It would be truly wonderful if you could go through treatment for a substance use disorder and then never have to worry about having a hard day again.
But, of course, hard days pop up in everyone’s life—and are sure to make an appearance from time to time in the life of a person in recovery from a substance use disorder. Those difficult days might take any number of forms, from a tough day at the office to a persistent craving that seems determined to convince you need drugs or alcohol. There will be days when you are physically ill and days when your mental health is not at its peak.
The challenges of life just keep coming, so it is important to develop strategies for dealing with them when they arise. Your main priority should be to keep your recovery intact so that a bad day—or a series of bad days—does not set you on the road to a relapse.
Among the strategies we suggest for managing bad days is developing a commitment to being gentle with yourself.
We Tend to be Hard on Ourselves
Most everyone has an inner voice that is constantly providing commentary on their life. You might think of them as akin to the color commentator for a sporting event. Most announcing teams have at least two people—one who does play-by-play descriptions and another who shares insights and stories. Those insights and stories add “color” to the broadcast.
When it comes to your personal color commentator, it can seem like that inner voice is rooting for anybody but you. Your commentator might remind you that you said something embarrassing—today or yesterday or 10 years ago! Your commentator might tell you that you are not smart enough or talented enough to achieve your personal goals. And your commentator might tell you over and over that you will never be able to keep your recovery going over time.
This, of course, is the opposite of being gentle with yourself. That is why it is a good practice to employ some affirmations in your daily life that can provide a counter-narrative to your grumpy color commentator.
But that critical voice is bound to make itself heard from time to time—especially when you are facing a difficult day. In those cases, being gentle with yourself means making a conscious decision to set that voice aside, focus on the present moment, and move forward. It is not always easy to do so, but if you can build the skill over time so it will see you through rough situations.
Keep Some Coping Tools Handy
Some people have success managing anxiety with one of the various kinds of fidget toys available. Others might find using an app for a quick guided meditation or breathing exercise to be an effective way to reset when things are difficult. Taking a brief walk or calling a friend or taking a moment to savor a piece of chocolate (we suggest dark chocolate for its health benefits) can also be good strategies. And all of these things—and many more—can be used in combination to help you weather tough times.
Too often, life seems to require powering through no matter what, even when that means setting aside your emotions or ignoring physical manifestations of the stress you are under. But that is not a sustainable approach to managing hard days. In fact, consistently trying to power through just sets you up for a bigger crash when you can’t sustain it anymore—and that can certainly lead to relapse.
It is better, then, to deal with challenges as they arise in whatever healthy way works for you. That is part of what it means to be gentle with yourself.
You Simply Must Rest, Relax, and Recharge
It might seem odd to suggest that you absolutely must build time for resting, relaxing, and recharging into your schedule. It sounds like a demand—and most of us simply do not need any more demands in our lives.
But we would argue that requiring yourself to reset—each day, over the weekend, by taking vacations, and more—is a way to make it possible for you to effectively address challenges and make it through difficult days. You are simply more resilient when you are not exhausted, and resilience can see you through a lot.
Being gentle with yourself means making this one demand of yourself. We encourage you to make it kindly—and to stick with it.
Don’t Be Gentle with a Substance Use Disorder
A substance use disorder can upend your entire life. Drugs and alcohol chip away at mental and physical health, damage important relationships, undermine your ability to work to support yourself and others, and can lead to truly tragic outcomes—for you or for those who encounter you while you are under the influence. If you have developed a substance use disorder, a straightforward and effective solution is called for.
That’s what’s on offer at French Creek Recovery Center, located in Meadville, Pennsylvania. We provided personalized treatment plans to help you overcome a substance use disorder and any co-occurring mental health disorders that may be in play. When you are ready to make a change, we can help.