Recovery can seem complicated when you look at each day as a challenge. Rather than look at your day as a list of things you have to do to recover, you can learn to embrace everything you can do to be healthy. This acceptance may seem too simplistic or obvious and is not always the easiest thing to do. Although, as you flip the switch and change your attitude, you can embrace your daily schedule and guarantee that you will have more fun days in your life.
The Importance of Daily Routines in Recovery
During recovery from substance use disorder, daily routines offer a regular source of structure and consistency for your life. Routines are the antidote for the chaotic, emotionally tumultuous lifestyle that typically accompanies addiction. They provide a compass and a handrail to guide you on the path of recovery by giving you organization, healthy habits, and constructive activities throughout each day.
Daily routines keep you focused and help to prevent relapse. They fill your day with actions that keep your mind off of substance use and help strengthen your mind and body to resist triggers and cravings. Routines keep you motivated to keep putting one foot in front of the other and live one day at a time—even one minute at a time if necessary. Building successful daily habits demonstrate your daily commitment to yourself and your recovery.
What Should Your Daily Routine Include?
Daily routines should be specific to the individual, but some basic elements should always be present. These include:
- Good sleep hygiene
- Healthy eating habits
- Self-care
- Meditation/mindfulness
- Yoga and or daily exercise
- 12-Step or other support meetings
- Daily mental health check-in
You will also have your daily commitments of work, school, family, and household duties to blend into your routine. Your individual needs may dictate the addition of certain aspects of your daily routine, such as errands, spiritual rituals, hobbies, or other activities. Additionally, caring for a pet will also be part of your day-to-day responsibility if applicable.
Attitude determines how you perceive the success of each day. Regardless of your circumstances, your attitude is the one thing you can control in your life. Viktor E. Frankl, author of Man’s Search For Meaning, said:
“Everything can be taken from a man or a woman but one thing: the last of human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Viktor Frankl was a survivor of Nazi concentration camps in World War II. He lost his family; he lost everything. He was physically abused and could have easily died, but he believed his positive attitude kept him alive—the one thing they could not take from him.
That is how powerful your attitude is regarding its influence on each day, on the outcome of your life. The power of positive thinking has been studied throughout the years and scientists made the connection between positive thinking and improved mental and physical health.
Making the active choice to have a positive attitude toward the things you need to do each day can also affect the outcome of your day. Not only will you feel more successful at the end of the day, but others will enjoy being around you, and things may begin to go smoother for you.
Do not be surprised by this. You may find yourself making better choices, and other people—such as your boss, your friends, or your significant other—may be influenced by your positivity and do things to help make your day go more smoothly. The opposite is also true. If your attitude is negative, things are more likely to go wrong, and others are more likely to interact negatively with you. Your attitude affects the outcome of your day.
How Can You Flip the Switch With Your Attitude?
If changing the outcome of your day is as simple as changing your attitude, how do you flip that switch? That switch is a choice that you make. When you wake up in the morning, you get to choose which attitude you will have that day. That attitude may be affected by your choices the previous day regarding how much sleep you got, what you ate, and whether or not you exercised. Having a good day can become a habit when you continually make good choices.
If you wake up with a negative attitude, you still have the choice to flip that switch at any point during the day. Doing some quick meditation or breathing exercises, counting backward, or taking a short walk are all actions you can take to help you change your focus and take on a positive attitude for the rest of your day. You can do this at any point during the day to change your mindset and outcome.
Learning to Embrace What You Have to Do
Along with your overall attitude, being willing to embrace what you have to do will also help you have a positive outcome. When you look at a task with dread or even reluctance, that task will not be enjoyable. When you embrace that task and face it positively, you may find that you enjoy completing the task.
The difference between doing something you are required to do and something you are looking forward to doing is in the experience. Joy and satisfaction come from embracing the things you need to do and making them something you want to do instead. This dynamic incorporates exercising your choice, choosing your attitude, and choosing to be happy and grateful instead of reluctant and resentful. Your days will significantly improve when you decide to embrace your to-do list.
