Five Easy Ways to De-stress In Addiction Recovery
Recovering from addiction can become stressful at times. But now that you are recovering from addiction, those options are no longer available. Stress is a part of everyday life, and there are many ways to deal with it.
When you are stressed, various hormones in your body, including cortisol, are working rigorously towards producing the fight or flight response. So, to destress yourself, you must learn to override this response.
And, not all types of stress are harmful. Stress can also sometimes be positive in terms of motivating you to get things done or even help you in your recovery from addiction. Nevertheless, if you are looking for ways to cut down on stress, you can try any of the techniques given below.
1.  Spend Time in a Rehab Center
According to the Rehab 101 website, there are four steps in the de-addiction process. In the first step, that is, when you admit yourself into a rehab center, things like your current status, personal needs, the issues that you are facing currently, and addiction and family history would be evaluated. While the staff at the center will take care of assessing your personal needs and problems with addiction, they would expect details about your family and health insurance.
You will also be subject to various medical and physical assessments before the de-addiction process begins. The second step is not going to be easy. But it is also essential for your recovery. In the second step of the process, also called abstention, the staff will completely rid you of any substances in your body. For the third step, doctors will conduct therapy. There are two types of therapeutic approaches that rehab centers use to help people recover from addiction.
The last step towards de-addiction is self-care. After the therapy sessions, you can leave the rehab center. But the staff at the center will offer constant support until you recover completely. There are various programs that the center may recommend, including sober living homes, support groups, and rehab alumni groups. During the group therapy sessions, you may need to interact with your friends or family members. Sharing what you are feeling with close ones helps clear your mind. Group therapy also gives you the chance to open up about yourself to your friends or family and begin a new journey in your life, away from alcohol or drugs.
All these programs are designed in such a way that they consist of classes while also allowing you to socialize and should be able to help you recover.
2.  Achieve Peace of Mind with Meditation
Meditation helps in not only relaxing your mind but also your body. It helps stimulate your nervous system so that you are always alert. Various techniques of mindfulness meditation can help you find out what tends to cause stress. It also enables you to discover what parts of your body get tensed when you are stressed. So, by practicing mindfulness meditation, you will know why you are getting stressed or tensed and will be able to calm yourself down.
3.  Incorporate Exercise into Your Daily Routine
Although exercise doesn’t help you to overcome stress, it does help you to relax. And, by exercising regularly, you promote the release of chemicals like endorphin and serotonin, which help you to relax and improve your mood. Exercise also strengthens your prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, both of which are vital for keeping your emotions under control, especially anxiety.
Furthermore, exercise also helps you to sleep soundly, allowing the mind and body to recover quickly. Thus, by exercising regularly, you can ensure a good overall physical and mental health.
4.  Record Your Thoughts in a Journal
Writing down your thoughts and feelings with worries and cravings can help you to overcome the stresses of recovering from addiction. It also allows you to process all that you have been through during the day. If you happen to stumble upon a problem, writing it down in your journal helps you to gain new insights about it. Also, take time to think about what you have already written and learned from your past.
5.  Listen to Music
According to various studies, listening to music is one of the best ways to deal with stress. But, you should make sure that you listen to soothing music and not music that is too intense. This should calm you down. Listening to music can be a great deal of help in keeping you calm and relaxed, especially when you are commuting to work and are stuck in traffic.
You can also listen to music when you are doing chores. Some people tend to get stressed out during work. If you are one of those people, then listening to music should help relieve you of your worries.
Final Thoughts
Relaxing can be essential to your recovery from addiction. But, try not to get stressed out in the process. It may deter your rate of recovery. Stress often brings negative thoughts, and you may start to feel that recovering from addiction is pointless. It may also be because you have been using drugs and alcohol as a de-stressor for quite some time. So, try these relaxation techniques to overcome stress while recovering from addiction.
