Daily Stress Management Strategies for Alumni

Alumni who have navigated the challenges of medical detox programs and are embracing a new and transformed life of sobriety still face a plethora of stresses. By no means is an alumnus’s recovery journey “over” when they graduate from a treatment program and return to their lives outside of a dedicated sober treatment facility. Continuing to manage stress is paramount for the mental health and continued sober progress of each alumnus. Working with peers, family, and the professionals at Hawaii Island Recovery’s luxury substance abuse treatment programs can help each alumnus find the strategies that best resonate with their progress in sobriety and implement these daily stress management strategies for a fulfilling sober life. 

Recovery and sobriety are ongoing journeys and are not something that is “completed” in any traditional sense. Constant adjustments are being made as each alumnus adapts to new situations, sets higher goals for themselves, and reaches new sober milestones. However, with this continued progress always comes a degree of stress, and alumni of any given addiction treatment program should plan to address stress in daily life after leaving a dedicated treatment facility. 

Most commonly, urges and cravings will continue even among alumni. Experiencing an urge or craving itself is completely normal. However, they can still be stressful and difficult to navigate, with dedicated strategies being necessary to effectively process and overcome them while maintaining a healthy abstinence from drugs or alcohol. 

Others will experience stress in more personal ways. Professional stresses as alumni navigate the workplace, interpersonal stresses while repairing relationships with loved ones and friends, and even financial stresses that come with day-to-day life are all common challenges that alumni must address. Stress can be a constant, but that doesn’t mean that alumni can’t take action and develop a healthy way of addressing it. 

Left unaddressed, stress can continue to mount, and can inform an alumnus’s perceptions of self-worth, energy levels, and beliefs, or even affect a person’s chances of slips or relapse in recovery. Employing daily stress management strategies is essential to managing each alumnus’s hard-earned change in sobriety.

Daily practices for stress management can be paramount to both overcoming daily stresses as well as preventing other stresses from manifesting in the first place. While the strategies that best empower each alumnus to manage stress will differ and finding the right combination of strategies may take some time, it is always possible to establish several effective daily stress management techniques. 

Using journals in recovery is a powerful stress management strategy. For some, the use of gratitude journals can be a great way to look back on past positive elements of each person’s recovery journey. Others may use journals to record both the challenges and the triumphs of daily life. Whether an alumnus is using a journal to contextualize how far they have come or is benefitting from having a tangible space to express their stresses so they do not continue to fester in their mind, journals can be a powerful stress management tool.

Exercise is another important strategy for managing stress. Getting the body and mind moving can help alumni from feeling trapped or complacent in daily life, all while promoting improved physical health and spiritual connections. While some may benefit from an at-home exercise routine, others may embrace outdoor elements for a new and refreshing approach to exercise. 

Taking walks on the beach or hiking trails, walking with a dog, or even engaging in outdoor yoga during appropriate seasons can all help to body feel better while furthering personal health. 

Mindfulness is another skill learned throughout recovery that can continue to be instrumental for sustained sobriety and success. Some possible daily mindfulness strategies can include anything from yoga and meditation to regular breathing exercises and daily stretches to empower alumni to pay attention to their bodies and clear their minds of unnecessary stresses. 

This can further empower alumni to better plan and focus on the day ahead, ensuring that they are not either bogged down by past stresses or worrying about things that may not have yet manifested. Daily mindfulness exercises can also promote a better focus and plan on how to prioritize and plan for the challenges of the day ahead without feeling overwhelmed. 

Staying connected with others can not only help to challenge stress and provide a listening ear but it can also be instrumental for continuing to overcome feelings of isolation that are commonplace throughout any stage of recovery. Continuing to engage in group therapy sessions and Hawaii Island Recovery support groups can be an amazing way to stay connected to others who understand and share in the journey of overcoming daily stress as an alumnus. 

However, others may look to family and friends to process stress and to promote a feeling of camaraderie. Staying active on a group message with friends, sending one email a day, or making a phone call to a loved one can all provide outlets for alumni to process stress while challenging isolation. 

Each alumnus and person, whether they have navigated the challenges of addiction recovery or not, will have to deal with some degree of stress daily. Daily practices for coping with stress without turning to the use of drugs or alcohol are crucial skills for those in recovery, and we at Hawaii Island Recovery are committed to helping you find the best approach to continuing to navigate stress for a healthy, sober life. Our holistic approach to treatment addresses not just a person’s symptoms and challenges with addiction but also instills the skills and perspectives needed to maintain sober change even amidst other challenges of the real world. Learn how our luxury substance abuse treatment can help at (866) 390-5070.