Why Self Care Is Important
When our own daily needs are met, we are better able to support others, achieve our goals, and avoid depression, guilt, codependency, or anxiety.1,2 By paying attention to self-care and engaging in wellness-focused sober living programs, you can better recover from the physical and mental stresses of addiction.
Especially during times of life transition, such as leaving for college, relocating, or moving out of a sober living facility, taking care of your physical and emotional needs is critical. Let’s look at the reasons to take better care of yourself, and how a few simple steps can improve your mental outlook and physical resiliency.
Reasons to Practice Better Self-Care
The overall reason to practice good self-care is that you are worth it. All of your relationships and many of your opportunities will benefit when you take the time to take care of yourself. Some of the reasons you should feel justified in making your own mental and physical wellness a priority include:
- Improving your sense of self-worth and confidence as you tackle daily challenges
- Finding a healthy recovery/work/life balance that you can maintain long term
- Staying connected with a strong recovery community that can support you through challenges including cravings or relapse
- Lowering your stress levels, which, in turn, can help prevent the depression or anxiety sometimes associated with your recovery
- Restoring your joy in daily life, rediscovering the small pleasures and social rewards of taking good care of yourself
- Improving your physical health and appearance to experience the vigor and energy of being physically fit and looking your best every day
Ways to Improve Your Self-Care Habits
Creating a self-care plan can be as simple as a to-do list of things you truly want to do. Making sure that you are making self-care a priority in daily life often involves breaking old habits and replacing them with new ones. This process takes time, but it starts with adding these types of self-care activities to your daily routine:
- Sleeping, eating, and exercising on a daily schedule
- Making time to keep in touch with loved ones and friends, and enjoying time with them
- Developing new hobbies and exploring new solo or group activities
- Expanding your circle of recovery resources, sober events, and support groups as you recognize unmet needs of your own
- Scheduling a beauty treatment, haircut, or massage or having an at-home spa afternoon to try a new hair color or a mani-pedi for a fresh well-groomed look
- Meditating, practicing yoga, or doing something creative to improve mental resilience and build new positive associations with soothing or relaxing activities
- Taking mini-breaks or five minutes for yourself several times a day, especially when you feel your stress levels rising or feel tempted to relapse, and focusing on self-care
- Seeking out a spiritual connection or community in line with your personal beliefs and values
Self-Care Sometimes Starts with Choosing Sobriety
If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, self-care starts with treating that illness. Choosing to take the first steps to recovery will lead to a better quality of life for everyone impacted by this addiction. Talk to a compassionate person who understands how drugs or alcohol can stand in the way of taking care of yourself or your family.
At RECO Institute in Delray Beach, FL, we put your wellness first in all of our treatment programs and sober living homes. Contact us today to seize the resources and find the support you need to change to a more rewarding and fulfilling way of life.
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