Sobriety can lead to many changes, but it does not create miracles. The stresses of life still arise. Times of personal stress can tempt people into soothing their worries as they did before they became sober. It is possible to overcome this and remain committed to sobriety. Here are ten tips for coping with stress during sobriety.
Attend Support Meeting
Recovery introduces people to others who understand how they feel. Support meetings offer the chance to feel less alone and learn healthy coping mechanisms from other people’s real-life experiences.
Focus on Fitness
Healthy diet and exercise programs encourage sobriety and manage stress. Exercise boosts “feel-good” hormones that relax the mind and body and improve mood. Healthy diets can also increase hormone production to make anxiety easier to manage.
Keep Yourself Busy
Too much free time makes it easy to become bored and overthink problems. With too much time to fill, people may fall back on old coping techniques. Staying busy reduces the risk of making a regrettable choice out of boredom.
Find a Hobby
A hobby lets the realities of the world fall away as the participant focuses on something enjoyable. Participation in hobbies teaches new skills, leads to accomplishments, and lets the participant meet new people. All the benefits help to reduce stress.
Practice Regular Meditation
Meditation offers stress reduction benefits. Shutting out the world and personal chatter can seem impossible initially, but the process becomes more effective with practice. Meditation can provide physical and emotional health improvements when performed at the start or end of the day.
Discuss Feelings Honestly
Group and individual therapy sessions at New Horizon Counseling Center help people express their feelings and reduce the stress of withheld emotions. Support groups and counseling are one solution, but it also helps to talk openly to loved ones about personal frustrations, fears, and pain.
Establish a Schedule
Daily routines offer stability and security. A schedule reduces stress because it takes away the unknown. When people know what to expect from their day, they can feel less fearful. Routines can seem dull, but they are often the best choice for keeping life stable and making sobriety feel less overwhelming during periods of stress.
Get Enough Sleep
Exhaustion can make people more emotional and less capable of managing the unexpected. People that get an appropriate amount of sleep typically experience better overall health, mental clarity, and energy.
Become More Thankful
Gratitude expressed daily puts the focus on what is right in life. Listing things to feel grateful for each day can help people see all the good. Doing so at night can put people in a more thankful and relaxed mood as they fall asleep.
Get Fresh Air
Research shows that the best natural stress relief is as easy as walking in the park. Oxygen increases the levels of relaxing serotonin in the body. The scent of flowers, the sound of birds, and the warmth of sunshine are proven mood boosters. Enjoying the beauty of nature can allow people to step back from their problems and put things in a unique perspective.
Stress does not have to interrupt sobriety. At New Horizon Counseling Center, we know there are many ways to cope with the issues of modern life. Learning to manage stress healthfully can help people build the confidence they need to remain committed to staying sober and living the life they deserve. Learn more about the recovery programs that we offer at New Horizon Counseling Center by heading over to this link: https://www.nhcc.us/chemical-dependency-programs/.
