What does it mean to lack self-awareness during recovery? According to Trends in Cognitive Sciences, “Deficits in self-awareness can range from complete denial of the entire illness to more specific metacognitive awareness deficits of individual disease-specific symptoms.” The good news is that addressing deficits in self-awareness can decrease your risk of relapse. Self-awareness is vital to sobriety and improves your ability to identify and manage challenges during recovery. The Guest House encourages alumni to find new ways to enhance self-awareness during recovery. Becoming more self-aware is important in recovery and can help you gain valuable insights, build resilience, and learn to manage stressors using healthy coping tools.
5 Ways Self-Awareness Is Important in Recovery
Substance use disorder (SUD) can affect your ability to be self-aware. However, the more you understand yourself and how you respond to various situations, the more control you will have over your reactions and recovery.
Healing from SUD takes time and a willingness to recognize the need for change. Self-awareness is vital because it gives you insights into how to acknowledge whether specific thoughts, routines, or behaviors must be changed to support positive mental health. Below are five ways self-awareness can improve your recovery journey.
#1. Self-Awareness Fosters Accountability
Accountability to yourself and others supports your sobriety by giving you a reason to maintain healthy changes. Without accountability, you may feel tempted to slip back into old behavior patterns. Accountability for your choices, thoughts, and behaviors gives you another reason to avoid relapse or other maladaptive behaviors. Self-awareness fosters accountability by making you more aware of how your thoughts, feelings, and desires may impact your recovery goals.
#2. Strengthens Personal Relationships as You Become More in Tune With Your Needs
Personal relationships play an integral role in ongoing recovery. You will need people you can rely on and trust in your life. These people can support you and provide practical guidance. Self-awareness strengthens personal relationships by allowing you to become more in tune with your needs and those of the people you care about most. The more connected you are, the more likely you are to remain sober.
Self-awareness leads to an overall more fulfilling life. According to Europe’s Journal of Psychology, research studies “suggest that a fulfilling life includes a sense of meaning, strong interpersonal relationships, and the pursuit and attainment of personal goals.” Increased self-awareness can help you achieve your goals, strengthen relationships, and foster a sense of meaning and purpose in your life.
#3. Helps You Understand Your Motivation, Which Is Important in Recovery
It’s essential to stay motivated to move forward in your recovery and have hope for the future. Yet, you may find it difficult to determine what motivates you to maintain sobriety.
Discovering more about your motivations may involve the following behaviors:
- Reflecting on past goals and achievements
- Identifying and practicing your core values
- Tracking your daily routines and behavioral patterns
- Asking loved ones what they think motivates you
- Practicing introspection and self-reflection
- Monitoring when you procrastinate to see what motivates you to move forward
- Visualizing what you want from the future and how you can achieve it
Without healthy motivation, you may begin to feel lost, overwhelmed, or ambivalent about sobriety. Self-awareness helps you find healthy motivation during your ongoing recovery.
#4. Self-Awareness Facilitates Personal Growth and Healthy Lifestyle Changes
Knowing what you need to create a happier future makes you more likely to establish and maintain healthy lifestyle changes that support ongoing recovery.
Some of the primary ways self-awareness promotes personal growth include the following:
- Makes it easier to identify strengths and weaknesses
- Increases emotional intelligence
- Builds resilience
- Fosters self-compassion
- Clarifies goals and values
- Promotes mindfulness
- Boosts self-confidence
Personal growth allows you to make better choices in your day-to-day life.
#5. Being More Aware of Your Thoughts and Feelings Reduces the Risk of Relapse
If you have a greater understanding of the connection between your thoughts and behaviors, you are less likely to experience a relapse. You will have the information you need to identify and address potential triggers before they affect your mental health and sobriety.
If you have trouble identifying your emotions and how they impact your mental health, you can increase self-awareness by tracking your moods, emotional responses, and behaviors. A greater understanding of your motivations will help you regain control of your life and the various triggers affecting your sobriety.
The Guest House Helps Alumni Recognize What Is Important in Recovery
Alumni can work with clinicians and support staff during ongoing recovery to learn how to increase self-awareness. The Guest House can give you the support and guidance to discover what motivates you and incorporate it into your daily life. The more control you have over your thoughts and behaviors, the lower your risk of relapse.
Finding the things that make you feel confident in your ability to maintain sobriety can reduce stress and increase positivity. Mindfulness-based exercises and other techniques give you additional insight and provide important information about navigating challenges in recovery. Taking steps to improve self-awareness can help you create a healthy foundation for the future and motivate you to continue moving forward in your recovery.
Self-awareness can alert you to potential issues before they affect your mental or physical health. Becoming more aware of how various aspects of your life affect your recovery and ability to manage stress can improve the effectiveness of treatment. You can use many coping skills and therapeutic techniques to increase self-awareness during aftercare and ongoing recovery. The Guest House offers alumni support services, including community meetings, where you can learn new ways to improve self-awareness and practice your newfound skills. Self-awareness increases resilience, self-confidence, and self-esteem. Most people notice positive health benefits after taking steps to increase self-awareness. To learn more about our alumni services and how we can help you, call our office today at (855) 483-7800