3 Tips to Building Healthy Relationships in Recovery
Legacy Healing Center Blog
Having a positive relationship in recovery is one of the keys to overcoming addiction.
The most important type of healthy relationships in recovery should begin with self-love and understanding. While it may feel important to look for other relationships in recovery, finding yourself, building up confidence, self- esteem and understanding your own needs should be the focus in recovery before forming other relationships.
That doesn’t mean that relationships outside of recovery shouldn’t be touched either if you have friends or family that you have lost touch with, during or after recovery could be a good time to reach out to them. Here we will give you the low down on recovery in relationships and why loving yourself first is the most important relationship in recovery.
If you or someone you love needs help with addiction, call 954-994-2965 today to speak with a treatment specialist.
Recovery and Relationships Can Go Hand in Hand
The reasoning for focusing on oneself in recovery is simple; there is still maturity and growth that needs to happen throughout the journey into sobriety and these tasks take time. Individuals in recovery must take the time to understand their own identity and emotions and learn how to handle these feelings in everyday life.
In a nutshell, relationships in recovery should be about understanding what you yourself need and expects before diving into relationships with others and their needs. Here are some of our tips related to building healthy relationships in recovery.
1. Learn to Love Yourself – By figuring out who you are you are able to learn to love yourself and understand your own needs. By learning to love yourself you are able to stop second-guessing who you are and why you live a certain way.
By finding yourself again you can put your needs first, your health first and everything else you love first and allowing acceptance of yourself. Once you are able to love yourself you can then work on new relationships and fixing others.
2. Know When To Leave Others Behind – While focusing on yourself is most important, it’s also important to know when to leave toxic relationships behind. Friends from certain times in your life can trigger cravings and negative thinking, especially if they are toxic to your well-being.
While it can be hard to leave certain friendships behind, it’s important to understand which relationships can bring stress or cause a relapse. These are the relationships to leave behind and take the time to find new hobbies, events or activities to not feel lonely.
Loneliness can be difficult but focusing on things that you like and being around individuals who think like you can give you a new support system and a group of people that can help you live a healthy lifestyle.
3. Focus on Communication – Communicate with yourself, communicate with your family, friends, and therapists. Communication allows you to express the thoughts and feelings that are going on in your mind and allow you to not only understand yourself but allow others to understand your needs.
Communication comes in different forms, it can be in the form of a disagreement or an agreement or just general conversation. Communication helps you understand others, understand yourself and learn to communicate soberly.
Once you have taken the time to develop a relationship with yourself, whether in or out of rehab, you may then be able to work on developing relationships with new individuals. When doing so, take the time to appreciate differences and feelings and by understanding these things about yourself, you are able to learn to understand these things about others.
If you believe that you or someone you love is struggling with addiction and has lost track of themselves, speak to them, or us, about getting help for them.
Reach out to us today and call 954-994-2965 to speak with a treatment specialist.