It may not be in your nature to be chatty, but in order to be successful in recovery, communication is essential. It is necessary during recovery because you need to support your peers, and you also need to express your own struggles and needs.
Why Is Communication Important in Recovery?
Communicating effectively is beneficial in every aspect of your life, and recovery is no exception. In particular, good communication in recovery helps in the following ways:
- Discussing issues helps you to understand yourself, and this can have a positive effect on your well-being and mental health
- Talking to people allows them to understand how they can help you
- Sharing your past experiences helps you to identify your feelings of guilt or shame
- Speaking with your peers helps to create a support network and opens you up to other’s experiences and feelings
How Can You Learn to Communicate More Effectively?
Treatment is a place where hard conversations happen. It is critical that healthy communication is possible and encouraged. It can be difficult for people who are in recovery to relearn effective communication skills, but it is an integral part of the recovery process.
Effective communication can make it easier to set and achieve goals, create and maintain healthy relationships with others, and can even result in better health. What has to happen for good communication to occur? Considering the following pointers can result in better communication:
- Treat others with respect and consideration
- Avoid confusing language and keep your meaning clear
- Try to understand the points of view of others
- Show kindness and a lack of judgment toward other people
- Do not judge others (or yourself) for their communication style
- Be fair
- Manipulation has no place in recovery
- End a discussion amicably, with a feeling of resolution
Communicating effectively can be difficult, but it is a skill that can be learned.
Other Ways to Communicate
Sometimes talking isn’t enough, and sometimes people struggle to find the words to express their feelings. A combination of holistic treatment modalities and talk therapy can be very beneficial in the recovery process. Equine therapy, art therapy, and music therapy are all ways to express what is in your heart and mind without speaking.
Using other forms of communication can be beneficial and healing. Types of treatment other than traditional talk therapy can give you space to communicate however you need to and time to sort through your thoughts and emotions. These different ways to communicate encourage the free and uncensored expression of feelings and ideas.
Communication in recovery is how you can understand your thoughts and your struggles. Sharing with your peers allows you to receive and give them much-needed support. When it is difficult to speak to others, it is typically when you need to the most. Talking can release limiting thoughts; it can identify weaknesses, emotions, and trauma that were previously buried. The Guest House has extensive experience teaching the tools to communicate and help people face their recovery challenges. You can be free of limiting thoughts and communication barriers by reaching out at (855) 483-7800.