Every recovery journey is unique, with each day presenting several personal obstacles, difficulties, and both positive and negative emotions. Throughout the recovery process, there will be both times of great triumph and success, as well as anxiety and self-criticism. Recovery programs are designed to help each person realize their strengths while helping them effectively cope during difficult times.
With such a valuable resource available, each individual must find their own ways to make the most out of their time in these programs, whether they are just beginning their journey through a detox, making the most of a residential treatment and living situation, or reaping the benefits of an outpatient program.
Keep an Open Mind
Recovery, at its heart, is all about transformation. Embracing the potential for change and keeping an open mind about new practices is essential for making the most out of one’s time in a recovery program. Giving new therapeutic approaches a genuine try may open oneself up to enjoyable new interests or hobbies.
Coming in with an open mind doesn’t mean that an individual has to necessarily stick with all of the therapies presented. Rather, it is still possible to try an approach and find that it isn’t necessarily working for that person. Keeping an open mind doesn’t mean that an individual has to force certain therapies into their routine, but giving each approach a fair chance can provide valuable information for fine-tuning one’s path to sobriety ahead.
Ask Questions
There can be a bit of anxiety surrounding asking questions, both to peers or professionals within the recovery sphere. Searching for help can come unnaturally to some, and there is a certain degree of vulnerability associated with asking questions. However, asking questions is still one of the best ways to develop sober strategies further.
Peers can be an invaluable resource for the practical implementation of coping and grounding strategies, offering key insights into how certain practices can affect the nuance of their daily life and how effective different approaches or methods of thinking can be. Professionals can also continue to highlight the intentions behind certain practices and are valuable educators when navigating the world of addiction recovery. Supplementing one’s own practices and therapeutic sessions with specific, pertinent questions can further help each individual understand and adjust to the way addiction has personally affected them.
Take a Minute to Relax
While it may seem counterintuitive, taking breaks while moving through the recovery process is an essential part of the journey. It is normal to want to continue pushing towards one’s goals with every step. However, constantly expecting this progress can be exhausting, and getting enough rest and leisure is essential for maintaining a healthy body and mind throughout the recovery process. Rest and relaxation can be reinvigorating and even help individuals be more receptive to new strategies or opportunities when presented.
Use Friends and Family
Recovery happens both inside and out of a recovery facility, and friends and family can be a great benefit throughout the process. Allowing them to help and learn about the addiction recovery process can be a valuable tool as they can then act both as supports and as a way to keep each person accountable for maintaining their recovery routines. Having friends or family keep in touch can also provide greater encouragement and refocus one’s personal goals outside of the recovery sphere.
Keep a Journal and Reflect
Keeping a journal is a powerful tool for recovery. It can allow an individual to record pertinent lessons, strategies, or ideas that may have come to them throughout the day and keep track of one’s emotional responses and progress. Not only can journals act as a daily outlet for each individual to process their own feelings, but they can also help an individual track any developing patterns throughout recovery by allowing a person to view the context of which days proved to be the most difficult, as well as help highlight therapeutic practices consistently used on good days.
Journaling about one’s day can also help keep an individual reflective about their practices, helping them reflect on therapeutic approaches and how they pertain to one’s own sober goals. This level of separation and distance can provide a bit of objectivity and clarity when it comes to the daily minutia of the recovery process.
Journaling itself is an incredibly beneficial practice, though it doesn’t necessarily have to be taking a pen to a notebook and writing a page or two before bed. Journaling can also be texting a single sentence to oneself following a particularly beneficial group session or certain kind of therapeutic practice, or just scribing on a piece of scrap paper about how they are feeling a great amount of anxiety at a given time. There are many ways to journal, each of which can be a great resource to help get the most out of one’s time in a recovery program.
Making the most of your time in a recovery program is a personal endeavor. At Everlast Recovery, we embrace the malleable and personalized nature of addiction recovery and can help you form a recovery plan that is right for you, helping you make the most of your time with us. We offer an array of treatment programs, from detox services to residential treatment and aftercare planning to meet you wherever you are in your recovery journey. With art therapy, music therapy, individual and group counseling, yoga, mindfulness practices, and much more, we can help you structure your time with us with the strategies that resonate most with you and your unique needs and goals. For more information on the various ways in which we can personalize your time with us or to speak to a caring, trained staff member about your unique situation, call Everlast Recovery today at (866) 338-6925.
