During recovery, it’s important to stay positive. Feelings of self-doubt make it more likely that you’ll have a relapse.
Of course, it can be hard not to have those feelings during recovery. Now that you’re seeking the help you need, you may have a lot of friends, family, and co-workers who know the “secret” of your addiction that you’ve kept so long. This may make you feel embarrassed, or like people are judging you.
Don’t. Never forget that getting the help you needed took a lot of strength. You’re a strong person.
Here are a few other tips you can use to improve your self-esteem during recovery:
There isn’t any reason to be ashamed of your situation. No one is judging you for trying to get better.
Think about it like this: if you discovered that someone you knew was struggling with addiction, and now they’re trying to get clean, how would you feel? Would you think they were inferior in some way? No, of course not.
Everyone has their own problems that they have to deal with – you would just hope that they can find a way to get better. That’s the way people think of you, so that’s the way you should think of yourself as well.
You’ve heard it a million times before: you must always be aware of your triggers, recovery is never really over, etc.
Yeah, that’s true. But just because recovery is never really over doesn’t mean you haven’t already accomplished a lot. You should be proud of yourself and celebrate your accomplishments. Take your significant other out on a date. Call up some friends and plan a road trip to the beach. You’ve made a lot of progress, and you should commemorate that.
It’s clear that once you get out of detox/rehab, you should stop hanging out with the crowd that you used to do drugs with.
You should take this logic one step further and also avoid every other negative influence in your life. You have no need for cynicism right now. Only spend your time with people who are positive and support you 100%. Don’t feel guilty for cutting anyone off who’s not willing to give you that.
Most of addiction recovery is focused on the mental side of things – you know, being aware of your thoughts and knowing how to stop yourself from falling into the same destructive cycles, that kind of thing.
But your physical health is also an important part of addiction recovery. If your body feels good, that’ll help your mind feel good too.
You need to make an effort to take care of yourself, physically. Drink more water. Eat more vegetables. Go for a run every now and then.
Better yet, make an exercise schedule for yourself. Having your workout routine organized will help you stick with it.
If you have any questions about how to boost your self-esteem during recovery, feel free to contact us and ask.
Alpine Recovery Lodge
