People in Recovery: Creating Healthy Habits for Sobriety

Article Contribution By: Charley Sunday

The key to remaining sober and beating your substance use disorder (SUD) may be building healthy habits. According to the Gateway Foundation, people have habit loops that lead them into becoming dependent on substances. When you create healthy habit loops instead, you rewire your brain to seek pleasure from things that are good for you. You receive the same pleasure with none of the associated pain or side effects. Below, TMS Directory offers advice on creating healthy habits to help you remain sober:

Form a healthy morning routine

• Meditating when you wake up: Meditating helps clear negative thoughts, gives you mental clarity, and makes you more peaceful. If you set intentions during meditation, you can have a more productive day. 
• Eating a healthy breakfast: Good, nutritious food for breakfast will give your body the fuel it needs to function optimally. If you neglect your breakfast or eat unhealthy food, your body will be sluggish throughout the day.
• Seeking out hopeful news: Many people watch the news during breakfast. If you do this too, make sure it’s hopeful and positive. Dark or gloomy news can spoil your day and isn’t always helpful. Simple Truths offers some helpful resources.

Work on your mental health daily

A strong mind can help you manage negative thinking and self-defeating thoughts, as well as avoid falling prey to temptation. You can bolster your mental health via activities like reading, gardening, art therapy, listening to music, and laughing out loud. Repeating affirmations when you’re feeling tempted can help you stay on the wagon. Also, by learning how to breathe better, you can keep the anxiety and panic at bay.

Make it a point to spend time with supportive people

Nothing picks you up like the support of positive, healthy people. Meeting up with friends and family often can shore up your mental and emotional health. You can join recovery support groups to share your experiences with other people who understand as well as to gain access to helpful resources. Finally, you can also find a partner for your recovery journey – it can help you be more motivated.

Go out in nature every week

Nature has many healing properties. It’s a natural stress buster and uplifts your mood. Spending time at the local park, forest, lake, or another natural setting a few times a week can be incredibly beneficial for your overall health. For extra benefits, you can walk barefoot in the grass, hug trees, and practice Japanese Shinrin Yoku.

Create a sleep routine

Getting a good night’s rest is essential to keeping your mind strong and body healthy. When you’re tired, you are much more likely to have negative thoughts or give in to your SUD. If you’re well-rested and feeling energetic, it’s much easier to remain happy and hopeful. You can create a sleep routine to get high-quality sleep. Some suggestions are limiting screen time at night, having a warm bath before bed, reading a fun book, and listening to soft music.

Sign up for TMS therapy          

Substance use disorder (SUD) is often accompanied by depression and other mental health imbalances. You need professional treatment to beat these conditions. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) therapy offers long-term remission from depression and has no systemic side effects. While insurance companies view a SUD as a contraindication for TMS therapy (there’s a very minute increased risk of seizure), TMS therapy is covered by the insurance if the patient abstains for 60 days. Besides depression, TMS also assists a great deal with accompanying cravings.

Conclusion

Don’t forget to be kind to yourself. You may fall off the wagon, so to speak, and that’s okay. Relapse during recovery is a common enough occurrence. Pat yourself on the back for trying, stick to your morning routine and healthy habits, and don’t stop trying. Remaining sober will get easier with time.