Four Key Decisions to Enhance Recovery

Decisions to enhance recovery

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4 Difference-Making Decisions That Will Change the Course of Your Recovery

By Jennifer Woodson

You’ve made the decision to change your life for the better, and now you’re in the midst of making that happen. Along the way, you’ve learned that recovery is hard.

You experience days when you feel tired. You sometimes still face a temptation to relapse or feel the needling side effects of withdrawal. Despite these setbacks, you are determined to keep moving forward and get your life back on track. If you are ready to kick your recovery into overdrive, here are four key decisions you can make right now.

  • Focus on Fitness 

You’ll be surprised at how far a little exercise can go in changing your life. People from all walks of life have experienced the transformative power that exercise can have, and that goes for people in recovery as well. Exercise will not only change how you look, but also how you feel and perceive yourself. As someone in recovery, you can use exercises such as swimming, jogging, or even yoga as a means to change your overall mood and perception. Exercise can boost your confidence and self-esteem and make you feel better all around.

Focusing on fitness does not stop there, either. Once you begin to see initial results, you’ll start to work into a routine to help you keep progressing. Over time, this workout routine will lead to other routines in your day to day, giving your life much-needed order and structure. The extra structure you gain by your dedication to fitness will support your addiction recovery and lead to other healthy decisions down the road.

  • Change What You Eat 

Those who have suffered through drug and alcohol addiction know that it’s important to be mindful of what we put into our bodies. What we consume affects more than just our appetite. It also affects how we think and feel.

If you continue to eat fatty, unhealthy foods, then you’ll begin to feel groggy, sluggish, and tired. By switching to a healthier, nutrient-rich diet, you’ll start to feel more energetic and even more positive as you go about your daily routine. Pair this with exercise, and you’ll notice that your recovery is occurring at a quicker pace. You’ll wonder why you didn’t try exercising and eating healthy sooner.

  • Start a New Hobby 

Beyond diet and exercise, sometimes the best boost you can give to your recovery is finding a new hobby or passion to pursue. The perfect hobby will hold your interest for an entire afternoon or even a full weekend. It will excite you as the week rolls on, and you will look forward to the next time you get to take that fishing trip, play your instrument, or finish that art project.

There are hobbies to fit any kind of interest, from reading books to woodworking. For the best results, pair your hobbies with SMART goals to give them structure and help keep your recovery going strong. (Your SMART goal will be “Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely.”)

  • Take a Trip

Similar to diet, exercise, and hobbies, traveling can be an eye-opening experience that inspires and motivates. If you start to feel a bit stagnant in your recovery, perhaps the best course of action is to plan a trip in your near future. This would give you a chance to escape your daily routine and expose yourself to new places, faces, and experiences. By experiencing something new and different, you will gain a new perspective that you can use to fuel your recovery.

These are just a few ideas to get your recovery back on the right track. Remember that the hardest part to overcoming addiction is making the decision to quit. Now that you’re ready to create a happier, healthier life, you can use these strategies to accelerate your recovery and start thriving.

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