Recovery Is Possible: 5 Encouraging Ideas To Keep In Mind

16 Jul, 2021
recovery

One of the reasons that recovery of any kind can be so difficult is the belief that it’s impossible, or that we’re not strong enough.

From the outside in, anyone who knows you is well aware that you can pull yourself out. When you’re going through addiction or mental health struggles, though, it can be very hard to see what you’re capable of.

We’re going to take a look at some recovery ideas to keep in mind today, giving you a little inspiration and perspective. Hopefully, the ideas below can give you the little push you need to shift in the direction of hope and change.

1. You Are Capable of Recovery

A big shift can occur when we think of our progress in objective terms.

Is there anything in your situation that actually prevents you from recovering? Addiction and mental illness are diseases, but there are very few things that actively prevent an individual from breaking an addiction or coming to a healthy place with a chronic mental illness.

No ogre is guarding the bridge, and there aren’t any chains around your ankle. It may feel like those things exist, but they don’t. Objectively speaking, there aren’t any definite obstacles that would prevent you from recovering if you gave it a true shot.

Let’s take the example of smoking cigarettes. What would it take to quit smoking cigarettes? It would take the resisting of every urge that came your way.

It’d be very hard for the first few weeks, but things would lighten up after that. If you have the ability to resist one strong urge to smoke a cigarette, you do have it in you to fight off the rest.

So, it’s possible. It isn’t easy, but you have the strength to make it happen.

2. Imagine Life When You’re Out of The Dark

Another hindrance to progress is a narrow view of life. You may have been suffering for so long that you’ve forgotten to think about what life was before. Further, you might have stopped imagining what life could be.

So, take a moment to think about what recovery would look like. You’re healthier. Your relationships are deeper. Plus, you’ve got the knowledge that you overcame one of the hardest things that anyone could overcome.

Keep in mind that recovery is hard, but there isn’t anything more rewarding than clawing your way out and into a healthy life.

3. Few People Succeed Right Away

Have you tried and failed a few times?

Well, you’re not alone. Most people have a hard time turning their entire lives around on a dime. That’s okay.

It’s like riding a bike, or trying to play a sport, or playing an instrument. It takes time to get your legs under you and start walking. It’s alright to offer a little compassion to yourself as you try your best.

How would you view someone else in the same situation? Would you critique them as your brain criticizes you when you slip up? Probably not.

Instead, you’d offer the support appropriate to their situation. You can give yourself permission to hold a forgiving attitude and reduce the immense pressure you might be facing.

That isn’t to say that it’s alright to relapse or slip back up, but it’s saying that your best is something to be applauded. You know when you’ve given it your all, and sometimes we fail regardless of our effort.

Over time, though, that effort will shine through and lead to pure recovery.

4. You Are Not Alone

Know that there are other people out there right now who are experiencing very similar situations to your own. Other people are out there writhing and struggling to find the light to keep them going.

They’re doing it, and you can do it, and it’s worth knowing that you’re not alone. The idea that nobody understands or that you’ve got it far worse than all of the others isn’t always productive. In fact, it can keep you from feeling well enough to make progress.

Making contact with other people in the situation you’re in might be helpful to break the stigma surrounding mental illness and addiction in your own mind. It’s something that happens, and one constant factor is a particular feeling that you’re alone.

It’s a mental construct that keeps us from changing. It magnifies the issue beyond reason and invalidates the insight and help that the people around you might want to give.

You think, “nobody could ever understand.” That makes it easy to deflect the incoming love that might prompt you to recover. Know that the feeling of perceived isolation is the symptom of what you’re going through, not the cause.

5. Things Can Be Repaired

Experiencing true rock-bottom or mental turmoil produces a grim view of one’s life. Everything seems beyond repair, ruined, forever changed.

No matter what your circumstances are, you still have the ability to produce a healthy environment around you. The things that scare you now will ease up and become points of enjoyment in your future life.

The relationships that took some damage are still there, waiting to be tended to. The lens that addiction and mental illness can offer is dark.

So, take whatever that lens tells you with a grain of salt. You just have to wait and see what things look like with a healthy brain. Odds are that they’ll look a lot brighter.

All you need is a little time to let things mend. Whether that’s a few weeks, months, or years, it’s a beautiful thing to know that your situation isn’t beyond repair. You might just need a little help getting there.

Need Recovery Help?

Working through recovery can be one of the most challenging obstacles in a person’s life. We’re here to help you get through that process and wind up safe and sound on the other side.

Contact us for more inspiration, insight into recovery, pricing, and more. There are resources out there to help you find the footing to get out of addiction and mental illness.

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