Have you ever seen the finish line, but something seems to be standing in your way? In recovery, it can be simple to know where you want to be when you’ve been out of treatment for a long time. However, you may find yourself staying place and not making any progress to get there in the first place. One of the common reasons this happens is you may be self-sabotaging your recovery and standing in your own way of healing. For your recovery to move forward, you must learn how to get out of your own way and work to continue the path of healing.
Even after you leave treatment, you may still struggle with occasional negative thoughts that wear you down. Being stuck in a sea of negative thoughts can leave you feeling hopeless and helpless as if you cannot pick yourself back up. These thoughts can pile up and eradicate any positive thinking if you allow them to. This can hinder your recovery, so it is crucial to learn how to cope with negative thoughts. You can do this by challenging these thoughts, such as:
When you are recovering, falling into a pit of self-pity can leave you feeling down. You may blame yourself for your past mistakes and wallow in your feelings rather than trying to do something about them. Instead of sitting there and feeling bad for yourself, do one small thing that shows you that you can make progress when you set your mind to it. You can accomplish this by taking a walk for thirty minutes, cooking a recipe, or anything that you are interested in that you can finish. This way, the feeling will translate into your recovery, and you can motivate yourself to keep pushing rather than wallowing in self-pity.
Shame and guilt play significant roles in addiction, often feeding the disease. Guilt can lead to shame if you do not fix what is causing you to feel guilty. Shame can be a relapse trigger if you are not careful, as it can make you believe you are an inherently bad person. Instead of living in shame and guilt, think of the future and where you want to be. If you stay in that place of shame, you may end up self-sabotaging even more. Rid yourself of that feeling and remind yourself that you are a human and you make mistakes. You deserve recovery, and you must put in the work to reap the rewards.
It can be easy to cut off friends and family when you find yourself struggling in your recovery. You may not want to admit that you are struggling and therefore shut out anyone that asks questions or tries to help you. However, as you most likely learned in treatment, isolation can lead to feelings of loneliness and depression. These are common triggers for relapse, which will put your recovery at risk. Reach out for help and be strong enough to admit you are struggling so someone can help support you through this difficult time.
When you were in active addiction, you most likely used drugs and alcohol to cope with complex emotions. In recovery, you learn healthy coping skills, so you do not turn to drugs and alcohol. However, when you find yourself self-sabotaging, you might try to bottle up your emotions instead of releasing them. This can lead to feelings of tension, stress, and even anxiety if you are not careful. Allow yourself to open up even if it is difficult to do so. It will save you trouble in the long term.
Perhaps one of the biggest relapse triggers in recovery is the feeling of stress. Stress is a familiar feeling among everyday people, but it can be coped with in healthy ways to avoid negative consequences. Find ways to cope with stress so you don’t get overwhelmed and feel like you need to return to using drugs and alcohol. These can include deep breathing exercises, meditation, going for a walk, or exercising.
Self-sabotage is one of the most common things that people in addiction recovery struggle with. Standing in your own way can become all too easy when you find yourself in a dark place. You may even start to believe the negative thoughts in your head. A great way to alleviate this is to know how to get out of your own way. Remember to reach out for help when you need it, release your emotions so they don’t build up, and let go of the negative feelings that keep holding you back. You cannot expect to progress in your recovery if you refuse to put in the work. Should you ever need help with healing, contact Northstar Transitions. Our team of experts can help you find the cause of your struggles and help you get to where you want to be. We believe in helping people navigate real recovery, so you should never worry about slipping up from time to time. We are here to help. Call (303) 558-6400 today.
