Positive daily habits are a great way to keep yourself grounded, regardless of what you’re going through.
If addiction is present, it’s all the more important to prioritise healthy habit building, as a way to strengthen yourself against temptations and cravings.
We’re sharing our top tips for crafting a solid recovery routine after rehab. Don’t miss out!
Why Daily Habits Matter for Wellbeing
Daily habits are very closely linked with overall wellbeing.
When we have a healthy routine we can follow, we’re less exhausted by decision fatigue, and we feel stable and secure in ourselves. This boosts confidence, improves physical health, increases motivation, and enhances feelings of safety.
It goes without saying that significant life changes also shape our wellbeing. The reason we’re highlighting daily habits today is this: there are small, manageable steps you can be taking each day to vastly improve your wellbeing.
Incorporating healthy daily habits may look like:
- Eating three balanced meals a day
- Getting outside at least once a day
- Saying affirmations in the mirror each morning
- Journalling before bed
- Reaching out to a loved one during your lunch break
There are many ways to introduce positive habits into your life. If this list feels too overwhelming, why not start with just one?
The Role of Routine in Addiction Recovery
Recovery is a daily battle. It’s not a case of completing one detox and being set for life, or staying at rehab for one month and never needing therapy again. Sobriety is built step by step, day by day, habit by habit.
When you’re in recovery, these habits carry much more weight. The risk of relapse is always present, so taking charge of your daily routine is an empowering way to put yourself first and avoid relapse.
It’s important to take things slowly. Ticking off very small tasks is often healthier than setting yourself an enormous challenge, and feeling discouraged if you don’t achieve it.
Besides, you won’t be at your healthiest when you’re still in the early stages of recovery. Remember you’re still mentally and physically vulnerable, and it will take time to restore the structure and routine that was most likely disrupted by your addiction.
Despite the vulnerabilities, this early stage is the best time to start building habits.
You may find you have much more time than usual, and following a routine provides you with a focus away from your addiction. Setting daily habits can also reward you with a sense of control over your sobriety, which is a great preventative measure for relapse.
Small Daily Habits That Support Recovery
Some people struggle with the transition out of drug or alcohol rehab, which is highly structured, into their home environment, where there’s perhaps no pressure to stick to a routine.
The best advice is to mimic rehab as best as possible. No, you can’t sit alongside other patients every day, and eat meals together, but you can replicate that sense of community and predictability by:
- Going to a self-help group at the same time every day
- Having good sleep hygiene, e.g., a set time to wind down and a set time to sleep
- Eating meals at the same time every day
- Calling a friend at a specific time each day
It’s not all about timing, either. There are other ways to hold onto a sense of familiarity, such as:
- Continuing with addiction therapy
- Meditating throughout the day
- Practising mindfulness whenever you can
- Setting daily intentions
- Reflecting on your sobriety experience
- Keeping a gratitude journal
What’s Habit Stacking?
Habit stacking is when you add new habits to your current routine. For example:
- Putting essential oils into your diffuser when you get into bed
- Messaging a loved one when you get into your car
- Doing your laundry when you’re waiting for your dinner to cook
- Listening to calming music as you fall asleep
- Stretching before you get into the shower
You’re probably already habit stacking without realising it. Do you wash your face when you brush your teeth? Or maybe you talk to a friend on the phone when you walk your dog? That’s habit stacking!
The reason it works so well is that you’re relying on a habit that’s already ingrained into your daily routine, and is therefore easy to remember, and takes little motivation to follow through with.
Habit stacking in addiction recovery helps keep your routine more manageable, and makes it easier to stick to habits even on more challenging days. You might want to consider:
- Journaling after each addiction therapy session
- Listening to uplifting music on your way to a self-help group
- Meditating while out on a walk
- Saying affirmations while you cook a healthy meal
- Reaching out to a friend whenever you receive a message from another friend
How to Break Bad Habits?
Creating new habits is one thing, but breaking bad habits can be much more challenging. It’s a common struggle for people recovering from a substance use disorder.
The main thing to remember when it comes to unlearning old habits is patience. You won’t see huge overnight, so remember to focus on the small wins instead.
Our top tips for breaking bad habits are:
- Stay accountable to someone (e.g., therapist, rehab staff, or self-help group)
- Write down your reasons for staying sober, and read them regularly
- Replace unhealthy habits with healthier ones
- Introduce healthy distraction into your day (keep yourself busy!)
- Continue with addiction therapy on a long-term basis
How to Find the Right Support
Positive daily habits don’t always come naturally to us, especially if our lives have been dominated by addiction. We may feel more comfortable in chaos than calm.
This is normal for people in addiction recovery. It’s not something to be ashamed about. Yet, it is something we’d recommend working on as best as you can.
By adopting healthy habits, you are normalising familiarity and routine, and over time, you’ll feel much more comfortable following a predictable routine than living in chaos.
Sometimes, you may need extra help to understand why habits are so crucial, or to think of ideas for integrating new habits into your life. Your rehab aftercare plan is usually the best place for this (make the most of any helplines or rehab staff contacts!).
Self-help groups are another great resource. Don’t be afraid to share that you’re struggling to build healthy habits; it’s very likely that most people in the room will relate to this on some level, and may be able to offer advice based on their personal experiences with habit building.
Conclusion
Routine is dangerously underrated. Nothing fights the chaos of addiction recovery better than a predictable routine, made up of positive daily habits.
The key is to stay modest. Small, achievable habit stacks are the way to go, and don’t forget to celebrate yourself when you tick them off!
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