One way we can help ourselves stay the course of our recovery is to keep reminding ourselves of the reasons why we want to stay sober. Sometimes, with everything going on in our lives, we forget why we were motivated to get sober in the first place. Our recovery programs can be overwhelming. Even though we’re sober, we’re still dealing with unresolved relationship issues and conflicts that can be stressful and all-consuming. All these difficult life circumstances can cause us to lose sight of why we’re doing this important work at all. Why do I want to stay sober? What is my motivation in recovery? By keeping your eye on the prize, you’ll be able to remain dedicated to recovery even when situations threaten to overwhelm you.
Tuning Into Our Emotions and Past Experiences
When we tune into our deep emotions around addiction and recovery, we can cultivate powerful motivating forces in our sobriety. We might have known we needed to get sober when we hit rock bottom. The desperation and pain of our addiction had brought us to our knees, willing to try anything. We might have felt we could no longer survive another year of feeling depressed and ashamed of ourselves. Our loved ones’ pain might have finally become too much for us to endure. Sometimes, as we’re recovering, we become hyper-focused on our sobriety. We become so focused on the future of our recovery that we forget about the past. Everything that has brought us to this point becomes fuzzy and difficult to recall. We’ve tried so hard to forget our painful emotions that many of us opt for denial. Unfortunately, there is truth to the old adage: If we forget our past, we are doomed to repeat it.
Recalling Our Motivation
Let’s recall these tough emotions and experiences in mindful, self-loving ways. Therapy, for instance, is a positive way to focus on old experiences. For others, coaching, journaling, creative self-expression, energy healing, and meditation may be preferable. The goal is to bring back the past so we can use it as motivation to keep working hard in our recovery. Let’s remember how far we’ve come, and why we don’t want to return to our painful past. Of course, we don’t want to dwell morbidly in the painful memories and emotions of the past. On the other hand, if we forget they ever existed, we can lose some of the motivation we need to keep healing ourselves. Recalling why we want to get sober, remembering what brought about this huge life transformation for us, can help us stay on track with our recovery.
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.