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How Can We Prevent Recovery Burnout? 

Any time we’re undertaking a lofty goal, there is the potential for feeling burned out. Big projects consume a great deal of our time and demand a lot of energy. It’s entirely reasonable to find yourself getting overwhelmed and losing motivation. The same is true for our recovery work. We put so much of ourselves into our recovery. Our lives are on the line, after all, and sobriety becomes our main focus. When we’re working tirelessly towards something, we can eventually begin to lose steam, but we can’t afford to burn out on recovery. So, how can we prevent recovery burnout?

Giving Ourselves a Break

While we’re working on our recovery programs, it’s important to give ourselves a mental and emotional break from time to time. This doesn’t mean we relax on our sobriety rules and expectations. It certainly doesn’t mean we let ourselves use our drug of choice again, or become complacent in our work. After all, the goal is to avoid relapse at all costs. What we do want, though, is to allow ourselves some time to enjoy life. We can return to the passions we might have put on the back burner when prioritizing our recovery. Our recovery programs can place a lot of stress and worry on our shoulders. Think about what you enjoy doing, aside from recovery work. What activities can you rediscover? Which pursuits can support your sobriety but also make you feel like yourself again? Consider spending time with loved ones and talking about subjects besides sobriety. Think about all the interests and passions you enjoy, so long as you don’t jeopardize your sobriety. Maybe there’s a new class you can take or an activity you can explore. Perhaps friends and family members can suggest activities they enjoy.  

Letting Ourselves Experience True Enjoyment

Let’s remind ourselves to enjoy our lives, and to incorporate our sobriety into a life we can enjoy. Don’t let recovery become something separate from the rest of your life. Burning out can turn recovery into something we dread, something that brings us down. We can look into sober recreational activities offered by our treatment programs, aftercare services, and support groups. There are countless service projects, volunteer opportunities, and community programs if you look for them. We don’t have to associate recovery with exhaustion and tireless effort. Instead, we can associate our sobriety with finding new ways to enjoy ourselves. Recovery provides us an opportunity to return to old passions we loved. While addiction robbed us of everything worthwhile in life, we can finally pursue our passions with zeal. We can finally experience joy rather than a false sense of fun, compromised by all the hardships of an addicted life.

At The Guest House Ocala, we have personal recovery experience and over 12 years in the recovery industry. We have helped countless people recover, and we’re here to help you too. Call 855-483-7800 today for more information.