Increasing Daily Self-Care
Self-care is an integral part of recovery. It is taking time for yourself each day to do something that fuels you, something that you are passionate about, something that brings you joy. Taking this time helps feed your soul, motivate you, and feel alive. Self-care also informs you and others that you are important and worth taking time each day.
One of the ways to guarantee that your day will be better is to increase the quality and or quantity of your self-care. Instead of only 20 or 30 minutes each day, lengthen the time you spend or utilize two different 20 to 30-minute periods throughout the day. Every minute you invest in self-care is time invested in yourself and your satisfaction.
Your self-care is a very personal choice, and it should be something just for you. Some ideas as to types of self-care include:
- Learning a new sport or martial art
- Learning a new hobby or picking up an old hobby
- Developing a new skill, such as photography or cooking
- Learning a new language
- Taking a class at a community college
- Hiking, spelunking, or exploring nature around you
- Developing an art skill or taking an art class
- Learning to dance or getting involved with local theater
- Playing a musical instrument or listening to new kinds of music
- Studying geology, topography, or local history
- Joining a local club, sports team, or exercise group
- Collecting rocks, shells, or insects
Adding More Fun to Your Day
Another way to ensure that you will have more great days is to add more fun to each day. You do not need to spend a lot of money or go out of your way to add more fun; you can do little things to make your ordinary routines more enjoyable. For example, you know you have to eat three meals a day, so why not plan to eat one outside, such as having a picnic? You could even arrange to meet a friend.
If you usually walk, drive, or take the bus somewhere, why not try skating or taking a scooter for a change? Since you plan to attend a 12-Step meeting, why not meet up with a sober friend before or after and grab some food, shoot some hoops, or listen to some music together? You can take an ordinary day and make it extra fun with some thought and planning.
Why Life Seems Easier With a Positive Attitude
Life will seem more manageable with a positive attitude because it is. Those who have a positive attitude and express hope and optimism have improved physical health outcomes, including lower episodes related to cardiovascular disease. Positivity lowers stress levels, which lowers heart rate and blood pressure. Those with a generally positive outlook on life have better health outcomes than those who consistently exhibit a negative attitude, are pessimistic, or lack hope.
You do not need to have toxic positivity, where you are ignorant of reality and try to gloss over genuinely difficult situations with false hope and fake positivity. You can be genuine and still have a positive attitude when appropriate.
When there is a chance for hope, having a positive attitude will help you and those around you get through life easier by creating the outcome you believe will happen. When you are optimistic about the things you have ahead of you in your day and generally have a positive attitude, life will be easier for you and even those around you, both physically and emotionally.
Life is full of disappointments. There will always be twists and turns, and there will be some very tough days ahead of you. Some things you may be able to anticipate, others you may not. You can guarantee to have more good days by starting each day off with a positive attitude even during difficult times. Be grateful rather than wake up overwhelmed by everything you have to do each morning. Count your blessings that you are alive and that you have the opportunity to do those things today. Gratitude is powerful and can help you maintain a positive attitude.
Being grateful that you are sober and that you can go through your daily routines. You are blessed enough to have the opportunity to take care of yourself, and giving yourself the blessings of recovery will help you have the proper perspective to embrace your day. When you truly appreciate where you are and realize where you came from, you will be able to acknowledge each good day that you have as a great day to be alive and in recovery. Attitude is half the battle—and maybe even a bit more.
You can have more great days by embracing your daily routines and learning to flip the switch and having a positive attitude. When you increase your self-care and add more fun to your day, you also increase the possibility of a positive outcome to your day. Your attitude determines your outcome every day and can make your life easier. Real Recovery Sober Living in Florida wants to help you have more great days in recovery. Our men’s sober living homes are clean and affordable, and we maintain an environment of accountability and stability. Our program offers experience, strength, and hope as you rebuild your life in recovery. Our mission is to provide a safe and stable recovery environment with a strong community support system to help men successfully transition back into the real world. Learn how to embrace your daily routines by calling (727) 290-9156.
