Patrick Slattery Addiction Recovery October 24, 2022 Through your recovery journey, you will experience various ups and downs. With each milestone you reach, you have achieved more success. There is ultimately no end to the recovery path, as you are adapting to a new way of life. While you may feel motivated after leaving treatment and joining a recovery home, that motivation can often dissipate as time passes. There are many techniques you can use to regain motivation during recovery. Since there is no official ending to the recovery process, at times, you may lose your motivation to continue the journey. Once you are in the stage of sobriety maintenance, you have succeeded. Recovery is viewed as a lifelong process because it is meant to make a permanent change in your life. The idea of a never-ending process may cause you to lose motivation and care towards your progress, setting you back to the beginning of the process again. Utilizing these techniques to stay motivated can keep you on a long-term path to success. Celebrating Milestones Through recovery, you will reach various milestones and success points. At these times, it is important to celebrate your success. Each milestone takes hard work and commitment. Be proud of the work you have put into recovery to get yourself to this stage. Measuring Milestones While meeting goal points varies from individual to individual, there is a general path of milestones in the field of addiction recovery. Using the Milestones of Recovery Scale (MORS) it can be determined where you are on a timeline of recovery. This scale was initially used to assess recovery from mental health disorders but has been implemented in the field of addiction recovery as well. The following stages are viewed as milestones through the recovery journey: Extreme risk High risk and not engaged High risk but engaged Poorly coping and not engaged Poorly coping but engaged Coping and rehabilitating Early recovery Advanced recovery This scale is effective in determining your milestones through recovery; however, it is not always easy to understand the differences between each stage. Another way to look at milestones of your recovery is to view the basic outline of events. For example, you may recognize that you are struggling with substance use disorder, seek help, attend residential treatment, engage in a sober living program, then work with a therapist as you settle into your life. Each step of this process can be viewed as a milestone that is worth celebrating. Rewarding yourself for engaging in treatment or entering a sober living home may not come naturally, as it seems to be a tedious process ahead of you. Considering that you have made the steps to recognize your addiction and reach these goals is a huge accomplishment. You should feel proud of your success through this stage and celebrate each step along the way, regardless of how far you have to go. Focusing On Goals Another way to stay motivated through your recovery journey is to stay focused on your goals. When you are initially engaged in recovery, you will establish a list of short-term and long-term goals. While some of these goals may stick through the remainder of your recovery journey, some may require alterations. Work to consistently have a goal in mind that excites you and keeps you motivated to strive for a better version of yourself. Altering Your Goals If you find that some of your goals no longer feel important or you are struggling to care about them, alter the goal or implement a new goal that you feel motivated to achieve. Having goals that align with your wants and needs greatly increases the level of motivation that you will be able to maintain. Every few months, take the time to reassess your goals and determine if your actions still align with your goals. Ensure that you do not alter your goals out of fear that you will not be able to reach them. Don’t attempt to change your goals to make life easier. Ensure that your goals align with what you want for your future. Goals are not always easy to achieve, but if it is something you desire for your future, it will be worth the work. Tips for Staying Goal-Oriented There are a few tips you can use to help keep a goal-oriented focus through recovery. Try writing your goals on a sticky note and placing it on your bathroom mirror. Set a reminder on your phone at a certain time every day to reflect on your goals. Keep a journal of the progress you have made towards achieving your goals. For long-term goals that take multiple steps to accomplish, try breaking them down into smaller goals. By accomplishing these small steps towards your ultimate goal, you can gain a level of satisfaction from seeing your progress. Large goals are fulfilling when achieved but are often hard to achieve because they feel so out of reach. Breaking up large goals into smaller pieces can help you to view the goal realistically and stay focused on your progress. Finding Your Purpose In recovery, you may feel that you have lost sight of your purpose due to experiencing hardships. Finding your purpose is not always easy; it means something different for everyone. If you are lacking motivation and feel a low level of self-esteem, you may want to try some of the following practices to help you discover your purpose in life, giving you the strength to