Change, even welcome change, can be very stressful.
Events such as losing your job, a death in the family, getting a new job, or learning that your partner is pregnant – all of these are stressful events.
And, being under stress is one of the ways someone with addiction issues can relapse into their addiction.
But, there are things you can do to help with the stress and issues of major life changes.
Here, we offer six ways to stay clean and sober, even with a major life change going on.
This doesn’t have to be you checking into a rehab center, but ask for help and get it. If you need assistance with things going on in your life, find help for yourself.
Look for AA meetings for your issues, ask to speak with your therapist or counselor on a more regular basis, and get assistance for things that are going on. Most people are more than willing to help if you ask and even if they can’t help themselves – they might know someone that can help.
Taking care of yourself makes it easier to handle stress and avoids things that can cause you to fall back on your addictions.
Eat as healthy as you can on a regular basis and avoid any radical dietary changes, if possible. Get exercise, any fitness remedy like pilates, or even if it’s only walking around the block for fifteen minutes.
Sleep at least six hours a night, eat at least two meals a day, and shower at least once a day.
Put away anything that is stressful-like work or family issues or anything else-at least a half hour before bedtime if you can. This practice becomes even more essential when you’re on the road in a campervan, where creating a relaxing bedtime routine can contribute significantly to a restful night’s sleep during your travel adventures.
It’s astonishing how many large problems are actually a whole collection of small ones.
When you have what looks like an overwhelming life change going on; taking a step back, figuring out what the individual steps of the problem are, and working through those individual steps can turn a mountain of stress into a molehill of solvable problems.
And, each of these milestones you can celebrate completing, even if it’s just crossing it off a list somewhere.
It’s very easy to lose contact with people as stress mounts. And, almost always for the same reason-you’re too busy with any number of issues that are going on. This is bad, as isolation will drive your stress up and make it easier to relapse.
Stay in touch with people you care about, even if it’s only a phone call, meeting for coffee, or regular email. Be proactive about it, because often people are waiting for someone to make the first step.
But, if circumstances are eating away at your time and energy, you should say “no” and make it stick as needed.
In most cases, you can offer an olive branch dependent on the circumstances and you should offer it.
Your needs do come first and you should take care of yourself before trying to help out other people.
Some problems can’t be avoided, but there are problems that can be avoided.
If you know that a wedding will have large quantities of alcohol and you’re an alcoholic, you shouldn’t go because that will add stress. If a family member’s funeral will mean that you could get into a fight with other family members, find a way to not attend with minimal friction.
Bad circumstances happen, but you shouldn’t feel forced into a bad circumstance that you can get out of ahead of time.
However your life changes, it’s going to be stressful. Even the most welcome change requires you to get out of your comfort zone and that can be risky for anyone. But, there are ways to deal with the stress of changes in your life.
You’ll discover that there are a lot of people out there who want to help. And, that a few bad days doesn’t mean you have to give up on your recovery.
