The Most Common Holiday Addiction Triggers

All the gifts, extra bills, and hustle and bustle of crowded shops can cause a lot of stress and anxiety. Not to mention, the extra financial burden of the holidays can also make you more vulnerable to relapse. Recovering from a disaster occurs in phases over days, weeks, and months. https://ecosoberhouse.com/ Soon after being uprooted by a disaster, you can start the recovery process. During this time, there are three general steps you can take to improve the mental and emotional strength of your family. The following steps will help you to begin to retake control over your life.

• Work with your client’s cognitions to build mindfulness of negative self-talk and practice thought-stopping exercises to minimize the power of those negative messages.
• Be mindful of the stress and anxiety you’re feeling, especially when it comes to relationships.
• There are many ways to deal with stress as an individual, but a support network of people you trust is often a key part of keeping your thoughts and cravings in check during times of stress.
• The holidays are filled with food, parties, and people who you may not have seen in a long time.

Communicate with your support system to offload responsibilities that may stress you out. Let them know that too much responsibility can affect your day and potentially set you back in your recovery. We Have ‘Zoom Fatigue’ – National Geographic recently published an article explaining why you may be feeling exhausted if you are relying heavily on virtual interaction. We can no longer depend on non-verbal cues – like body language – so we have to pay “sustained and intense attention to words instead”. In addition, our brains are grappling with something psychologists call “partial attention”. To boost your mood and regulate sleep, schedule outdoor exercise in the middle of the day when the sun is brightest.

Self-Harm Prevention

However, your first year sober is a great opportunity to create something new and beautiful that you can look forward to every year. Consider creating reframing holidays in early recovery new traditions for yourself and your immediate family so you can find different ways to enjoy the holidays and each other’s company.

Part of maintaining an active and engaged sober lifestyle involves change. Assuming holidays or certain family traditions have to be the way they have always been, can derail success. It’s okay to do something different, to change locations, to change who you celebrate with or the amount of time you spend at a specific event.

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Practicing internal self-talk is also a part of self-care. Practice and plan out how you can challenge your thoughts. Learn on-the-movement internal and external coping skills such as how to deflect from a triggering comment. Practice topic changes in conversation or how to exit from a situation if you are feeling overwhelmed. Plan for moments where you can be present and mindful of what you are doing. It is easy to be caught up in the holiday chaos and stress and forget how powerful living in the moment can be. This is part of practicing self-care and can include not attending or leaving early from a holiday event.

• Sometimes stress will make the heart beat faster, cause stomach problems, or cause you to feel short of breath.
• If you don’t already have one, check in with your insurance provider or EAP about seeing a professional today.
• And like a good medical center, we offer some additional holiday tips to help you live well.
• Good friends and loved ones are likely to be supportive of your decision to stay sober and encourage you in your recovery process.

Plan to practice verbal responses with those that may be triggering and you are not able to avoid. We offer 100% confidential substance abuse assessment and treatment placement tailored to your individual needs.

How to Stay Sober on St. Patrick’s Day

During the holidays, you’re more likely to feel pressure from family members and friends to be perfect. For example, you may feel like you need to give the perfect gift, host the perfect event, or that your life needs to meet certain expectations that your parents have. Trying to live up to those expectations is impossible and will only produce feelings of guilt and depression. The holidays are busy, so sometimes it can be difficult to make time for daily meditation, journaling, AA meetings, exercising, and other things that keep you grounded in your recovery. As a result, you might end up feeling drained and stressed.

There are many ways to deal with stress as an individual, but a support network of people you trust is often a key part of keeping your thoughts and cravings in check during times of stress. Limit your stressors to a level that’s manageable and comfortable for you, even if they’re considered normal and fun traditions at Christmas.

Bay Area Happy Safe and Sober Labor Day!

According to McLean’s Mark Longsjo, LICSW, it’s very common to get caught up in the commercialization and marketing of the holidays. We can feel stressed about spending on a strained budget or from trying to find just the right gift. As much as possible, let your loved ones know how they can support you, whether it’s helping you with shopping or meeting up for a regular walk.

• The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders.
• Seeing the news, it can be hard to reconcile with the fact that this social distancing/quarantine will likely be the reality for a bit longer.
• ” To some degree, we are all living under constant threat, and we expend a lot of mental energy maintaining our hypervigilance.
• Setting firm boundaries for yourself will help you stay accountable to your sobriety and also establish clear communication with your loved ones and friends.
• Here are a few stress management tools to help you to enjoy your first sober Christmas in addiction recovery, or support your loved one in recovery over the holidays.