Emotional turmoil plays a significant role in addiction. It can fuel a person’s feelings of shame, guilt, sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness. As addiction develops over time, and a person sinks deeper into it, further complications can arrive that cause emotional volatility. This can cause a person to lash out at others, often causing relationships and friendships to erode. It is essential to understand the difference between reacting and responding, as instant reactions can land you in a place of emotional volatility and negative behaviors. Learning to respond instead can help you heal and rebuild the relationships that were lost.
Reactions are instant behaviors that are driven by your unconscious mind. It is often a defense mechanism that helps humans survive but usually affects personal conversions and situations negatively. Your values, biases, beliefs, and prejudices play a significant role in reactions. They are so ingrained in you that you don’t have to think about them while the reaction occurs. Have you ever done something without thinking? If you have, you have reacted in a way that was most likely unconscious. Reactions occur instantly, meaning you have no time to think about or consider the long-term consequences of what you do or say.
Unlike reactions, a response happens slower and involves both your unconscious and conscious mind. It does not occur instantaneously but instead takes time for you to think and consider the potential impact of your words or actions in the long term. Learning to respond is important because it looks after you and those around you to avoid hurting anyone, unlike reactions. When you engage in responding rather than reacting, you consider the possible outcomes of your actions and assure that you stick to your values and beliefs.
During active addiction, you often behave solely off of reactions that cause you to be more emotionally volatile, leading you to use drugs or alcohol more. Emotional triggers play a significant role in this, as anything that sets you off can make you turn to drugs or alcohol due to cravings or as a coping method.
Learning how to respond instead of react will help your recovery. It will teach you how to identify potentially triggering situations. This way, you can learn to either avoid them or cope with them if they do arise, which will help you avoid relapse in the long run.
Emotional regulation is a crucial part of learning how to respond instead of react. Emotional regulation teaches you how to handle significant problems or distressing emotions by teaching you to take a step back before responding to the situation. By having this control, you can handle intense situations by weighing the pros and cons of your reaction, asking why you feel this way, and finding the positive.
Emotional regulation is also critical in addiction recovery because it keeps you from letting your emotions control you. Practicing this skill can keep you from engaging in unhealthy coping techniques, such as using drugs or alcohol. There are various ways you can practice emotional regulation to help you heal from addiction, mental health disorders, trauma, and more.
Emotional regulation takes diligent practice for it to become second nature. Once this happens, you can learn to respond more than you react, help your life become stable, keep healthy relationships, and support your journey to recovery. Here are some tips for practicing emotional regulation:
Practicing meditation can help you become more self-aware of how you feel both physically and emotionally and understand what is going on in your environment. Sitting with yourself can help you learn not to rush to judgment and instead take a step back and consider the implications of specific thoughts and actions.
Journaling is a great way to let your feelings out in a safe place. This helps you release what you feel inside, so you don’t lash out at someone else.
Exercising can boost your mood by increasing your dopamine. You should also eat healthy as a bonus, which will help to stabilize your moods.
Seeing a therapist can also give you an outlet to discuss your feelings. A therapist can help you discover the root of your emotions and learn how to cope with them in healthy ways.
Talking to a close friend or other trusted individual can give you the support you need when you need to vent. Find people that will actively listen, offer advice, and care about you.
Reacting and responding can play a significant role in your addiction and recovery journeys. Reacting can lead to negative consequences, unhealthy coping strategies, and broken relationships. On the other hand, responding can lead to mental stability, strong relationships, and healthy coping strategies. It can be challenging learning how not to let your emotions control you. However, practicing emotional regulation is a great start. Engaging in activities that boost emotional regulation can help it become second nature, which will help your long term recovery. At Northstar Transitions, we believe in clients learning to heal through various treatment modalities, especially experientially. This will help you build up your coping skills to move past traumas and co-occurring disorders alongside your addiction. To learn more about responding and emotional regulation, give us a call at (303) 558-6400. We can set you up on the path to success and long term sobriety. All you have to do is take the first step.
