When you get sober, you can focus on your physical and mental health. But that doesn’t mean everything you do will be healthy for you. Many of us with histories of addiction have a tendency to engage in things that feel good in the moment, but aren’t great for us in the long run.
Identifying What’s Not Working
Knowing whether something or someone is healthy for you takes emotional awareness. You can build this through therapy, a meditation practice, regular journaling, or any avenue that feels right to you. These things help you recognize what you are feeling, which can be a challenge when you’re accustomed to using drugs or alcohol to mask your emotions.
Is There Anything You’re Neglecting?
Sometimes the unhealthy thing is what you’re not doing. You might be deprioritizing your recovery program or isolating yourself from your support system. An article in the Yale Journal of Biological Medicine lists the five stages of a relapse. The first is emotional relapse, when you haven’t necessarily thought of using substances, but you’re keeping feelings inside, becoming externally focused, and neglecting self-care.[1]
“The common denominator of emotional relapse is poor self-care,” the authors write, “in which self-care is broadly defined to include emotional, psychological, and physical care.”
I’ve Decided it’s Unhealthy—Now What Do I Do?
If you’re questioning whether something is good for your mental health, it may be because it’s making you feel bad. Interrogate these feelings. You might try journaling with specific prompts in mind, like “how do I feel after I engage in this activity?” or “what are the reasons to keep doing it?”
If you decide that it’s not great for you, give yourself compassion in your efforts to limit or stop. Realizing something is unhealthy for us does not mean it’s always easy to stop doing it. You were engaging in the unhealthy thing for a reason—maybe because it caused temporary good feelings.
You might journal or talk to your therapist about why you engaged in the activity or with the person. What were they giving you that you needed? Is there another way you can find it that doesn’t feel bad later on? If there’s another person involved, your therapist can help you practice setting boundaries.
Society tends to represent concepts as black-and-white, but they are very rarely that way. Sure, some things are inherently unhealthy, but generally what is healthy for one person might not be for another. It’s important to regularly assess what might be holding you back in recovery—as well as what is adding joy to your life.
If you are struggling with a substance use or mental health disorder, there is help and hope. TruHealing Centers offers high-quality treatment for addiction and mental health disorders in facilities across the country. Our staff—many of whom are in recovery themselves—will help you practice healthy coping skills, so that you can handle whatever life brings sober. Call an admissions specialist at 410-593-0005.
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4553654/
