If you were to ask a group of people to each write their favorite and least favorite times of the year, it’s likely that the holiday season would be a common answer on both accounts. The fact of the matter is that while it’s a time of year that’s supposed to be jovial and about spending time and showing appreciation to loved ones, it can very easily become stressful. Whether it’s because of all the money being spent on gifts, the pressure of having to get so much decorating and cooking done, or the volatility of putting dozens of members of a boisterous family together in a small space, the holidays can be downright stressful sometimes.
For people in recovery, the stress of the holidays can be dangerous, pushing them even closer to a relapse. Fortunately, there are a number of ways for recovered addicts to get through the holiday season not just unscathed, but there’s one plan in particular that could potentially ensure the longevity of one’s sobriety for at least the next twelve months: a recovery-related New Year’s resolution. Therefore, the following are eight great New Year’s resolutions for people in recovery.
Mend A Tarnished Relationship
Over the course of active addiction, people make a lot of choices and behave in ways that are not just injurious to themselves, but oftentimes they harm the people in their lives whom they love. This can be close family members, friends that one has known since grade school, a significant other, classmates or colleagues, or someone else. As such, after getting sober recovered addicts will often realize that they have several relationships with people that had been extremely damaged over the course of addiction. Therefore, a great New Year’s resolution for a person in such a situation is to mend that relationship or relationships, which could end up adding more people into one’s recovery network.
Read A Recovery-Centric Book
Walk into a bookstore, glance into each direction, and try to guess at just how many books there are in there; the conservative answer would be in the millions, and that’s for a relatively small bookstore. And with so many books, it’s inevitable that there would be ones about addiction and recovery, and reading a book that offered some helpful insight or tips into alcoholism or drug addiction recovery is a great New Year’s resolution. If you’re someone who reads a lot, you might consider challenging yourself to read several recovery-related books throughout the year.
Start An Exercise/Jogging Regimen
Aside from the obvious health benefits of a regular exercise routine, there have been a number of sources that assert there are many benefits of jogging for those who are in recovery from alcohol or drug addiction. Sometimes referred to as “recovery runs”, there are even a number of communities in which groups of recovered addicts will meet and go on group recovery runs. Alternately, a person could get a gym membership—the cost of gym memberships has become very reasonable in recent years—and create a more diverse exercise regimen. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins and other chemicals and hormones that improve mood and make you feel better overall.
Write Thank-You Letters
If a person has received any assistance from someone—whether financial, moral, or otherwise—recently or over the course of recovery, it would be a good idea to write a thank-you letter or send a thank-you card to that person. It’s a very simple way of expressing how appreciated they are. If you have a lot of people who are deserving of thank-you sentiments, a good New Year’s resolution could be to send a thank-you card to someone deserving each month, which would total twelve over the course of a year.
Start Writing In A Journal Each Day
Journaling is a tool that many counselors and psychotherapists have used because the process or chronicling one’s day-to-day life. For one thing, writing in a journal is much like therapy; the person gets to vent into the journal thoughts or feelings that he or she would be too self-conscious or inhibited to share to another person. Additionally, writing it all out can make things more clear as well, helping people to gain perspective about things that had happened in the past. Therefore, starting a journal would be a great, simple, and very beneficial New Year’s resolution for someone in recovery.
Learn A New Skill Or Hobby
Self-improvement is an extremely common theme when it comes to New Year’s resolutions. In particular, getting a gym membership and getting into shape is probably the most common, but self-improvement doesn’t always have to be physical. For instance, a person could take classes at a local community center to learn a foreign language, which many people have found to be more enjoyable when lacking the pressure of an academic setting. Alternately, one might choose to learn a new skill or trade, whether it’s pottery, sewing, cooking, or otherwise.
Make Time For Community Service
One of the best feelings is the feeling that you get when you help someone, especially someone who is in need. Even when one’s own situation isn’t very good, selflessly helping someone else really puts one’s own experiences into perspective. This is a resolution that’s simple but packs quite a punch.
Get More Involved With A Support Group
If you’re not already attending support group meetings, you might choose to make finding and attending support group meetings your New Year’s resolution. Whether you’ve completed an addiction treatment program or not, support groups have shown to be effective as a primary means of recovery or as a form of sustained recovery and aftercare. If you’re already attending support groups, you could always become more involved by taking on some responsibilities with regard to arranging or facilitating or even leading meetings.
Call Drug Treatment Center Finder For A Free Consultation Today
If you or someone you love would benefit from speaking with one of our experienced recovery specialists, call Drug Treatment Center Finder at 855-619-8070. We’re available night and day, ready to help you or your loved one take the first steps on this journey toward happiness, health, and fulfillment.