Finding Yourself Again in Recovery
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Addiction can cause you to lose your identity—who you are, the things you love, the people you love. In a sense, you can become disconnected from your own body and basic needs. You can also become disconnected from reality, those around you, and even yourself. You may hit a point where you lose all hope of feeling human again, but there is always hope. You can find yourself once again in recovery.

Losing Something to Find Yourself

Sometimes to find something, you have to lose something. In the case of addiction, you have to lose the substances controlling your life. Because drugs and alcohol change the way your brain functions, cravings for substances can cause you to focus a great deal of your time and energy on acquiring them. In doing so, you lose track of the things that matter, including family, relationships, career, and of course, your identity.

In order to gain the mental, physical, and spiritual resources to find yourself again and focus on the things you love, something has to change. That change is recovery. Recovery is not just becoming sober but genuinely digging deep and finding the healing that will allow you to be free again. You need to commit to making the necessary changes now and commit to yourself each day that you are willing to do what it takes to stay free from addiction. Committing yourself to lifelong healing is the first step to finding yourself again.

Finding a Way to Reconnect With Your Physical Self

One of the most troubling things about substance abuse is how disconnected you can become from your body. You become so focused on finding that next drink or getting that next high that you lose track of listening to what your body needs.

People in active addiction often ignore the need for food, sleep, and even medical care. If you use substances for an extended period, other health problems develop that you may not even notice. To reconnect with your body, you need to detox to clean out your body and then learn to live clean and sober.

Learning relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises or meditation will help you gradually become more aware of your body again. Purposeful breathing enables you to focus your mind on just that—breathing—allowing you to check in with your body to notice how you are feeling. Doing exercises like yoga that reconnect your mind, body, and soul will help strengthen your physical, mental, and spiritual self.

Reconnecting With Your Soul

What are the things that make you unique? Do you have talents or hobbies that you have ignored or that you wanted to pursue but haven’t? What are your favorite foods, clothing, or art? Do you remember what made your heart beat faster, the things you were excited about, the things you couldn’t live without before your substance abuse? Rediscovering the passions that breathed life into you will help you reconnect with the person you are inside.

That sounds simple but may take time as you peel back the layers of addiction and trauma. Immersing yourself in learning about recovery, learning about yourself, and truly exploring your being through therapy are keys to your healing. Like peeling an onion, you will discover more about yourself as you continue your recovery and slowly but surely reconnect with your soul.

Finding Joy One Day at a Time With Self-Care

Another way to reconnect your mind, body, and soul is by looking for joy in the day. Too often, you can get caught up in work, school, children, or household duties and forget about your needs. Scheduling time each day for self-care demonstrates to yourself that you are worth investing your time into healing and rediscovering yourself.

Self-care can be anything that brings you joy. You do not have to spend money or do anything elaborate. Self-care could be going for a walk on the beach, reading your favorite book, or time spent learning a new hobby. Just finding a little time each day doing something that makes you happy can help you rediscover yourself one day at a time.

Surrounding Yourself With Those Who Love You for Who You Are

Another way to find yourself again is to surround yourself with the people who love you no matter what. Find the family, friends, and coworkers who will support you in your recovery. Spend time with people who share your passions and interests and will help you as you rediscover who you are. The people you surround yourself with are a reflection of who you are.

To find yourself again, you need to lose the substances that made you lose yourself. Reconnecting with your body and soul as you heal will happen one day at a time as you exercise self-care and make time to find the things that bring you joy. As you surround yourself with people who love and support you for the person you are inside, you will find that person, too. The Ho Tai Way – Recovery For Women focuses on self-awareness. Our treatment facility for women with addiction and co-occurring mental health diagnoses is a sanctuary for your healing. We understand that women have specific needs in treatment and, as a result, focus on women empowering other women. We create an individualized plan to help you find yourself again. Rebuilding your self-esteem as you find yourself is essential to your healing process. Call us today at (714) 581-3974 to rediscover who you really are.