Learning to embrace change throughout your recovery can be difficult. Change can often feel scary and sometimes overwhelming. Recovery is a time of immense change. It is full of discovery and exploring. Your life drastically changed when you stepped foot into treatment to work through your addiction and learn to better understand your mental health. Oftentimes we fear change because of the element of the unknown that comes along with it. Letting go is often part of change, which can be difficult. One great skill to master is learning to embrace change.
You probably began learning to embrace change during your time in treatment. You worked hard on understanding your own thought processes, triggers, and coping skills. However, sometimes the skills we learn can feel different once we are out of treatment and putting them into action. If you have begun to work towards embracing change, here are a few suggestions to keep in mind.
Recognize Your Control
Control can play an interesting part in mental health. For some, when feelings of lack of control surface, those feelings can trigger fear or anxiety. Change often comes with some element of having less control. Maybe you are changing job positions or obtaining a new job. You may not know how well you will do, or you may be scared you will not learn the skills fast enough. This is a wonderful time to remind yourself to use those fears as energy to propel yourself forward.
Even when you feel like you lack control in a situation, you are still ultimately in control. You can always control your reaction and what you put into a situation. Pay attention to your reactions. You can begin to further learn why you respond to change as you do. Acknowledge your control and think through the situation clearly. When you can find your control even in uncertain or stressful situations, you can begin to regain your sense of calm and feeling centered.
Acknowledge Your Fears
Try to acknowledge your feelings in the moment. What aspect of the change is making you nervous or uncomfortable? Are other people involved? Do you feel this way during every large change or only during certain ones? When you can understand what you are feeling, it gives you the opportunity to look deeper and see what may be driving these feelings.
You do not need to fear or feel uncomfortable during change. You have worked through really tough experiences and feelings in the past. You have proven yourself capable of facing challenges and working towards your goals. You can also learn to embrace change. Reach out for support from a mental health professional. They are there to help you learn skills and tools to continue to grow and move forward in a healthy way.
Create Positive Outcomes
Change can be scary and even overwhelming. Everyone reacts differently to every situation placed in front of them. When you decide to embrace change, you can also decide to create positive outcomes. Decide what outcomes you want to experience with your change, and create steps to achieve those outcomes.
Mental health issues can be extremely complex and intricate. Sometimes it can be challenging to realize your power in creating the outcomes that you desire. Your outlook and attitude play a large role in your ability to create positive outcomes. As you continue to learn about your mental health, you will continue to learn why you react to situations in a certain way. You will begin to realize why you struggle with embracing change and the best course of action to take in order to work through that struggle.
Lean On Your Support
Learning to embrace change is a process. You will probably not just wake up one day and suddenly feel as if all of your challenges are gone. As you work through the process of learning to embrace change, lean on your support system. Your support system is in place for exactly this reason. Your support network is there for you to lean on during challenging times. Whether your support system is built up of family, friends, or mental health professionals, they want to hear from you. They want to know what you are going through, how you are feeling, and what challenges you are facing. Talk with them about what changes you are going through or what future changes you plan to make. They will be able to offer you their opinions of the change you are contemplating and how they would personally approach that change. Utilize the support that you have to better approach your situation with confidence.
Learning to embrace change can be difficult. Change can be scary, overwhelming, and uncomfortable. Learning to be comfortable in those uncomfortable moments is a great skill. As you begin your journey of embracing your insecurities, remember to acknowledge your feelings in the moment. What emotions are going through your mind, and what are you doing when those feelings surface? Always remember the control you have over the situation before you. You have the ability to control how you respond and react to situations. It can be challenging to change the way you think and respond to situations. Here at The Guest House, we understand that recovery is a long process, where you will be faced with many different challenges. We are here to help you work through those challenges and meet your goals head-on. Call us today to learn more about our treatment options and how we can support you on your long-term recovery journey at (855) 483-7800.