Addicted people tend to ignore stress and even deny it altogether, particularly when stress levels have become heightened, excessive, and overwhelming. We don’t want to admit that our anxiety has gotten out of control and that it feels unmanageable. If we can’t handle everything in our lives, then we’re not invincible and infallible. Instead, we prefer to power through our stress. After all, we’ve been taught to pretend everything is fine even when we’re suffering. What happens when we ignore our stress?
Our Health Suffers
The more we ignore our stress, the worse it becomes. We’re not addressing the root causes of our anxiety, nor are we looking at why we’re having such a hard time. Changes need to be made, and steps need to be taken. Without these release mechanisms, we’re pushing ourselves into an early grave. The more we pressure ourselves to keep up with the demands of life, the less capable we are of accepting love. We haven’t been developing healthy coping skills to manage our stress. We haven’t been looking out for ourselves or safeguarding our health. As a result, our overall wellbeing declines precipitously.
Our Addictions Worsen
Ignoring our stress leads right back to our drugs of choice. This pressure can be a significant contributing factor to our addictions. We use our drug of choice when we feel worried, anxious, and overwhelmed. If the job is stressful or we’re struggling financially, substances can make us feel okay. We’re not coping with our stress, we’re burying it. Getting high is our form of escapism, our way of removing ourselves from our worries. Naturally, then, the more stressed we get, the worse our addiction becomes.
We Cause Ourselves More Harm
Failing to address the stress that is wreaking havoc on our lives puts us at a higher risk of having a total breakdown in our health. Ignoring the stressors of living also increases the risk of overdose. When we don’t look at how much stress we’re under, we cause ourselves even more harm down the line. We must stop ignoring our stress and begin to face it head-on. Our health, and our entire lives, depend on changing our relationship to our anxieties and finding healthy ways of coping with it.
At The Guest House Ocala, our recovery programs include many experiential modalities including traditional therapy, conscious connected breathwork, equine therapy, somatic experiencing, art in healing, grief therapy, mindfulness and other forms of therapy.
Call 855-483-7800 today for more information.
theguesthouseocala.com
3230 Northeast 55th Avenue Silver Springs, FL 34488