How to Handle Stress Management in Recovery
Legacy Healing Center Blog
Find out tips for stress management in recovery with tips from Legacy Healing Center.
When someone is sustaining from drugs or alcohol, it is crucial that he or she learn about stress management in recovery.
Having tools and techniques ready when stress creeps in will give someone a fighting chance at staying sober and also protecting their physical and mental health. Everyone deals with stress but knowing how to manage it properly is needed when it comes to preserving your health and the hard work you have done at rehabilitation.
If you or someone you love needs help with addiction, call 954-994-2965 today to speak with a treatment specialist.
No matter how much you have prepared to stay on track after rehabilitation, you are still going to encounter triggers and stress once you enter back into a non-rehab living situation.
Numerous studies show the link between stress and relapse, which reveals why it is so important to have stress management techniques on hand for when you need them. Whether you are dealing with work, financial, or relationships stress, if sobriety and anxiety issues and stress are causing you to think about using or experience cravings, consider these tips:
• Add exercise to your daily regimen – We often hear about the importance of exercise, and with good reason. Exercise will not only help you deal with stress in a healthy, positive way, but it can also brighten your mood, improve your physical and mental health, and increase your self-esteem.
Exercise can also positively affect your sobriety! In fact, a Journal Frontiers in Psychiatry study recently revealed that regular exercise might help prevent relapse in people who are undergoing treatment for drugs or alcohol. Other benefits of getting your body moving include less fatigue, better sleep, and a reduction of physical pain!
• Journaling – One option of stress management in recovery is speaking with a counselor or therapist, but sometimes you may have thoughts or feelings that you aren’t comfortable sharing with others. Or, you may have had a very stressful experience and don’t have an appointment with your counselor for a few days.
This is where keeping a journal can provide great benefits. Think of your journal as a private record of all of your thoughts and feelings, interactions, and experiences you are going through while in recovery. In addition to expressing your feelings, you may also want to take notes of things that you learned while in a group meeting or with your counselor. You can also jot down detailed notes of cravings or triggers you have encountered and what may have helped you steer clear of a relapse episode.
Studies have shown that people who journal on a daily basis have lower levels of stress and also need less pain medication. You can pick up a notebook and start journaling today! It is an effective and low-cost way to counter stress and relapse!
• Tune in to your faith – It isn’t uncommon to take solace in religion or spirituality when they are going through rehab or in the process of recovery. Many people combine prayer and meditation, attending church services, and also yoga and mindfulness practices to further connect with their higher power.
If you are dealing with sobriety and anxiety issues, or other stressors, practicing faith or incorporating some type of mindfulness exercises into your daily or weekly regimen can help you stay calm, have clarity, and may even reduce drug cravings.
Stress management in recovery is vital to someone maintaining his or her sobriety, in addition to keeping his or her physical and mental health at optimum levels. You may also want to consider time spent with your counselor or support group friends as additional ways to reduce stress, as these avenues provide you with encouragement, support, love, and reinforcement to stay on the sober path.
You can learn more about the connection between stress and relapse by visiting Legacy Healing Center or calling 954-994-2965 today to speak with a treatment specialist.