Staying motivated is not always easy, both in general and especially in recovery. Keeping precise records can help. Specifically, maintaining records of symptoms, goals, and achievements during long-term recovery may help you stay motivated. The question is, what forms of record-keeping can you implement into our recovery journey? How can these methods assist in staying focused on the positives instead of the negatives? Furthermore, can keeping these precise records help you stay motivated long-term? Continue reading to learn more and get the answers to these questions today.
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The Importance of Staying Motivated in Recovery
Substance use disorder (SUD) is a chronic, complex brain disorder. A chronic condition such as this requires long-term work to maintain recovery. Unfortunately, constantly trying to maintain recovery can seem daunting at times, and staying motivated can sometimes be challenging. However, people must find ways to stay motivated in their recovery journey.
Finding new ways to motivate your recovery journey is critical to maintaining it long-term. Without new ways to stay motivated, every new day can begin to feel like a chore. Sometimes, people forget why they stay sober. As a result, many may become overwhelmed by the recovery journey. Thankfully, you can do many things to remind yourself of your reasons for sobriety.
Ways to Stay Motivated in Recovery
Each addiction recovery journey is unique. So, what works for some may not work for you and vice versa. The same goes for finding what motivates you to stay sober. Some things you can consider doing to sustain your sobriety include:
- Staying connected to your friends, family, and loved ones
- Reminding yourself of the reasons you decided to get sober, such as familial responsibilities, professional goals, or health concerns
- Setting attainable goals for yourself and your recovery throughout the year
- Practicing gratitude and keeping a journal to document things you are thankful for
- Becoming a sponsor, peer support worker, or helping someone else new to recovery
Another great way to stay motivated is by practicing self-care, which you can do by:
- Getting enough quality sleep
- Eating healthy foods and staying hydrated
- Exercising a little bit each day throughout the week
- Maintaining a safe, peaceful home environment for yourself
- Learning new healthy coping techniques to use throughout recovery
So, with all these in mind, where do forms of record-keeping come into play?
Why Should You Consider Forms of Record-Keeping to Track Recovery Symptoms, Goals, and Achievements?
Record-keeping sounds like something you would do as a bookkeeper or accountant. However, when we refer to record-keeping in recovery, we simply mean documenting your healing journey. This may include writing positive thoughts, negative thinking patterns, and other complex feelings or symptoms you may experience. You can also keep track of the goals you hope to achieve. For instance, if you are trying to become more active, you can keep a fitness journal. The journal can be part of your recovery records to document your physical progress and how it has helped your recovery and mental health.
Keeping these records is critical to tracking your overall recovery progress. You can see how far you have come and decide where to go next. Record-keeping will also help you pinpoint causation for potential setbacks. For instance, if you experience a relapse, your documentation may help you determine triggering factors. Following this, you can document these new triggers and adjust your relapse prevention plan accordingly.
What Forms of Record-Keeping Can You Experiment With?
As mentioned, different forms of record-keeping can help you with your recovery journey. We already mentioned how journaling can help. Keeping a journal may be the best way for you to track your progress and achievements. From sun up to sun down, you can record every symptom, thought, and emotion you experience as the day progresses. This can include potential triggers or cravings you may encounter and how you deal with them.
Another form of record-keeping you may consider is through the use of apps. Many modern apps are centered around recovery, peer support, and sober tracking. If pen and paper are not your thing, you can always consider using electronic tools and resources. You can also keep a digital journal where you document these experiences through photos, videos, or voice recordings that you can reflect on later. The goal is to find a way to record your progress and stay motivated to carry on with your recovery journey.
Speak with a recovery specialist or call West Coast Recovery Centers to learn more about new forms of record-keeping you can implement into our recovery journey today!
Substance use disorder (SUD) is a chronic, complex brain condition, and as such, staying sober is a lifelong journey. This notion can be alarming for some individuals. However, long-term recovery is possible with a sufficient support system, relapse prevention techniques, and a carefully constructed post-treatment care plan. An excellent way to stay motivated in your journey is tracking your progress. That includes documenting every symptom, goal, setback, and achievement. You can do this by maintaining a journal, using a recovery app, or keeping a digital diary that includes photos, videos, and voice recordings you can reflect on at any point. To seek treatment or learn more about these potential forms of record-keeping, call West Coast Recovery Centers at (760) 492-6509.