Daily Practices for Building Resilience

The addiction recovery journey can be a trying one, and while it is home to many new experiences, accomplishments, and supportive peers, it isn’t without its daily battles. Building resilience throughout recovery and embracing daily practices to strengthen one’s resolve is crucial to maintaining sobriety while keeping a healthy emotional state. While the trials of recovery may feel constant, there are daily routines that each individual can practice to ensure they can bounce back from any hardship and maintain the healthy transformations established throughout their recovery journey.

Resilience is the ability to emotionally rebound from adversity. Being able to shake off negative influences, stresses, and unexpected events is a testament to one’s mental and emotional fortitude and can prevent an individual from feeling they need to take drastic actions to regain a sense of normalcy. Where acting on impulse in recovery can be dangerous, resilience is the ability to retain a healthy focus in the face of adversity.

Resilience isn’t the ability to avoid stress but rather to maintain control and return to a healthy emotional state when stress, adversity, or other negative influences occur. However, this kind of emotional control isn’t something that many are born with. Instead, resilience is a practiced skill that takes work to exercise.

Those who suffer from addiction experience no shortage of stress. Stress is ever-present, from the stresses of change throughout the recovery process to prevailing urges and cravings that may persist even long after a center for alcohol and drug treatment program has concluded. During these times, resilience is especially important to practice.

Being able to effectively process and let go of stresses is paramount for avoiding other unsafe practices. Urges, cravings, and the threat of slips and relapse can all be brought about by these stresses. An individual’s inherent response to adversity may still be to turn to addictive substances. By replacing these notions with other daily rituals, each person can best process these difficulties without turning back to the use of drugs or alcohol.

There are numerous ways to embrace resilience-building practices, and each individual will have their own most effective strategies. However, one builds resilience is up to them, and being open to new resilience-building techniques can help each individual find the practices best for them.

Establishing an effective morning routine is an incredibly powerful practice. Having a consistent morning alarm, hygiene routine, and scheduling time for a healthy breakfast before work all prevent an individual from feeling rushed or starting their day off being pulled by responsibilities. This essence of control is instrumental for ensuring that one’s day feels manageable instead of starting the day already stressed.

Gratitude plays a significant role in recovery. Making daily efforts to express gratitude can further deepen relationships while providing a more positive perspective. Expressing gratitude forces individuals to consider the aspects of their lives they have to be grateful for, helping combat feelings of stress, self-doubt, or defeatist mentalities. Finding something positive each day and expressing this gratitude continues to build on positive perspectives while bolstering one’s own emotional resilience.

Language is also a powerful recovery tool that may go overlooked. Even small changes to one’s vocabulary can have huge implications for one’s emotional resilience. Catching thoughts such as “I’m sorry, I’m so dumb!” and replacing them with “I’m sorry, I’ll fix it” can cause positive shifts in one’s emotional health. Thinking self-deprecating thoughts in any form takes a toll on one’s resilience. Eliminating this kind of language from one’s mind and vocabulary can change one’s perspective and build on one’s strength.

Each individual will have their own goals in sobriety, and while some may take months or years to accomplish, it is equally important to set simple daily goals. Getting to work on time, cooking a meal, or even working on an art project are daily goals that carry considerable weight. By creating daily lists of goals, an individual can watch their success play out in motion, bringing feelings of accomplishment and contextualizing any negative experiences by providing positive ones and promoting self-care.

Recovery is all about change and transformation. However, change can also be incredibly intimidating. By taking a few moments to breathe when faced with change or adversity, an individual can better analyze the situation. Some changes may be difficult to process but can also open new doors or opportunities that may not be immediately apparent. 

Practicing breathing techniques before acting is an incredibly powerful force of perspective. Resilience incorporates flexibility, and providing oneself with time can create the right mindset to cope with change and find its positive implications amidst otherwise trying emotional responses. 

Resilience is a key part of maintaining a healthy, sober lifestyle. Hawaii Island Recovery is the perfect center for alcohol and drug treatment that can help you take your first step toward sobriety while helping you build on your emotional resilience. We offer an array of programs, each of which can be personalized for your unique needs and goals. From detox to residential care, partial hospitalization programs, or continued outpatient care, our luxury rehab in Hawaii can be customized for your needs. We can help you manage your mental health and resilience-building skills, all while helping you explore a supportive, caring atmosphere and connecting you to the great community and culture of Hawaii. For more information on how we can personalize your time with us, or to speak to a caring, trained staff member about your unique situation, call us today at (866) 390-5070.