As the holiday season winds to a close and the New Year is approaching, you may be thinking about your New Year’s resolution. As someone that has spent the holidays sober and wants to progress even more in their recovery next year, it can be intimidating knowing what resolution to make that you can keep. It is an ongoing joke that no one sticks to their New Year’s resolutions, but a handful of people do. For individuals in recovery, a resolution for the new year is a chance to make a new commitment to yourself and your sobriety.
When you are stuck down the rabbit hole of addiction, it can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Many individuals struggling with substance use have a hard time finding happiness in life -- it is clouded by the pain and grief that addiction brings. However, you can begin making an active effort in recovery to find the beauty that this world has to offer. This year, work on changing your perspective and making an effort to see the good in life. This will prompt you to show more gratitude for what sobriety has given you and motivate you to continue your recovery. There is good in every situation; sometimes you just have to stop and look for it.
Trying new things may seem like an ordinary resolution, but it may hold significance for those recovering from addiction. Addiction is a cycle in which individuals find themselves where they take drugs, get high, come down, and then search and purchase more. The cycle repeats over and over until the person gets clean, goes to treatment, or worse, loses their life. Getting clean is breaking this cycle, but you cannot remain stagnant in your recovery. Complacency is a common relapse trigger. Consider trying new sober activities, treatment programs, or support groups in your journey to sobriety. New activities may also help build confidence and teach you to accept change.
While being vulnerable and opening up to people may seem like an easy resolution, it can be quite challenging to accomplish. Showing the darkest parts of yourself to another person may not come easily, and it is a virtue that you will have to practice and learn over time. Making an effort to open up to others and trust them to hold your authentic self will do wonders for your recovery. You cannot begin to heal if you do not take an honest look at yourself and be willing to share that with another person, such as your therapist or sponsor. You must do the work and focus on healing the parts of yourself that you don’t want to bring to light.
Healthy living is one of those resolutions that everyone seems to make and never keep. By the end of January, this is one of the most common resolutions forgotten, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Exercise and a healthy diet will boost your recovery, giving you the energy, motivation, confidence, and perspective you need to keep going. Exercise is a great stress reliever, which will keep you focused and on track. Eating well will give you the energy required each day to take part in recovery activities. Both will improve your mood, sleep, and more. Make a conscious effort to find an exercise that works for you, stick with it, and then find healthy foods that you enjoy eating to balance your healthy lifestyle. Your body will thank you for it, and you will be grateful when you reap the benefits.
A conscious effort to recognize what you are thankful for in your life will help your perspective change to a more optimistic world view. Gratitude can help you see the benefits of what sobriety has brought to your life, especially over time as more and more good things come your way. Consider keeping a gratitude journal or merely taking 5-10 minutes to think and meditate on something you are grateful for that day.
You may also want to consider going to a support group. Recovery is not an individual experience; you need others to lean on and have around you for encouragement. The beauty of support groups is that most of them are anonymous, and you can try out a few before you find one you are comfortable with. There you can begin making sober friends and building your sober network, receive resources to aid in recovery, and much more. The benefits of a support group are enough to keep you motivated and staying on the right track. You can find which groups meet near you with a simple Google search or by contacting your treatment facility.
When it comes to making New Year’s resolutions, the best way to go is to make one that is practical. You cannot expect yourself to do something out of the ordinary that you will not stick with. Instead, make your recovery a priority and consider things you can do to improve it over the next year. Simple things like practicing gratitude and opening up to other people will boost your recovery, and you will see changes over time as you continue working towards your goal. If you need help coming up with resolutions that are right for you and your life, reach out to us at Northstar Transitions. We want you to set realistic and attainable goals, and we can help you create personalized resolutions for 2021. This new decade is a new chapter in your life. Let’s start it off on the right foot. Call us today at (303) 558-6400.
