Some wise advice goes, “If you wouldn’t say it to a friend, don’t say it to yourself.” Yet, many people, especially those in recovery, often treat themselves very poorly. This is for many reasons, including guilt and shame. However, it can be critical for healing at the cellular level for one to practice self-care. Making a tactical self-care plan may be one of the most important moves you make in recovery. It not only makes recovery more enjoyable, but it can also reduce the chances of a potential relapse.
Making a Self-Care Tactical Plan
Self-care is often overlooked in recovery. This is not intentional. It just so happens that life in recovery can get very busy, and we often forget to take care of ourselves. The good news is that it is never too late to make a tactical self-care plan.
The key is connecting with the right recovery center and recovery professionals who are going to help you create a self-care plan right away. There is no time to wait. The sooner a self-care plan starts, the sooner one can begin to feel the positive effects of it.
Now, of course, it is also important to make sure that a tactical self-care plan shares space with fixing other aspects of life. This may be repairing relationships at home, fixing issues at work, or even going back to school (all of which could, of course, also be included in the broader aspect of self-care).
What Exactly Is a Self-Care Tactical Plan?
So, what exactly is a self-care tactical plan? Ultimately, it is a very focused plan that concentrates on holistic healing. Now, many people get confused about what “holistic” healing in this context means. It does not solely mean Eastern medicine and practices. No, holistic simply means “whole.” So, a holistic self-care tactical plan means a plan that focuses on healing the whole mind-body. It focuses on healing all aspects of the capital “S” self, the physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual.
What are the components of a self-care tactical plan? The answer is that they are going to vary based on the individual and their needs, but there will be some universal overlaps. The following are often aspects of a self-care tactical plan:
- A focus on exercise and physical wellbeing
- Specific changes to ensure a healthy diet
- The addition of meditation to a routine
- Adding spirituality to one’s life
- Engaging in some form of therapy
- Setting short and long-term goals
- Connecting with other healthy people
- Focusing on recovery first
- Addressing any co-occurring issues of mental health
Enacting a Self-Care Tactical Plan
Creating a self-care tactical plan can be much easier than implementing it. That is because, like anything in life, the hardest part is starting. This is why aligning yourself with the right recovery professionals and recovery peers right away is so important. They can offer the essential motivation and support that is needed to get going and keep going.
It is also important not to get overwhelmed with a self-care tactical plan. Sometimes, we become too ambitious with our plans, and this ambition backfires because we get discouraged. The key is to know when to step back and make readjustments.
It is also important to be realistic with goals in a self-care tactical plan. For example, we can’t expect to get that “beach body” a month after getting sober. Like anything, getting results is going to take time (and significant effort). It is also important to keep recovery first. It can be very easy to replace one addiction for another, such as overexercise for substance use disorder (SUD). The right recovery center can make sure that the eye stays on the ultimate prize: recovery.
Connecting With the Right Recovery Center Right Away
If you think you or a loved one needs help, it is important to do some research and connect with a recovery center that aligns with your values. This also includes connecting with a recovery center that has the proper amount of resources and a healthy ethos.
The reality is that the recovery industry is now worth billions of dollars. While this is positive in there are more reputable recovery centers out there, there are also many more bad actors that are looking to put their own financial bottom line over their client’s well-being.
These are also the recovery centers that only offer overarching “one-note” recovery plans. They do not focus on the individual, and they do not offer a multi-angled approach to recovery. This means utilizing as many effective means, methods, and modalities as possible to help you recover. The recovery may also start long before even arriving at the recovery center.
A Focus on Interventions
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab™, we are proud to offer the services of exceptional professional interventionists who are licensed to work in all 50 states. They can help you get your loved one the help they need with an earnest and gentle approach. They can also help the family set boundaries if their loved one is not willing to get help.