move forward. Mindfulness Your purpose is often associated with the practice of mindfulness. By practicing mindfulness, you can increase your potential of finding your purpose in life. Mindfulness allows you to be present in the current moment without focusing on the past or future. When in this state of high awareness, you can begin to develop an understanding of why you are here and how you contribute to the world around you. Even if you are not able to discover your purpose through this practice, it is a great way to calm your emotions during moments of high stress. Mindfulness can allow you to reevaluate the situation you are in, opening the opportunity for you to try another approach. It can benefit more than just your motivation levels; it impacts your ability to cope and regulate your emotions through recovery. Volunteer Giving back to your community is another great way to understand your purpose in life. Volunteering often feels like strenuous work without pay. However, you are paid in the rewards of gratitude. By seeing how your service can help better the lives of others, you can gain a sense of appreciation for yourself. Many people find their passion through volunteer work and develop a sense of self-wroth from helping others. Whether you decide to volunteer locally or travel to volunteer, many benefits can be received. While living in a sober living home, it is optimal to find a volunteer opportunity in your surrounding area. Recovery should continue to be your main focus, but volunteer work is a great way to spend your free time. Life Crafting Another great technique you can use to find your purpose is the practice of life crafting. This practice has been studied through the framework of positive psychology and has been shown to assist individuals in finding their purpose. As the name implies, it is a strategy to help you craft your life, creating a blueprint of what you desire. This practice includes the following key components: Discover values and passions Reflect on current desires and habits Reflect on present and future social life Reflect on possible future career Write about your ideal future Write down specific goals Make public commitments to the goals set Through the use of these steps, you can develop a further understanding of what you wish to receive out of life. Reflecting on each of these areas can open your mind up to discovering your purpose and appreciating what you have in life. Enjoy the Journey The journey of recovery involves a lot of stress. It is not always easy to enjoy the recovery process when there are consistent obstacles to overcome. As the journey might not always be enjoyable, it is important to search for the positive moments and focus on them. There are many pleasurable events in each of our lives. just may take some attention and awareness to find them. You can find a sense of joy through the satisfaction of your accomplishments. This can be achieved by setting goals and tracking your progress. Knowing that you have a purpose is also a great way to build your self-esteem and confidence. Fulfilling your goals can help to make life feel enjoyable overall. You can also find happiness by engaging in activities that you enjoy. Engaging in fun activities with your friends and family that do not involve substance use is a great way to find enjoyment in your everyday life. Seek advice from friends and discuss available activity options. Appreciate What You Have Joy and happiness can only be acquired through the aspects that you view joyful. A great way to gain appreciation is to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Remember that no matter what situation you are in, there is always somebody who is in a worse scenario. This does not take away from the hardships of your situation, nor anyone else’s. However, this mindset can help you appreciate what you do have. Living in gratitude is a huge step towards happiness. There is always something worth appreciating in your surroundings. Search for the simple things that bring you joy throughout the day. Focus on the small things. Take the time for a long walk and pay close attention to every sensation that you feel. Look for the beauty in nature. Spend time with a loved pet. Try to always seek out the positive attributes of everyone you meet. You may be surprised with how much beauty there is around you if you truly look. Recovery is a lifelong process. Since there is no exact endpoint and it can be easy to lose motivation and stray toward giving up in recovery. There are many practices and techniques you can implement to help yourself stay motivated through the recovery process and continue your success. Upon each milestone in recovery, take the time to celebrate your accomplishments. You deserve to take a break every once in a while and reward yourself for the progress you have made. Learning when to celebrate milestones that you reach in recovery, maintaining a goal-oriented mindset, finding your purpose in life, and finding enjoyment through your every step of the way can help you stay motivated to continue the long road of recovery. To learn more about staying motivated in your recovery home and celebrating your milestones to success, reach out to Real Recovery Sober Living today at (727) 290-9156. Milestones motivated - Share on Facebook Share on twitter