How to Stay Motivated During Recovery?

When we are in recovery, it’s important to stay motivated. Having firm resolve will help us respond appropriately to any tempting situations that arise. Staying motivated tends to be easier during the first phases of recovery. In the beginning, we may have lots of ideas and goals on how we will stay sober. As time passes, our motivation can decrease. There are many different reasons this can happen.

One reason this happens is that, let’s face it, life happens! Things like work, daily routines, finances, and deadlines can become overwhelming. These stressors can make life feel like it is not manageable – nor is it fun – without drugs or alcohol. 

This feeling is sometimes known as recovery fatigue. When this fatigue sets in, the risk of relapse heightens. To avoid this, we must strategize ways to stay motivated throughout our recovery journey.

Setting Achievable Goals Can Help You Stay Motivated During Your Recovery

Setting both short-term and long-term achievable goals can help us keep our motivation levels high. Rewarding ourselves when we accomplish a goal can be the motivator to keep moving forward to the next goal. Goals are meant to be achieved one at a time. This is important to know so that we do not set ourselves back if and when we do not reach a goal. Sometimes a goal just needs to be reset.

Setting achievable goals is important for this reason. We need to ensure that our goals fit what we can accomplish in the time frame that we set. If we are patient with ourselves and set smaller goals, we more easily begin to enjoy feelings of accomplishment. This motivates us further. This is why it is important to make sure goals are measurable and achievable.

Although it may go without saying, during recovery, we should avoid setting goals that are too lofty or unreasonable. Doing this could have unfulfilling outcomes that are demotivating. If we have difficulty setting goals for ourselves, we should ask for help. We can seek the help of a trusted family member, friend, or counselor.

Find the Gratefulness in Your Recovery

Recovery is a difficult journey. We will experience moments when we feel like overachievers, and there will be moments when we feel like failures. In the midst of our recovery journey, we must find something to be grateful for. Finding things to be grateful for can keep us encouraged and committed to our recovery.

When we come so far in our recovery journey there are things to be grateful for. We simply need to search and reflect on all that we have overcome. We can find gratefulness in our growth, our progress, and our failures. Yes. Even our failures during recovery can make us stronger. Failures are teaching moments that help us grow and evolve. We learn more about ourselves and what we may need or where certain weak spots exist. This is something to be grateful for.

As we overcome each obstacle we face during recovery, we will begin to realize the strength we do have. The things that brought us to our recovery journey are even things we can be grateful for. Not everyone who suffers from an addiction or poor choices has the strength or support to get the help they need to recover. If we have the support system we need, that is definitely something to be grateful for.

Keep a Recovery Journal to Stay Motivated

Journaling is known to be an effective way to stay on the recovery path. A study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research-Mental Health showed that journaling is an effective way to enhance well-being. This may be because journaling allows us to express our feelings. When we are in recovery, we can experience an array of emotions. We don’t always feel comfortable talking about these feelings to others, which is why we can benefit from journaling about them. Journaling can help us with self-expression and self-regulation, which enhances our ability to make good choices.

Also, by keeping a journal, we can go back and reflect on what motivated us to want to get sober. This can be easy to forget as time goes on, but our journal will remind us of the struggles we had in the past. Journaling can also help us track our progress. There may be things we write about that we can share with someone else who is struggling in their recovery. In this way, we can motivate others while also reinforcing our own sense of progress. Journaling can be a form of meditation as we reflect on ourselves and our lives.

As we incorporate more tools that reinforce our motivation to remain sober, we more easily navigate the challenges life brings. With clear and achievable goals, a regular gratitude practice, and a journaling habit, we can succeed in creating the substance-free life of our dreams.