These boundaries can be tough at first, but they are important. After all, addiction is a “family disease,” and many family members end up with codependency issues because they are unable to set proper boundaries. The may be boundaries like not letting a loved one in the home if they have been using, or no longer offering financial assistance, and not letting them near any of their children until they choose to get clean and sober. Yes, a difficult task for sure, but remember, you are saving your loved one’s life. It can also help them get into an essential detox sooner rather than later.
The Importance of a Safe and Secure Detox Process
It is important to understand how important the detox process can be. Many people are extremely sick due to their alcohol and substance use and need professional detoxing so that they don’t get sicker when they are getting the substances out of their system.
You should never try to detox on your own. One, it is going to be significantly more uncomfortable than doing so in a professional setting. Two, it can be dangerous and deadly. This is especially true with substances like alcohol.
Engaging in a safe and secure detox is one of the first ways that you can show yourself some self-care. This process is going to ensure that you are replenished with the essential vitamins and nutrients that you may be deficient in, as well as replenish essential hydration levels. A detox is also the first step toward taking the next right move in recovery, finding the right program. This may be residential addiction care or an intensive outpatient program (IOP).
What Does It Mean to Heal at the Cellular Level?
Now, many people ask, “What does it mean to heal at the cellular level?” The answer is that all aspects of one’s issues are addressed thoughtfully and thoroughly. This begins by getting to the underlying root/core causes of addiction (and mental illness). Often, these underlying issues are associated with issues of trauma and/or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Millions of people struggle with these issues every day. Yet, they can be misunderstood.
Many people have heard of PTSD, but are not exactly familiar with what it is and who struggles with it. According to the British Medical Journal (BMJ), “Patients with PTSD are at increased risk of experiencing poor physical health, including somatoform, cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, and immunological disorders. It is also associated with substantial psychiatric comorbidity, increased risk of suicide, and considerable economic burden…. About 3% of the adult population has PTSD at any one time.”
It is essential to get to these underlying issues sooner rather than later, because they can fester and end up becoming much worse. One of the best ways of treating these underlying issues is with psychotherapy.
The Importance of Psychotherapy for Getting to the Root/Core Causes of Addiction
There are many types of helpful psychotherapies that can help with addiction. These include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and psychodynamic therapy. All of these are ideal because they help the individual see the negative way that they view themselves and the world around them. Once these views are recognized, then the behaviors associated with them can be properly addressed.
ACT can be particularly helpful in addressing underlying issues of loss and fear. According to the peer-reviewed journal Neurotherapeutics, “Over the past 25 years, behavioral interventions that incorporate mindfulness and acceptance have emerged as an evolution of the cognitive behavioral psychotherapy tradition. One of these novel modalities is ACT, which begins with the fundamental understanding that pain, grief, loss, disappointment, illness, fear, and anxiety are inevitable features of human life. The goal of ACT is not elimination or suppression of these experiences, [r]ather, ACT emphasizes the pursuit of valued life areas and directions, such as intimate relationships, meaningful work, and personal growth….”
Now, psychodynamic therapy works especially well with addiction because it helps people better understand their addictive behaviors. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “Psychodynamic therapy focuses on unconscious processes as they are manifested in the client’s present behavior. The goals of psychodynamic therapy are client self-awareness and understanding of the influence of the past on present behavior. In its brief form, a psychodynamic approach enables the client to examine unresolved conflicts and symptoms that arise from past dysfunctional relationships and manifest themselves in the need and desire to abuse substances.”
Self-Care and Experiential Therapies
Alongside psychotherapy, there are many experiential therapies that can help one better achieve a self-care tactical plan. These include experiential therapies that focus on connecting with nature and having outdoor experiences, as well as experiential therapies that focus on more creative outputs, like art therapy, for example. Connecting with nature offers a unique set of benefits and is important for people in recovery because it helps them to escape from their history of isolation and indoor loneliness.
