In recovery, I’ve learned to apply many techniques to my life that help me feel like I’m winning, not spiraling backwards. Whether it’s my inclination to procrastinate with work, my resistance to maintaing a recovery life, or the basic blocks that take me away from reaching my goals and make me feel irritable, restless and discontent. I find ways to self-sabotage…
So, prioritizing the right activites is the antidote to feeling like a failure
Today, there are so many amazing tools available to us from meditation apps to health apps that will tell us when we should go outside and take a walk. All we need to do is be willing to find them and give them a try. Sometimes it takes practice to make something stick, but from my experience, if you take ten minutes every day for 30 days and do any one of these things, you will see some improvement in your mood, or general health and well-being.
Thriving is all about planning…
1. Make a sleep hygiene plan
Sleep hygiene is the term that applies to the routine you create before bed to help your mind and body relax for sleep. Sleep is critical to good health. Sadly, many of us don’t get enough of it or have messy sleep cycles. There are so many ways to create a helpful routine at night that will help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep. From herbal teas and lavender to hot showers and supplements, find the correct methods that will help you rest easy.
2. Put down your technology
We’ve all heard about how technology is addictive and can cause depression and loneliness. Social media has created a FOMO monster in all of us at one time or another. Compare and despair is not a good activity for anyone in any kind of recovery. Try putting down your phone and turning off your computer so you can focus on the people and things around you. It will help you connect to other people better and you might find yourself calmer once the “check its” pass.
3. Try ten minutes of meditation
I was told to meditate for years before I made it a practice. But, after a while, ten minutes a day turned into guided meditation classes. Today, I can’t go more than two weeks without a good soundbath meditation. Many great leaders and thinkers meditate because it does great things when done properly. Try it.
4. Any exercise ritual, walking for 10-20 minutes is a perfect start
Exercise helps raise endorphins. That’s a fact. I also know people who struggle with anxiety who exercise every morning because they believe the rhythmic breathing helps set them straight for the day. Whatever it is, when you want to get out of your head, get into your body!!
5. Self-care
Everybody’s talking about it for a reason. Whether you’re into mani-pedis and massages, or learning new things and growing your recovery, take time to do the things you love, and that makes you happy. As you stay in recovery, self-care may change and turn into financial accountability or becoming a Vegetarian. Whatever works for your mental health.
Try one of these for a week, maybe even a month and see how your daily life improves.