How to Make Recovery- Oriented New Years Resolutions

The new year can be a time to start fresh and have a clean slate. With that comes the pressure to set goals, the anxiety of achieving them or not, the over- focus on body image, dieting and exercise, and unrealistic expectations. So, how do we embrace the good and avoid the bad? Making recovery- oriented goals for the year, month, week, or even day can be a daunting task. Our approach is to focus on the things your illness, addiction, or disorder has taken from you and resolve to fulfill your life. Instead of focusing on eliminating behaviors, aim to add positive influences. Here are three categories to help guide your new years resolution- with examples!

1.     Values.

Have you lost touch with your family? Have you stopped practicing religion? Have you isolated yourself from something you used to enjoy? Add these back into your life.

Examples: write a letter to a friend you haven’t talked to. Call your family members weekly. Participate in religion or spiritual practices. Go on vacation with friends.

2.     Coping and self- care

Have you fallen into a coping rut? Are you using the same techniques, skills or activities repeatedly? Are you using healthy coping skills? Are you practicing self- care at all? Trying new and different ways to handle your daily stress, anxiety, depression, and emotions support recovery by challenging your brain. Matching emotions with appropriate coping also increases your self- awareness. Using self- care as a preventative measure as well as coping support recovery in a meaningful and lasting way.

Examples: Join a book club. learn to knit. Knit a scarf. Take a bubble bath every Sunday. Try three new coping skills every month. Make a list of coping skills- cross off the ones that are not helpful. Join a support group.

3.     Community Involvement

Isolation, avoidance, and withdrawl from what used to be enjoyable activities is poison to recovery. So even when every ounce of our bodies tell us to hide under the covers- we must get out of bed and engage with the world!

Examples: Volunteer. Participate in a fundraising event. Engage in social media. Take a class. Take a yoga class. Join the public library.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: Recovery is not a straight line, missing a goal is an opportunity to re-focus and start where you’re at- not where you want to be. Set realistic, and attainable goals that are support your path.  

Happy New Year!