No matter where you are in your recovery journey, you have established at least one relationship. Building healthy relationships can be an exciting space to be in within your life, but you get to decide what healthy looks like. This is your game, and you get to make the rules.
Relationships with others give your life meaning. They help define who you are and who you want to become and bring immense happiness and sometimes intense sadness. You have relationships with people that you love and people that are not your favorite. This article will explore building healthy relationships within recovery and the many tools that The Guest House has to offer to guide you in building healthy relationships.
What Are the Characteristics of Healthy Relationships?
Relationships are essential to help guide you to living your best life. All too often, when struggling with addiction, unhealthy relationship patterns are born. Those patterns continue in your life until you break the cycle. It is important to explore healthy relationship components to know what a healthy relationship looks like in recovery.
Healthy relationships are a key component to recovery that help individuals avoid unhealthy attachments. Everyone strives for healthy relationships. They bring joy and support in recovery. Below are several characteristics of a healthy relationship:
- Trust and support
- Effort
- Respect
- Encouragement
- Safety/security
- Honesty
- Healthy boundaries
- Effective communication
- Compassion
- Supports recovery
- Kind and caring
- Centered around wellness
The Foundation of Relationships
Every relationship in your life is unique, and no two are the same. Building a healthy relationship takes time and effort from both parties. One of the main foundations of any relationship is trust. Trust needs to be present to maintain a relationship so the connection can grow. Trust also allows the relationship to form and continue to flourish. Without trust, a relationship will fall to pieces.
Respect is another key ingredient that is crucial in the foundation of healthy relationships. Respect can mean a lot of different things to different people. You may not agree on everything. However, that means that you have your own opinions. Yet, no one’s opinion is right or wrong.
Third, effective communication is important in building strong relationships. It is important to communicate your wants and needs within any relationship. This avoids expectations and disappointment.
Boundaries
Having boundaries is like drawing a line down a piece of paper. On one side are things that you are okay with, and on the other side are things that you are not okay with. This line will look different for everyone in recovery. You need to understand your boundaries within relationships. Setting boundaries is an effective tool for establishing what your needs and wants are.
Healthy Relationship With Yourself
Life in addiction often leads to a lack of respect for yourself. Exploring healthy relationships is a waste of time if you do not have a healthy relationship with yourself. A lot of the time, you speak badly about yourself or second-guess what your heart is saying. If you are abusive, nasty, toxic, or self-destructive towards yourself, you are more than likely going to accept this behavior from others.
Recovery is about creating awareness within your life and healing through exploring yourself. Just like being in recovery, the journey of becoming your ally takes time and commitment.
Being in a healthy relationship with yourself may sound like an odd concept. When you are in a healthy relationship with yourself, you value the balance within your life. The things that you have experienced, you respect and learn from your experiences. You know your strengths and choose what is important.
Here are four tips for developing a better relationship with yourself:
- Stop talking negatively to yourself
- Do things that feel good, like attending a 12-Step meeting
- Put yourself first
- Forgive yourself
Alumni Program to Build Healthy Relationships
At The Guest House, we understand how hard it is to build healthy relationships within recovery. That is why we have developed a program that can be beneficial to your life. Our alumni program was introduced to connect people with their recovery and build meaningful relationships with others in recovery.
Benefits of an Alumni Program at The Guest House
Being a part of an alumni program will help you explore healthy boundaries and allow you to connect with others. You must be connected to sober support to maintain your recovery. It can be all too easy to get caught up in life’s demands but hard to acknowledge when you need help. The alumni program helps with stability within recovery and establishing healthy connections that will last a lifetime.
Alumni groups are designed to be whatever you need them to be. You are free to engage in as little or as much as you want. At The Guest House, we know that positive support is important, and you do not have to feel alone in your journey. An alumni program will connect you with a community of people that have similar stories of hope and encouragement. Life always happens on its terms, but an alumni program can give you a head start.
Healthy relationships are hard to establish and can be a struggle to maintain. It is difficult when you are not aware of what healthy looks like. Maybe this is a foreign concept to you. Or perhaps this is the first time you are interested in healthy relationships. Wherever you are on your journey, we will meet you there. At The Guest House, we understand that recovery is hard. There are many things to relearn, and we will never allow you to do this alone. We offer many different options for you to maintain healthy relationships. Call us at (855) 483-7800 today. We will be happy to guide you to where you need to be.