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How to Get Out of a Rut in Recovery

How to Get Out of a Rut in Recovery

When you’re in the early stages of recovery you may feel like you’re on top of the world. Every day seems to bring new revelations, ideas, and progress. But as the days pass and you spend more time out of treatment and in the world, you may eventually hit a wall. Recovery isn’t a steady progression, but rather a road that has lots of twists and turns. Hitting a recovery rut in addiction recovery is normal, but it can be a cause for relapse if the proper steps aren’t taken. As a drug rehab center in Gilman, we wanted to offer some tips on how to get out of a rut in recovery and get back on track.

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8 Tips on How To Get Out of a Rut in Recovery From Addiction

It’s normal for people to become bored, unmotivated, or discouraged when they’re working towards a certain goal. We’re human, and it’s normal to hit a point where you feel stuck every once in a while. However, falling into an addiction recovery rut can bring along feelings of hopelessness and sadness, which may contribute to a relapse if you aren’t careful. To help those who are working on their sobriety and don’t want to miss a beat, we’re sharing eight ways to break out of a recovery rut.

Review your recovery plan and goals

An addiction recovery plan is a schedule or list of goals that you may want to achieve every day until they become habits. For example, one of these goals may be to perform at least one act of kindness every day. Addiction can lead to selfish behavior, and while the person can’t control this, changing this pattern of behavior in recovery can help you stay clean. When escaping a recovery rut, the first thing you should do is review your goals to see if there’s a discrepancy you may have overlooked. How do you spend your time and what do you actually want to spend your time on? Setting your mind to making these adjustments can break you out of your rut in no time. Patients who receive addiction treatment at Banyan Treatment Centers Heartland are also offered the continuous support of our alumni program. This program offers group therapy and the opportunity to connect with and learn from others who are also working toward long-term sobriety.

Don’t neglect self-care

A common mistake that addicts make in recovery is neglecting self-care. Self-care refers to setting aside time in the day to do things that promote happiness and relaxation. Neglecting this step can slowly wear down your resolve. You may think you’re okay and you can take on the stress and responsibilities of everyday life with no off time, we simply aren’t meant to operate that way. This stress and negativity can build up over time and contribute to a relapse. Everyone needs a break, so be sure to set aside at least 30 minutes every day to do something positive that makes you happy.

Limit your screen time

It’s normal to rely on other things in recovery to keep yourself distracted. Boredom is a looming threat that everyone wants to avoid. We may turn to our phones, TVs, and computers to satisfy our need to constantly be entertained and distracted, but this isn’t healthy. Too much screen time promotes isolation instead of communication. Limit your screen time and be intentional about the time you spend with others. Talk with your family, put down your phone during meals, take one day out of the week to do something fun with loved ones.

Go to therapy

We incorporate a variety of special programs and therapies in our treatments because we know they’re effective. If you’ve hit a rough patch in your journey and you don’t feel like anything is helping, speak to a therapist. Therapists are licensed professionals that are trained to help you uncover any underlying issues that may be hindering your progress. Don’t wait until you feel worse or until you’re closer to relapse to reach out to someone for help.

Change something about your routine

The most common reason people hit a rut when working towards any is that they’ve become stagnant. It’s common to plateau after an incredible progression if you don’t change up your routine. It’s kind of like exercising, if you keep doing the same workout for a year, you’ll maintain yourself, but you won’t progress. Take a step back and think about how your daily routine is set. Don’t do much physical activity? Go for a walk every day. Spending too much time on your phone? Pick a time of day where you leave your phone in the room and do something else. Change it up.

Take up a new hobby or challenge

Another way to change things up is to take up a new challenge. Lots of people dream of hobbies they’d love to try but never attempt them because they’re too busy or don’t seem to get around to it. Two big factors of recovery are discipline and patience, and taking up a new hobby or challenge is a great way to expand on these two things. Whether you have a goal to complete a running marathon or want to learn how to build luxury birdhouses, set aside the time and do it.

Volunteer

Sometimes a rut is a result of focusing too much on ourselves and not enough on others. It may sound cheesy, but pouring our blessings and joy into others is a much greater gift than anything we could set up for ourselves. Volunteer work is a great way to meet new people, make new friends, and help others while learning how to receive from giving.

Be patient with yourself

Pushing yourself too hard can burn you out and push you back to square one. If you wouldn’t expect anyone else in your position to automatically be okay, why expect it of yourself? Recovery is an ongoing process, and while the thought of not having a finish line can be anxiety-inducing, it’s also a relief to know that you can always get better and stronger. You’ve already completed addiction treatment and now you’re living a life free from addiction, you’re doing amazing! Be patient with yourself during this difficult journey, your future self will appreciate it.

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Whether you need tips on how to break out of a recovery rut or you need to begin your recovery journey, we can help. Call Banyan Heartland now at 888-280-4763 to learn more about our levels of care and our addiction recovery resources.

 

Alyssa, Director of Digital Marketing
Alyssa, Director of Digital Marketing
Alyssa is the National Director of Digital Marketing and is responsible for a multitude of integrated campaigns and events in the behavioral health and addictions field. All articles have been written by Alyssa and medically reviewed by our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Darrin Mangiacarne.