Recovery can feel like a full time job because in many ways, it is. The many things you are told you need to do through a day to take care of your mental health are recovery based. You go to treatment, you go to therapy, you read books, you journal, you practice self-care, you talk about your feelings, you talk about your spirituality, and more. Recovery can take up many more hours of your life than you are prepared for it to take up. It is easy to get tired of recovery and want to take a break. There are healthy and unhealthy ways to deal with “too much” recovery.
There are ways to take a step back from everything recovery without completely detaching from recovery itself. Here are some ways to evaluate what is going on in your relationship to recovery and make an adjustment.
Look at how many meetings you are going to per week. In the beginning, it is normal to go to multiple meetings a day. Eventually, you grow out of the need to do so. Too many meetings could be exhausting you. Cut down your meetings to one per day, or a minimum of 4 per week. You’ll find that you reset your perspective on meetings and are still inspired by your recovery.
Observe how often you are being of service and how much time you’re taking for yourself. Being of service is heavily emphasized in recovery as a way to give back, give to others, and “get out of self”. Sometimes, you can get too caught up in being of service and your selflessness outweighs your selfishness. If you’ve taken on too many responsibilities, agree not to take on any more and if necessary cut back on the ones you already committed to. Though you are learning to stick to your commitments, your mental health is still a priority.
Have some “normal” fun without drugs and alcohol. Sticking close to the recovery community can get a little stiff in the fun department. If you are ready to get out into the world, it can be beneficial to have some non-recovery fun. Go on an adventure, head to a theme park, go dancing, or try any other activity, without drugs and alcohol. You’ll realize that “recovery” doesn’t have to be a myopic world. Instead, everything you do clean and sober, you do in recovery.
Smarmore Castle Private Clinic encourages patients to develop a manner of living which encourages abstinence and purposeful living. Utilizing the proven Castle Craig model, our residential treatment programmes renew patients’ sense of purpose and meaning life. For information on our detox and treatment services, call to speak with a caring staff member today at +353 41 214 5111.
