Anna Maria Richards
When you’re in recovery, it can feel like you’re juggling a ton of really important balls. First, there’s your sobriety. That’s the heaviest ball of them all. Fortunately, it gets lighter over time.
But make no mistake about it. Your overall wellbeing depends greatly on your ability to juggle things like sobriety, interpersonal relationships, nutrition, exercise, and finances.
But now isn’t the time to feel overwhelmed. There are a few tips to help you improve your wellbeing as you become a better juggler.
Here are five tips for maintaining sobriety.
Prioritize your wellbeing
The first tip is to make yourself a priority. You can’t be of service to anyone else until you first take care of yourself. Make sure you’re handling all your stuff before you attempt to help anyone else — though it may be tempting.
Get into a routine
It feels a lot less like juggling when you’re on a regular schedule. If you put a lot of your to-do list on your daily routine, much more of your day will feel like autopilot. Try starting with exercise and moving towards
Build a support system
When times get tough, you need to know you have support. And even if you don’t have people in your personal life that you can depend on (yet), you can find sober support in a group setting. If you aren’t already signed up, consider joining a local support group like Alcoholics Anonymous. When you attend regular meetings and get to know your sponsor and others in the group, it can help you feel less alone. And in times of need, that’s extremely important. When you’re feeling strong, you can become the support that someone else needs, but until then, rely on those who have done it before you.
Remember to focus on your own health and wellness while in recovery, and you’ll likely find that the burden becomes easier and easier to bear.
Commit to exercise
Exercise can really help improve your overall health and wellbeing. It can help calm anxiety and boost your overall confidence. If at all possible, try to exercise for at least 30 minutes every day. When this becomes part of your routine, taking care of yourself feels like less of a chore.
Practice patience
When you’re in recovery, you’re going to have good days and bad days. Through it all, it’s important to have patience with yourself. You’ll encounter situations that trigger you and make you wish you had a drink. Understand that it’s all part of the process. Everyone goes through this in recovery on some level. That’s why it’s so important to build a sober support system. When you have bad days, you’re going to need to forgive yourself and move on. Understand that every day offers a new opportunity, and even if you had a small relapse, you could get back to sobriety immediately.
Recovery from alcoholism is never a straight line. And it impacts every area of your life. This is why your overall wellbeing becomes so crucial to the process. When you’re feeling good, you’ll find it easier to tackle anything.