Nature immersion therapy offers a myriad of benefits that cannot be achieved with strictly talk therapy. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “Being outdoors in nature can be, in general, health-promoting. Furthermore, being outdoors can stimulate all the senses, increase the feeling of freedom, and have a positive effect on the immune system. Moreover, light and air can increase reflection and self-regulation for patients with depression.”
Art therapy is also a great way to achieve a better sense of self-care while addressing deeper mental health and addiction issues. According to the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, “Art psychotherapy has been found to augment learning, insight, and motivation in treatment in ways that enhance verbal therapy. Those who have been using substances for years or decades have functioned in altered states of consciousness that impact their sense of reality, time, identity, and perception, which may also encompass post-traumatic dissociation. Creativity engages personal history and anchors the client in the present with the challenge of portraying a feeling or experience in some way with chosen materials.”
Using as Many Modalities as Possible in a Self-Care Tactical Plan
It is also important to use as many other holistic healing modalities as possible. These are modalities like massage therapy, aroma therapy, acupuncture, yoga, and mindfulness meditation. These practices have been utilized for thousands of years. Originally, they were mainly used for spiritual purposes, but they have since moved into the realm of recovery.
Yoga, in particular, is an interesting intervention because it is so multifaceted when it comes to addressing multiple aspects of self-care. According to the Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice, “Yoga, which is a form of mind-body practice, draws its roots to India, and it has been proven to reduce perceived stress, anxiety, and improve physical and mental health. Yoga has eight components, such as conduct within society, personal discipline, postures/poses (‘asanas’), breathing, concentration, contemplation, meditation, and absorption/stillness…. Yoga is being considered as a holistic intervention inducing dopamine homeostasis, leading to long-term benefits in the management of addictive behaviors termed as ‘Reward Deficiency Syndrome.’”
Meditation also offers many benefits that are essential for a well-rounded self-care tactical plan. According to the peer-reviewed journal Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation, “Evidence supporting the efficacy of MBIs [mindfulness-based interventions] as an intervention for SUDs and for relapse prevention is growing. A recent systematic review from Sancho et al included 54 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) targeting either substance or behavioral addictions. Results revealed MBIs (eg, MBRP; Mindfulness Training for Smokers, MTS; MORE, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, ACT; Yoga) reduced substance dependence and craving, as well as other addiction-related symptoms (eg, pain, health-related quality of life, depression, and anxiety) through improving mood state and emotion dysregulation.”
Working With a Community for Self-Care
While it may seem like a paradox, working with others is also essential for achieving self-care. This is because working with others offers a critical sense of purpose in one’s recovery life. After all, it has been said that the primary purpose of recovery is to “stay sober and help someone else recover.”
Working with other people is also a great way to avoid a potential relapse. This is because it is hard to ruminate on your own problems when you are busy helping someone else with theirs. This also helps us to remember to have gratitude for all of the opportunities we have to be of service in recovery.
To gain all of these helpful supports and insights, it can be helpful to join a recovery community, like a 12-Step program. Here, one can find a home away from home where one can relate to others who have similar life experiences. It also offers a safe space to vent and get any issues that you may be struggling with. Often, someone is going through the same thing or has advice on how to navigate it. It is self-care through communal caring.
Healing at the Cellular Level With Exclusive Hawaii Rehab™
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab™, we believe in long-term success over short-term fixes. This is why we always include self-care initiatives in all of our recovery plans. This is how you heal at the cellular level.
If you are ready to cease fighting everyone and everything, then you are ready to recover. You can do this! We can help.
Self-care is a critical part of recovery. It is vital to know the importance of self-care because it can be highly effective for achieving long-term recovery and avoiding a potential relapse. The good news is that most healthy recovery modalities also include a focus on self-care. If you feel like you or a loved one is struggling with issues of addiction, mental illness, or co-occurring disorders, we can help get you on the positive path toward long-term recovery right away. You don’t have to go through this process alone. For more information about the importance of creating a self-care tactical plan, please reach out to Exclusive Hawaii Rehab™ today at (808) 775-0200.
