5 Habits for Success in Recovery
Starting a new life in recovery takes hard work and a long-term commitment. Developing good everyday habits can help you stay on track. Here are a few habits for success:
Be Grateful
Each and every day, take a mental inventory of the things in your life that bring you joy or makes your life easier. No matter how big or small, finding something each and every day to be grateful for will help you find the good in even the worst of days and help you keep a positive outlook on life.
Meditate
Mindfulness meditation has been proven to improve the chances of long-term sobriety for those in addiction recovery by giving you the tools to take life one moment at a time. Living life in the moment, allows you to experience less stress and anxiety, ridding yourself of worry and negative thought processes. Just 10-15 minutes of mindfulness meditation can make a marked difference.
Stay Connected
Hang out with people you love and who support you in recovery. Call your sponsor. Have dinner with a fellow peer in recovery. Whatever you do, reach out and connect to someone who is important to you each and every day. Sharing how your day went and how you are generally feeling will help you keep from bottling feelings inside, causing unwanted stress and anxiety. It feels great to be the one who can cheer up someone who may be having a bad day too.
Do Something you Enjoy
Reserve at least 20 minutes of each day to do something that relaxes you. Take a walk, read a book, play a game or take a nice long bath. It’s important to take time each and every day to just let yourself go.
Make Meetings a Priority
Meetings are important. Whether you are feeling down, recovering from a cold or simply do not feel like going to your recovery meeting – just go. Especially in early recovery, it is important to keep up with meetings.
These are just a few ideas of good habits that will aid your recovery. You may discover some of your own. The important thing is to do what works best for you and make them habits to help you stay on track.