A woman waking up
If you have a loved one battling addiction, you know how stressful and overwhelming it can feel at times. You want to take away their pain and make it all better.
Often it can become easy to ignore your own needs because wanting to help your loved one can become all-consuming. While remembering to take care of yourself can be difficult, self-care is essential. Here are a few different ways you can practice self-care.
Acknowledge Your Emotions
Acknowledge how you are feeling every day. When you can label what you are feeling, you can better work through those feelings. Your emotions are just as important as your loved one’s. Learn to make yourself a daily priority.
Engage in Stress-Relieving Activities
If you are constantly feeling stressed because of your loved one’s addiction, work on finding activities that help you manage that stress. Many people find that yoga, meditation, exercise, or reading helps them to relax. Try new activities until you find out what works for you.
Seek Professional Support
You may find talking with a therapist or other mental health professional to be very beneficial. Talk with them about what you are feeling and experiencing because of your loved one’s addiction. Focusing on your own physical and mental health is very important and necessary. A mental health care provider can help you work through your struggles and set your own goals to work toward.
Meet Your Own Needs
Your needs are just as important as your loved one’s needs. If you constantly place the needs of your loved one above your own, you can begin to feel burnt out or resentful.
While it is important to support your loved one through their addiction, you need to support yourself as well. Focus on your mental health, your happiness, and your overall well-being. You are not being selfish by focusing on yourself. In fact, if you take care of your own physical and mental well-being, you may find that you are better able to help your loved ones on their journey.
If you have a loved one suffering from addiction, then you know how frightening and overwhelming it can be. Learn to focus on your own well-being just as much as you focus on theirs. Acknowledge your feelings and practice stress-relieving activities. Focus on fulfilling your needs just as much as you try to help your loved one. Here at The Guest House, we know that addiction can affect an entire family. We can help and support your family through the recovery process. Call us today at (855) 483-7800 to learn more about our treatment options.