It is often said that staying sober is more complicated than getting sober. There is no doubt that a lot of hard work goes into getting into recovery. However, the real work in recovery begins once treatment ends and you are back into your normal daily grind. To preserve your hard-earned sobriety, you must have a wide range of healthy coping skills at your disposal. Perhaps one of the most important of those skills is self-care practices. You may know, in general, what self-care is, but you may ask yourself the question of how to practice self-care.
This article will define self-care and what self-care methods you should employ to minimize the risk of relapse. If you have a son or daughter that is newly recovered, contact Thrive Teen toll-free today to learn more about our effective aftercare support programs. These programs will give your teen the confidence to transform their lives for the better. Call Thrive Teen today to learn more about teen therapy in Los Angeles.
As stated in the introduction, you may have heard of the term self-care but not be as aware of the various self-care methods you can utilize in your recovery. Let’s start with a simple definition of self-care, which is taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health. Self-care promotes one’s overall health, helps minimize the risk of disease, and helps people deal with the stresses of everyday life in a healthy fashion. Individual self-care is comprised of many different activities that people can mix and match to suit their personal tastes, schedule, and overall goals.
Learning how to practice self-care starts with the understanding there are many ways you can incorporate sound self-care activities in your daily life. Self-care can be seen as comprising of “Seven Pillars” in which activities from each “pillar” can be mixed and matched to suit your personal needs. It is important to choose a wide range of self-care activities to achieve a well-balanced daily schedule. The University of Kansas breaks down these Seven Pillars of self-care as the following:
Mental
Mental Self-Care involves creating a healthy mindset through mindfulness and curiosity. This can be accomplished through journaling, meditation, and taking an intentional break from screen time (TV, internet, and phone usage).
Emotional
To practice emotional self-care, you want to create healthy coping strategies for any stresses that might occur in your daily life. You can do this by watching your favorite movie, listening to music, writing positive affirmations for yourself, asking others for help when you need it, and setting boundaries to protect yourself and your heart.
Physical
Physical self-care involves taking care of your body with rest, nutrition, and movement. Some examples of physical self-care include eating meals at regular times, drinking plenty of water each day, taking a daily multivitamin, getting a good night’s sleep, and trying a new group fitness class.
Environmental
To take care of the places around you and the places you love, you’ll need to practice environmental self-care. To do this, rearrange your workspace with a peaceful arrangement, explore new places, declutter your living space, go for walks outdoors, and appeal to your five senses.
Spiritual
Activities or practices that give you a sense of meaning provide you with spiritual self-care. Some of these activities or practices could be spending time in nature, finding a community, identifying the values that are most important to you, and volunteering.
Recreational
It’s important to make time for hobbies and activities that interest you. Doing so will result in practicing recreational self-care. Some activities include taking time for hobbies, going on an adventure, taking time to relax and do nothing, playing board games or video games, and switching up your daily routine.
Social
Building relationships and making connections with healthy boundaries is the best way to practice social self-care. Some examples of social self-care are connecting with friends, calling your relatives, writing a letter to a friend, talking to a support group, and chatting with an online community.
The greatest benefit of self-care practices is the seemingly endless activities you can find and combine to make your own. Take the time to explore self-care practices and find the ones that work best for you. If certain practices are not working for you or not bringing you enjoyment, you can simply replace them with a new practice.
Teens that incorporate healthy self-care practices into their daily lives grow to be strong, smart, and healthy adults. At Thrive Teen’s Southern California rehab center, we offer a wide range of outpatient aftercare programs that allow teens to learn healthy coping skills they can use in the real world to keep physically and mentally strong. Call Thrive Teen today and give your son or daughter the tools they need to succeed.