- Be sure to start each day with a clean home or room
- Get rid of cash and paraphernalia
- Daylight is important so open your windows to let the sunlight come in
- Keep your refrigerator well stocked with healthy snacks, fruits, and vegetables
- Post your recovery intentions somewhere you look every day
Are you at risk for a relapse?
Happy March! While Spring doesn’t officially start this year until March 20th, it can be nice to know now that we are only days away from warmer weather and longer days.
This week I would like to focus on relapse and what we can do to prevent one. Relapse is very common but if you can absolutely prevent one by recognizing the early triggers and you must be committed to do something about it.
Here are some internal signs that you might be thinking about a relapse:
- Not being able to think clearly (brain fog, sleepiness, etc.)
- Not being able to manage your emotions
- Difficulty remembering things
- Buckling too easily under pressure or stress
- Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much
- Feeling especially clumsy
- Feeling guilty
If you are experiencing any of these signs you may be headed for a relapse. The good news is, is that you can prevent this. Start today by making a list of things you can do to get past these feelings. How can you distract yourself or work through them?
Unconditional Forgiveness
A critical part of recovery is forgiveness. Forgiveness must not be mistaken for acceptance. And, forgiveness does not mean you have to allow that person into your life again which is a very common misconception.
But, how do you forgive someone that truly hurt you? It’s complicated right? Think about forgiveness like this. When you forgive someone you are focusing on yourself. It’s not about them. You are not giving them permission to do it again or saying that what they did was okay. You are forgiving them so that you can move on and not live in the past. When you let go of old resentments you will be amazed at how free you will feel.
Once you start the forgiveness journey understand that it’s a process. You won’t just one day suddenly forgive someone and then feel free. The process will take time and you will need to allow your mind to work through all of the old feelings associated with that person. A good place to start is to recognize that everyone in this world has been hurt at some point in their life. Once you identify this important fact you will be able to put yourself in their shoes and try to know that what they did to you or how they made you feel may not have been their true intentions.
Good luck with this as we know this may be one of the hardest things you have to do.
Share your forgiveness story with us at liverehab@liverehab.com We will anonymously publish it on our Facebook page so that your story can inspire others who are struggling with this.