Recovering from any illness takes time and effort. You may need to be more careful of your emotional health after rehab, and taking it slow physically can help to protect yourself from the shock of re-entering regular life.
This slow and steady approach can help you to establish habits that can give you a healthier lifestyle than before. It is very important to always come from a place of desiring wellness for your body and mind. Routine is good, but attempting to be too strict with yourself can prolong the time it takes to fit back into the regular pace of life. Establish a schedule but be sure to include plenty of healthy foods and self-care activities in your daily activities.
Taking the time out to give yourself time to breathe, connect with your inner state, and avoid rushing yourself will finally allow you to understand yourself. This is an integral part of avoiding triggers and giving yourself the boundaries you need to be at your healthiest in body and mind.
Leafy Green Vegetables
Leafy green vegetables are good for making green smoothies or as a side salad with your meals.
Keep a Journal
You can get a physical journal or download an app on your phone and start recording your thoughts. The world can feel overwhelming after some time away and there are so many expectations on you to show you’ve healed and have become a better person.
It can be very healing to write down how you feel, list out what you need to do, and make plans. Even writing down what people say to you is a good thing because it gives you a way to express how the situations make you feel. When you’re in recovery it can be very hard to feel understood and by giving yourself this vector for venting, you allow yourself to both understand yourself and your reactions as well as develop empathy for other people’s reactions.
Eat More Fish
Salmon is a delicious and very healthy addition to your diet. Salmon gives the body protein, B vitamins, selenium, iron, zinc, and Omega-3 fats. This enhances healing, immune response, reduces inflammation and has also been linked to better mental health.
Supplements can deliver you B vitamins and iron and omega-3, but they will not give you the same feel as cooking and eating a meal. The act of preparing the meal, learning the new cooking skills required, and sitting down to eat can be very calming on your mind.
Brief Communication
There will be people you need to get in touch with and re-establish contact with but this can feel like a big task. Reduce the amount of pressure it puts on you by being as brief as possible in your communications.
Write down a polite yet brief message that would suit everyone and send it out to everyone. Replace names and pronouns as you see fit to tailor them to the separate people. The most important thing is that the message clearly states what you want them to know. That this is an initial message that you are hoping will allow them to know that you are okay and safe and you would like to get back in touch with them at their convenience.
Follow up on their replies at a set time every day so that you do not spend too long within the strong emotions their replies may give you. Keep your responses brief and write down how the communications made you feel in your journal to help yourself work through the emotions.
Berries, Nuts, and Seeds
These are often treated as snacks and people fail to appreciate how many health benefits they can gain from including berries, nuts, and seeds in their weekly diet.
Berries provide vitamin C which is great for stimulating the production of collagen and are also packed with antioxidants. They have anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and immune-boosting properties.
Nuts and seeds are a great source of protein, healthy fats, and vitamins. They support healing, aid recovery from illness, and improve the function of immune cells. For a body that is recovering its strength, these are a delicious addition that can help to speed up the recovering process.
Go out for walks in nature if you can. Stretch out your limbs and spend time listening to the voices in your head. This will give you a sense of contentedness that will help to relieve stiff muscles and loosen the barriers you’ve placed within your mind.
Part of recovery is forgiving yourself. This can help to ensure that your recovery does not waver and that you can build a life for yourself that will be strong and productive.
