Addiction recovery is one of the most challenging things a person may endure. Mental and physical withdrawals will often attempt to sabotage your recovery. With a bit determination, you can beat your addictions and live the life you’ve always wanted.
If recovering from drug or alcohol dependency were that easy, people could simply just stop cold turkey without any therapy and go on about their lives.
Unfortunately, scientific research tells us that addiction recovery isn’t as easy as flipping the off switch. The process of recovering from drug and alcohol abuse requires you to participate in activities that rewire the pleasure seeking mechanisms of your brain. This lets your brain become comfortable with engaging in positive activities that release dopamine and endorphins.
When you’re on the road to recovery, you might be curious about the ways you can love yourself while loving the world around you. Here’s 5 ways you can do just that.
Start a Garden
The simple act of starting a garden can have surprising health benefits. University studies shows that those who build a garden have higher self-esteem, lower stress as well as improved cardiovascular health.
Additionally, gardening is a hobby that beautifies the planet. You don’t have to have a large piece of land to get started. If you live in an apartment, you could get hanging plants or you could start by growing plants in small pots. You could also join a community gardening group and volunteer your time working on a gardening project in your neighborhood.
Volunteer in Your Community
If you use your time and energy to focus on the positive things in your community, you’ll be less likely to be tempted to abuse alcohol or drugs.
Volunteering is one of those things that can help you give back to your community. While most volunteer opportunities do not offer any pay, it is imperative to note you’ll be compensated for your work in ways that may not be immediately apparent to you.
You could make lifelong friendships with those in your community while helping those around you live a better life. The payoff for volunteering goes beyond any type of financial rewards. Volunteering gives you the ability to surround yourself with people who have good intentions.
Subsequently, you get hands on experience in an activity that will benefit your community. Volunteer opportunities can be found on classified advertisement websites, social media groups or by simply calling non-profit organizations in your town.
Start Doing Yoga
The art of yoga is extremely underrated for those in recovery. People who have never performed yoga can simply look at it as a way to stretch your muscles out after a workout. Yoga is so much more than that. Yoga is way for you to generate dopamine and endorphins in your body with little to no impact on your joints or muscles.
This means that nearly anyone can perform yoga even if they aren’t able to do some the advanced poses. By practicing yoga, you can get in tune with your body and experience the satisfaction of generating blood flow and warmth though out each part of your extremities.
Best of all, you aren’t required to get an expensive yoga membership to get started. You can find hundreds of yoga videos online that will teach you the basics. This way, you can perform yoga without having to commit to a membership.
If yoga works for you, be cognizant of the way you feel after you do it. Most people who do yoga say that they feel an increase in their overall mood while simultaneously feeling like they have more control over their well-being. You’ll be able to benefit the world around you because this positive aura you’ve created will most certainly be noticed by those you come in contact with every day.
Get some Sunshine
Did you know that when your skin is exposed to 5-15 minutes of sunlight, your body gets vitamin-D boosting benefits that help elevate your mood and improve your health?
If you go outside, make it your mission to be productive. You could simply get some exercise, shoot some hoops with the kids in the neighborhood or help an elderly neighbor with an activity. Just by being outside in sunny weather, scientists suggest that you’ll benefit from higher levels of endorphins while simultaneously improving your immune system.
Talk to Your Neighbors
Did you know that nearly 60% of Americans do not know their neighbors? While it can be easy to simply keep to yourself, making acquaintances with your neighbors is often something people neglect to do in the 21st century.
A simple “Hi, my name is” greeting with your neighbor is enough to spark a conversation. Many neighborhoods have apps that allow neighbors to talk one another about things that they may notice happening on a day-to-day basis.
Building a sense of community with your neighbors can help with things such as a neighborhood watch, yard sales or you could strategize with neighbors in terms of what to do about a bad neighbor. Building these relationships could prove to be beneficial down the road.
Seeking Drug or Alcohol Treatment Options
If you or a loved one needs help with drug or alcohol dependency, there is no better time than now to get help. If you’re someone who wants to better the world, the best place to start is by bettering yourself. Drug and alcohol addiction specialists are available 24 hours a day, call us now a 772-266-5320 to get started on the road to recovery.
