Fueling Your Recovery: The Importance of Self-Care

This Valentine’s Day, you may have given your significant other flowers or chocolates, but if you’ve chosen to embrace sobriety, you’ve saved the best gift for yourself—and it’s one you can give yourself every day!

Even with the goodness that comes from sobriety, you may struggle to imagine coping with life’s ups and downs without the assistance of a substance. If this is you, you’re not alone. 

The good news is, self-care can help. 

When you show up for yourself—and you already have by choosing sobriety—you empower your recovery. By prioritizing your well-being every day, you build a strong foundation for success. In this sense, it’s another gift you can give yourself, and the benefits extend to every area of life!

Self-care may sound like a selfish business, but it’s not. If there are people in your life who depend on you—whether a spouse, children, or even aging parents—you may think you have no time to address your own needs.

Let’s use an analogy to hammer home the importance of self-care here:

Pretend that the people in your life depend on you for transportation. If you fail to fuel your car or service it when it needs new belts, brakes, or tires, you won’t be able to drive anyone anywhere. Your vehicle will be little more than a driveway decoration.

In the same way, if you neglect your own needs, you won’t be able to help others with theirs. In fact, in the absence of self-care, you may have come to rely on substances to keep going when—to continue with the car metaphor—you found yourself running on fumes. 

When your tank is empty, self-care helps us meet our own needs and empowers us to live well, impacting our lives positively on the whole. 

So, what does self-care look like? 

Think of it as any practice that keeps you healthy, whether physically, mentally, socially, spiritually, or otherwise. In this way, self-care does more than support long-term sobriety—it supports a healthier you overall.

• Exercise eases the symptoms associated with withdrawal, anxiety, and depression, helping people abstain from substance use.
• Mindfulness is another form of self-care that helps you monitor your inner state. Mindfulness can help you recognize your triggers and desires so you can choose healthier coping strategies instead. 
• Other forms of self-care include a healthy diet, adequate sleep, meditation, and connecting with others who have embraced sobriety—and these are just a few examples. There are plenty of other ways to set yourself up for success in sobriety through self-care! 

Learn more about how self-care supports sobriety, or if you are ready to start your journey toward recovery, contact ACCADA today. We will meet you where you are and provide the support services you need to succeed. 

Reach out to us today and tell us your story. We are ready to listen, eager to help, and excited to cheer you on in your sobriety journey!