Women who are in recovery need strategies that they can use to prioritize themselves, especially when things are stressful, when there’s a lot of anxiety, or when they don’t have anyone around to offer additional support. In this blog, we’ll review self-care strategies for women in recovery.
Self-Care Strategies for Women in Recovery
Self-care strategies can take many forms. When you participate in women’s inpatient treatment, you’ll learn different strategies and figure out which ones you prefer.
Exercise
Exercise has several benefits, not least of which is an improvement in mood, hormones, and physical health. If you are in recovery, you need to prioritize time for exercise.
These self-care strategies for women in recovery should be a regular part of your routine, something you do at the same time of day or with the same regularity.
One of the best things about exercise as a self-care strategy for women in recovery is that you have so many different options for exercise. Know that the exercise you choose should be something you do because it makes you feel good and it’s something you enjoy.
It also doesn’t have to be the same type of exercise from one day to the next. If, for example, you are feeling overwhelmed one day and you can’t get out of your head, yoga can be a great way to bring your attention to the current moment and focus on your breathing.
Now, let’s assume that you’re overwhelmed and can’t get out of your own head, but you’re also exhausted from the day and don’t have the capacity for the level of mindfulness required to do yoga safely. In this case a bike ride might be the perfect exercise instead.
In the morning or evening, before you go to bed, calming flexibility training like gentle yoga or stretching or a quick walk outside might be better for your mind.
In the middle of the day or the weekend, you might want strength training. All your attention is focused on improving your physique, challenging yourself to lift heavier things, or engaging in outdoor activities like cycling, rock climbing, or swimming.
Be Mindful
If you are stressed, exercise might be the answer, but if you are anxious, breath work might be better.
Many of the exercises that you can employ as part of your self-care strategy utilize some aspect of breath work or mindfulness, like yoga. All of this helps you avoid anxiety about the future or ruminations about the past.
Be Creative
Other self-care strategies for women in recovery focus on creative outlets. There are so many creative outlets that can bring benefits like:
- Improving your mood
- Boosting your self-esteem
- Building independence
- Learning new skills
- Encouraging socialization
- Staying mindful
Creativity doesn’t require any skill set. You can utilize things like music, art, dance, drawing, or writing without any previous experience and still reap the benefits.
For example, writing can be a great creative outlet if you are overthinking something because it will help you focus your thoughts and alleviate anxious thoughts that are outside of your control. Walking can be a great resource if you are feeling burned out. Singing can help you when you feel angry. Coloring or painting, especially in a coloring book, can help you if you are feeling anxious.
Set Boundaries
As a woman, it can be challenging to set boundaries.
Telling someone you are prioritizing yourself, don’t want to do something, or need them to respect you risks being perceived as “selfish” or worse.
However, when you are in recovery, you are not responsible for how other people respond to you or how they try to ignore or overstep boundaries. Those who truly care about you and your recovery will respect the boundaries you establish and be happy to do so.
So, figure out what you need and express it. It might be time alone or a night in instead of attending a group dinner with triggers. Whatever it is, set your boundary, and don’t let others cross it.
Learning Self-Care Strategies at Casa Serena
At Casa Serena, we are a women’s drug and alcohol rehab center providing a full continuum of care. Our luxury treatment offers a communal program where women all work together to develop self-care strategies. During your stay, you’ll participate in treatment that helps you gain insight into the relationship between your trauma and your current behavior. This insight can provide safety and healing, giving you a deeper understanding of what self-care strategies might be most important for you during your recovery.
As you progress through your recovery, your self-care strategies might change, and you might learn new ones to replace old ones. Overall, the best self-care strategies for women in recovery will include a combination of things like setting boundaries, exercising, participating in yoga or nature therapy, and finding creative outlets.
Contact our team today to learn more about our women’s addiction treatment programs.