Recovery is an amazing time where you can learn more about yourself and focus on your goals. During treatment, you worked extremely hard to face your addiction and learn more about your mental health. One significant skill in recovery that everyone needs to learn is when to ask for help and how to do it.
All of the skills and tools you learned in treatment will help you as you work through the challenges that come along with sobriety and recovery. However, there may be a time when you need some extra support. That is to be expected and perfectly okay.
Learning when to ask for help is vitally important as you grow during your recovery. Everyone has limits, and knowing when you have reached yours is one crucial step in avoiding relapse. Asking for help can be difficult for many reasons. One of those reasons is that many people feel that they should be able to handle any situation because they have gone through treatment.
Try to fight the feeling of needing to handle everything on your own. Having strong support and knowing when to reach out is key to successful recovery and healthy living. Here are a few different ways you can ask for help as you continue on your recovery journey.
Utilize Your Support
Having a solid support system throughout recovery is essential. For some, that support system will be made up of friends and family. Friends and family make great support because they typically know you well. It is crucial that your support group is filled with people you trust and find comfort in.
If you find yourself struggling with your recovery, open up and talk with your loved ones. They want to support you. They will help you talk through the situation and decide the best course of action to take to begin to feel better.
For others, support may come from groups and mental health professionals. Joining recovery groups can be extremely helpful. This gives you the ability to connect with people who have similar journeys, challenges, and goals. Feeling like you are a member of a community can help you to form relationships and work on your self-esteem.
Be Open
Asking for help can be challenging. You probably have an idea in your mind as to what you think recovery should look and feel like. Be open and flexible with your recovery. Your journey may end up looking quite different than you had in mind. That is okay. Your journey is unique to you.
Try to be open to accepting help from others. You have so many people who want you to succeed. Listen to their concerns and have conversations about your struggles. Being open and flexible will help you to notice when it is time to ask for help.
Know Your Limits
Everyone has limits to something. Knowing your limits regarding your mental health and sobriety is extremely important. Ensuring that you do not place yourself in a situation that you are not ready for is essential. Knowing when to hit the pause button and ask for help is crucial.
One thing to remember while journeying through recovery is that you don’t need to handle everything. It is perfectly okay to react negatively to situations or experiences. It is also okay to not want to be in certain situations or be around certain people. Triggers are very real, and it is normal to have them.
Remember Your Journey
You have gone through a significant journey. Not only did you face addiction and learn more about your mental health, but you also learned more about yourself and how amazing you are. Remembering and acknowledging your journey is essential for many different reasons.
One reason is that it helps with self-esteem. You have done something hard, and for that, you should be proud. Acknowledging where you started will also help you to know when to ask for help. Remember how it felt to be experiencing an active addiction? How frightened you felt on your first day of treatment? All of the emotional and physical challenges you faced? Remember your journey so that you can focus on your goals and keep moving forward.
Practice Healthy Coping
Recovery is not always easy. You will face many different challenges. You probably talked about many of those challenges during treatment and about what coping strategies would work best in those situations. However, remember that situations can feel very different in the moment versus when you are just talking about them. Practice healthy coping and acceptance help along the way.
Knowing when to ask for help is an integral part of the recovery process and maintaining overall well-being. You will face many challenges as you work to maintain your sobriety. Always try to keep a strong support system around you. This may be friends, family, or mental health professionals. Others may benefit from being open about the recovery journey, knowing limits, and practicing healthy coping strategies. Everyone is unique and on a unique recovery journey. Learning when and how to ask for help will look slightly different for everyone. Take time to get to know yourself better and figure out what support would benefit you the most. Here at The Guest House, we stress the importance of support through your long-term recovery journey. We are here to help you along the way, reach your goals, and face your challenges. Call us today to learn more about different ways we can support you along your journey at (855) 483-7800.