When in recovery, we can sometimes find ourselves feeling uninspired and unfulfilled. Sometimes this is the case because we have been working so hard on our recovery programs and focusing on the work we have to do to maintain our sobriety. In that context, our other interests get neglected. Sometimes it’s because our addictions have taken over our lives so completely that we don’t feel connected to our passions anymore. Addiction has left us without a sense of who we are as individuals. In other cases, our feelings of sadness, anxiety, confusion, and emptiness overwhelm us. We spend the majority of our time and energy trying to cope with life and make it through each day. It’s impossible to prioritize social or personal activities when we’re just trying to get by. How can we get back to a place of fulfillment and contentment in our lives? One answer is to actively, conscientiously follow our inspiration.
Saying Yes
What does it mean to follow our inspiration? Often, when we feel inspired and excited about something, our instinctual response is to shut it down. We reject the idea altogether because we’re programmed to think negatively and cynically about positive things. We’re skeptical about things that might bring us joy. It’s easier to think that we won’t be able to ease our feelings of sadness and anxiety. Dread and pessimism consume our waking hours. We think we won’t be able to heal mentally and emotionally, so many of us give up trying to be happy altogether. Giving up can cause us to miss out on opportunities for inspiration and fulfillment. Fear and apathy cause us to skip out on opportunities for happiness. Following our inspiration means saying “yes” to ideas, opportunities, connections, and resources. These things arise all the time, but all too often, we reject them. We have to follow our hearts and our instincts about things that might be good for us. Recover is a chance to open ourselves to things that might help us learn, grow, and expand. Following our inspiration means allowing ourselves to explore new things, to be more adventurous, and to be open-minded.
Ask Around
One thing we can do to help ourselves regain our sense of inspiration is to ask other people what inspires them. We can ask friends, family members, co-workers, fellow members of support groups, new people we meet – anyone, really. Ask them what passions they pursue, what talents they have, what they do in their free time. This can help us to start thinking outside the parameters of what we think is normal or acceptable. We might find that a friend introduces us to our new favorite hobby, or an interesting class to take after work. We can be inspired by the interests of the people around us. Too often, we’re closed off to asking other people about their interests. We’re not always keen to try new things. We don’t want to be perceived as weird for asking people about their interests because we’ve gotten it into our minds that that would be uncool. We don’t necessarily want to confide in people that we’ve been feeling bored or depressed. We don’t want to admit to ourselves how unfulfilled we’ve been feeling. There can be pressure to ignore how much our recovery programs have been taking over our lives. It can be hard to admit when we’re struggling in any way, and admitting we’ve lost our inspiration can be tough. Let’s be open-hearted and open-minded. Try opening ourselves to the inspiration that’s all around us.
Think Back
Think back to when you were younger, to the time before addiction took over your life. What did you love to do? What were your natural strengths? Were there interests you wanted to explore? Maybe you stopped yourself from pursuing these things because it would seem lame, or because you didn’t have the time. Now is the perfect time to explore those things. We don’t have to worry about being judged for not having our lives figured out yet. The process of finding ourselves and discovering our interests can take time. The important thing is that we’re actively trying to regain a sense of joy. We’re no longer neglecting our need for passion and fulfillment. Having interests that make us happy is an important part of our healing. The more we give time and energy to productive, meaningful, fulfilling endeavors, the less likely we are to relapse. When we feel fulfilled and inspired, we’re less prone to want to self-destruct with addictive patterns and other self-sabotaging behaviors. We find our drugs of choice far less appealing when we’re satisfied and fulfilled in our everyday lives.
Explore
Explore the resources available to you. Your treatment program and its aftercare services department may have ideas to get your inspiration flowing again. Your recovery coach, sponsor, or therapist might have suggestions. Community organizations, town websites, and local newspapers often have interesting events, classes, and projects to occupy your time. When we’re open to finding inspiration, it has a way of finding us.
The more we follow our inspiration, the happier we feel. We may think that we need to prioritize coping with life over being happy, but the more we cultivate joy in our lives, the easier it becomes to cope with challenges. Be open to following your inspiration. Being inspired can be a major catalyst for our recovery.
Inspiration is not an easy thing to regain. The more resources you have available, however, the more likely you are to be successful. Are you ready to take the first step on your journey to recovery? Call The Guest House today! 855-483-7800.