It’s Time to Spring-Clean Your Recovery Routine

The first day of spring is just around the corner, and you’ve probably already started spring-cleaning your home by clearing the clutter and making a fresh start to the new season. Spring represents a time of rebirth and awakening, which makes it the perfect opportunity to reevaluate your recovery as well.

Spring is the best time of year to take inventory of your recovery routine and assess progress on your goals. It’s also your chance to address any challenges or weaknesses that have come to your attention so you can avoid relapse triggers and stay committed to your sobriety.

Identify Problems

Whether you’re dealing with a loss of motivation, increased stress or a lapse in focus, your first task is realizing where you’ve started to get off-track. Once you’ve done that, you can devote your attention and dedication to fixing it. Here are some examples of the most common areas that tend to trip us up.

Mental messes: Failing to set or keep up with personal recovery goals can cause you to lose sight of why you wanted to get and stay sober in the first place.
Lack of effort: Not paying attention to your nutrition, fitness plan or sleep schedule can affect your mood and cause you to lapse back into unhealthy habits.
Overlooking the essentials: People in recovery need a lot of extra help and support. You’re not alone in your challenges. Ask for help from your friends, therapist or sponsor when you feel yourself slipping.

Many of us are dealing with one or several of these small struggles at any given point. Fortunately, as with most spring-cleaning tasks, you can make incredible progress in a short period by taking them on one at a time.

Assess Your Behavior Over Time

Keeping a recovery journal is one of the most useful things you can do. Not only does journaling have a therapeutic benefit, but it also enables you to look back at past entries and see if you can spot patterns in your behavior or thought processes.

It’s normal to have a difficult day every once in a while, but if you can tell from your journal that the low points far outweigh the high ones, it’s time for a reset. For example, could you meet with your sponsor more often, or begin practicing mindfulness meditation?

As you assess your behavior, your goal shouldn’t be to focus exclusively on weaknesses. Celebrate the areas where you’re doing well, and use them as an opportunity to treat yourself to something like a relaxing massage or a visit to a local art museum or botanical garden.

Choose Healthy New Ways to Reinvigorate Your Recovery

Whether you’ve been sober for two months or two decades, spring has a wonderful way of bringing increased verve and motivation. If it’s time for a breath of fresh air, don’t be afraid to take inventory of your recovery and do a little spring-cleaning. You’ll discover the rewards that come with a renewed commitment to your sobriety.

If you are seeking help for drug or alcohol misuse or co-occurring disorders, reach out to us at Canyon Crossing Recovery. We specialize in helping women in all stages of life rediscover their passion and joy with our variety of therapeutic programs.

Benefits of Residential AddictionTreatment

You cannot heal in the same environment that made you sick. This is the philosophy behind our residential addiction treatment program. At Canyon Crossing, women learn to live life on life’s terms while staying in a safe, substance-free setting. This gives our clients the space and peace needed for lasting recovery.

Our residential program combines high-accountability sober living arrangements with first-rate clinical care. While staying in our homes, clients participate in process groups, one-on-one counseling sessions, and hands-on learning opportunities. They also receive ongoing training; in these meetings, life skills like financial management and conflict resolution are imparted. All of this happens with 24/7 encouragement, guidance, and supervision from our clinical team.