Recovery is a lifestyle decision as well as it is a necessary choice to make in your life. Outside of therapy and treatment, these are three ways to support your recovery on a daily basis.
Sleep
You’re going to want to get a lot of sleep in your first year of recovery. Sleep is the way the body restores, processes, heals, and balances. Your body needs rest and downtime in order to do the behind the scenes work you don’t get to witness during the day. If you’re up all night, binge watching Netflix or scrolling through social media to cope with your insomnia or late night cravings, you are still putting your body to work, which continues to exhaust your energy. Not sleeping means not functioning well the next day. When you’re in therapy and treatment programming, you need your brain to be sharp, open for learning, growing, healing, and awareness. You can’t get what you need out of therapy or treatment when you’re in a cognitive fog. More importatly, a chronic lack of good sleep can wear on your mental health. By the time you realize you really need a nap you could be triggering cravings which might be difficult to manage. Previously, researchers had believed you need six to eight hours of sleep in order to feel well rested and have the energy you need the next day. Now, researchers suggest you really need eight to ten hours of deep, restful sleep, in order to keep functioning.
Diet And Nutrition
Addiction is a disorder which affects the mind and the body holistically. Thus, treatment for addiction needs to affect the mind and the body holistically. In order to support your mind and your body, you need to have a well balanced diet with good nutrition that is focused on behavioral health. Though some people are capable of maintaining good health during their active addiction, many other people fall into less than desireable health conditions. Your brain needs essential vitamins and nutrients to build new pathways and repair the damaged ones. Nutrients like Omega 3-fatty acids and amino acids are critical for brain function and only come from food.
Exercise
Exercise is a scientifically proven way to reduce the symptoms of mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and overall stress. Many people who are recovering from drug and alcohol addiction have co-occurring mental health disorders like depression and anxiety. For those who do not have a dual diagnosis, it is not uncommon to experience many symptoms of both depression and anxiety in the early months of recovery as the brain continues to heal. Healing the heart and the mind, exercise gives recovery a solid foundation.
When you change your story about addiction, you can change your life. Oceanfront Recovery is a residential treatment program offering a full continuum of residential care for addiction and dual diagnosis. Our emphasis on self-efficacy and autonomy prepares men and women to transition into independence without drugs and alcohol. Call us today for information: (877) 279-1777
