic and achievable way to add balance to your daily existence.
Addiction Recovery Care in a Rehab Program
Creating a self-care plan is an instrumental component of your recovery process. As with anything else in life, having the encouragement and guidance of trained professionals not only increases your chances of achieving your goals, but also helps you learn new and effective methods of sustaining your success.
Finding a clinically qualified facility to begin your recovery journey is an amazing way to start the process with a clearly defined plan of action and the appropriate support to achieve all the goals you identify. Being able to tap into the resources provided by an outstanding treatment facility, such as meal planning, individualized care, holistic therapy and experiential guidance, is an incomparable advantage.
Add to that a stunningly serene environment and you have created a scenario where you can initiate your recovery journey with an effective self-care plan that properly prepares you to achieve sustained personal success.
Holistic Addiction Treatment at Ranch Creek Recovery’s Tranquil Rehab Center
With customized treatment plans that fit your unique recovery needs and offering an alternative to the traditional 12-step program, Ranch Creek Recovery’s holistic treatment services can help you stop abusing drugs or alcohol and forge a fulfilling, clean future.
Our treatment programs have a six-client max. This allows us to provide you with complete, individualized care and 24/7 support. Through every treatment program, holistic mindfulness and addiction recovery walk hand-in-hand, helping you center your mind, body and spirit as you begin to forge your new, sober life.
Learn more about our addiction treatment programs. Have questions? We’re here to help in any way we can. Contact us today.
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