Dealing with addiction is perhaps one of the hardest things anyone can ever go through. With proper care, professional assistance, and love from ourselves and those around us, we can push through the process of recovery and welcome a new healthy and happy life. I can attest to it, being a recovering addict myself.
During rehabilitation, and after the program has been completed, there are many habits and routines that we can embrace in order to stay clean and improve our lives even further.
Getting sober is a tough process but it doesn’t have to be any harder than what it actually is. Strengthening our willpower will lead us towards the right path, the one framed with happiness and love and made to withstand all the difficult times that may come.
Here are 3 ways we can improve our willpower during alcohol addiction:
Meditation
Working on our mind will always have benefits. Meditating and embracing mindfulness during recovery (and after, too) will give us the strength and motivation we need to make the right choices while learning how to respect our new selves.
Making amends with our past and forgiving those who caused us any harm opens a door to peace and calm that will allow us to move on with our lives without pain or regrets. And it all comes with the practice of meditation. It will help us to become a better version of ourselves.
Set small goals and challenges
Goals and challenges are two things that differentiate who we are from who we were. The progress we make throughout recovery will be carved on stone by all those achievements and goals we’ve reached during and after the program.
Facing challenges, on the other hand, will allow us to get out of our comfort zone and venture into new worlds flooded with opportunities waiting to be taken.
We don’t have to make a list with unrealistic goals that will only frustrate us when we realize the road is longer and harder than what we thought. Instead, embracing small short-term goals will show us what we’re capable of day by day, giving us further motivation and strength that will only reflect on our mind and willpower. Eventually, we will be able to look back with pride and realize that we can achieve whatever we set our minds to.
Exercise
Besides being a great way to deal with most of the downsides from addiction, exercising will improve our physical and our mental health. The dedication and perseverance we embrace our workout routine with will strengthen our muscles, but more importantly, it will give our mind the power it needs to always stay strong and never give in to temptation or despair.
On the other hand, working out also releases endorphins, the hormones that allow us to feel joy and happiness. In turn, this will result in us feeling happier, more energized, motivated and with a much better outlook on life.
Addiction is never the end of the road, there’s always a way to come back to those we love and to ourselves. We just have to give our new life a chance and watch it blossom along with our spirit and soul. Once we hit bottom, we can only go up.
Have you tried any of these tips? If you’d like to suggest any other ideas to improve willpower during recovery, or if you’d like to share your story, let us know in the comments below.