How Self-care Can Make a Difference in Your Recovery

The last thing that you probably wanted to take care of during your addiction is your self-care. Instead of making sure you were fed, bathed, well-rested, or in a safe place, drugs and alcohol probably took precedence over everything else that was important for your well-being and safety. In recovery, you have a chance to change the way you look at self-care. One of the most important aspects of self-care is that you should take care of yourself before you can truly take care of anyone else. You should walk the walk instead of only talking the talk.

Start with the basics

Get yourself on a schedule where you know approximately what time you will eat, what time you plan to go to bed and wake up in the morning, when you will take a shower or a bath, and where other activities will fill in. By planning where your basic needs fall into play, you can really get yourself in a healthier manner.

Take time for enjoyment

Self-care is also important in finding some pleasurable things to do for yourself that bring you peace of mind. Use mediation, a warm bath, aromatherapy, massage, reading, or anything else that can take you to a place in your life to where you can enjoy the present moment. 

Exercise

Although exercise is important for your body, you do not necessarily need vigorous activity to get your exercise. A walk with a sober friend, doing yoga in your living room, or going on a short bike ride to your neighborhood grocery store can produce some endorphins that you would not normally get. By getting yourself moving in any way will give you extra energy in other areas of your life.

Be of service

You may think that self-care is all about you, but the reality of being of service means that you get blessed tenfold when you are helpful to another soul. When you show up to a meeting you are also being of service to others as well as yourself. Give a friend without a driver’s license a ride or take some soup to a sick friend. 

Self-care is extremely important because this process teaches you to be kind to yourself so that you can be kind to others. Take some time to do something nice for yourself – you deserve it.