Do you ever feel like your obligations keep you from ever having a moment to yourself? You have responsibilities at work (maybe more than can possibly be handled in a 40-hour work week). You have responsibilities at home (every chore you finish is likely to come back around soon enough). You might have responsibilities related to your faith community or to a service club or what have you. And if you are a person in recovery from a substance use disorder, you have responsibilities when it comes to giving yourself the best opportunity to maintain your recovery over time (making sure you regularly attend recovery meetings, for example).
Given all of these responsibilities, you may well feel like you simply never have an opportunity to take a break. Maybe you get to work early or stay late—or both. Maybe you work through the weekend (which means that list of chores is not getting any shorter). Maybe you work while you eat lunch (and maybe during other meals, too).
Maybe you start cheating yourself when it comes to exercise regularly, making healthy food choices, or even sleeping. Given that we have called exercise, good nutrition, and sleep our “top three” ways to support your efforts to leave drugs or alcohol behind, chipping away at them because you are so busy means you might also be chipping away at the foundations of your recovery.
In this post, we offer some suggestions for introducing breaks into your day—practices that support your mental health, your physical health, and your recovery.
The Long and Short of Taking Breaks
We are going to start with the longest sort of break: a vacation. The number of Americans who seldom, if ever, go on vacation is overly large—and that is actually bad for everyone. Taking a vacation gives you an opportunity to truly rest, relax, and refresh. The reset you get from taking time away from your daily responsibilities also allows you to return to work with renewed enthusiasm and a clear head. So, get that vacation on your schedule. No, really. Schedule some time off and stick to it.
The second longest sort of break would be your nightly sleep. We would encourage you to set a standard bedtime and waking time. Doing so trains your body and brain to know when it is time to rest. Set aside seven or eight hours and stick to it.
We also encourage you to take up a hobby you find engaging—and then schedule regular time to pursue it. Hobbies are a wonderful way to reduce stress and truly take time for yourself. Any hobby will do as long as you find it consistently interesting and enjoyable.
Of course, there are plenty of other breaks you can take during your day that can serve you well. You might start by setting aside mealtimes—including your lunch break—as times you will not work. Use those opportunities to eat nutritious food and relax a bit. Ideally, you would put your phone down during this time, too, because scrolling the news or your social media feeds tends not to be terribly relaxing.
You might also set aside each morning or afternoon—or both—a break to take a short walk. It is a great way to get in a little exercise while giving your energy a boost for the next tasks you take up.
We have mentioned it a couple of times already, but we want to reiterate that putting breaks of all kinds into your actual schedule is a great idea. After all, you turn to your calendar to discover what important things you need to do. Taking a break—long or short—should count among those important things you need to do. When you give yourself a break, you support your recovery.
Break Away from Drugs or Alcohol
Located in Henryville, Indiana, Wooded Glen Recovery Center helps individuals reclaim their lives from drugs or alcohol. All too often, a person struggling with a substance use disorder discovers they are trapped between ongoing drug use and the extreme rigors of withdrawal. If you are caught in that trap, the key to escaping is to get yourself into treatment.
At Wooded Glen, we will see you through medically supervised detoxification so that you can withstand the withdrawal process in an environment that is comfortable, safe, and free of temptations. This is the best way—often the only way—to get drugs or alcohol fully out of your system.
Detox is followed by rehabilitation. Our robust program includes group and individual therapy sessions and is designed to provide you with the resources, strategies, and support you need to launch your recovery journey. In rehab, we can also address any mental health disorders that may be entangled with your substance use disorder. This is key because good mental health and ongoing recovery go hand in hand.
When your time in treatment comes to an end, you can continue to count on Wooded Glen Recovery Center to provide ongoing support and to keep you connected with other alumni of our program. Together, Wooded Glen’s detox, rehab, and alumni programs provide the tools you need to pursue ongoing recovery with confidence.
When you are ready to get started, we are, too.