Recovering from our addictions is much more than shedding our dependence on our drug of choice. A successful recovery also entails learning how to care for ourselves. We need to assess what our needs are and make sure we’re meeting them. Many of us have been neglecting ourselves and our needs for quite some time. We’ve prioritized the relationships in our lives and sacrificed our own needs in exchange. While our partners, friends, and family are well taken care of, our own needs suffer instead. We’ve also allocated a disproportionate amount of time, energy, and resources to our addictions. A steady supply of our drug of choice takes precedence over everything else in our lives. As we’re working to recover, we begin to discover the importance of taking care of ourselves. In recovery, we have to make sure our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs are being fulfilled. Why is self-care important for our well-being?
Supporting Our Health and Well-Being
Self-care is much more than relaxation or treating ourselves to something nice. Learning to prioritize self-care is much deeper than getting regular manicures or a new haircut. We tend to associate self-care with being indulgent. It’s common to hear self-care trivialized with examples like buying luxuries we can’t afford or wasting time on a frivolous hobby. These associations with self-care are inaccurate and dangerous. The real, healing-based self-care we want to focus on in our recovery is something entirely different. Of course, doing nice things for ourselves can be a good idea too! When we commit to a regular self-care routine, we’re doing things that are beneficial to our overall well-being. Self-care practices should support our health and reinforce our sobriety. Regular meditation, spending time in nature, and reconnecting with loved ones are all great examples of self-care. We’re giving ourselves time to journal, pray, or light candles. We’re taking walks more often, or letting ourselves use our vacation days for a much-needed break from work. Sometimes, self-care can be as simple as giving ourselves the gift of space and solitude; it looks different for everyone.
Connecting With Our Inner Selves
Self-care is all about connecting with our inner selves and listening to what our inner voice is trying to tell us. If we listen closely, our intuition is always guiding us and communicating our needs to us. During our addiction, we learned to suppress this inner voice and ignore our needs. We told ourselves that everyone and everything in our lives needed our time more than we do. Our addiction told us that we were less deserving of love and compassion than the other people in our lives. Let’s dismantle these limiting beliefs and give ourselves the love and care we deserve.
If you’ve decided you want more out of life, it’s a great time to get sober. Learn how to care for yourself without sacrificing your compassion for others. The Guest House is a welcoming and supportive recovery home where you will be met with open arms, wherever you are on your journey, without judgment or expectation. Call 855-483-7800 today for more information.