You’ve completed your initial stages of treatment and have started your journey of recovery. Whether you’ve been sober for a month or years, there is always time to continue to work to better yourself in recovery. Doing this can not only help ensure you’re the best version of yourself but can ensure you’re prepared to handle the challenges that life may throw at you. One way that you can work to better yourself is by adapting new healthy habits in recovery.

These may be things that you have already been doing but want to take more seriously or start doing more. They can also be things that you’ve never considered before and have to really work toward. While it can take time to develop a new habit, it can really pay off in the end. The following are seven healthy habits for you to consider trying out.

Healthy Habit #1: Redefine What Fun Means to You

When you were still engaging in active substance use, fun to you might have meant going out to a bar or engaging in substance use with friends. Now that you’re sober, this is no longer an option, so it’s time to find new ways of having fun. One of the best ways to do this is to seek out new sober friends who are willing to partake in things like this with you. These could be people you met through treatment or through local support groups.

Healthy Habit #2: Develop a Daily Routine

Having a structured daily routine is so important in recovery. It helps create balance and stability and ensures you’re spending your time fruitfully. If you don’t already have one, consider developing a daily routine. Figure out when you’re going to wake up in the morning and when you’re going to go to bed at night.  While making your routine, don’t forget to schedule breaks and time for fun.

Healthy Habit #3: Practice Gratitude

Gratitude doesn’t come naturally to everyone, but it is very beneficial for mental health. If you want to become a more grateful person, this could help you. Each day when you wake up or before you go to bed, write down three things that you’re grateful for. These could be things that have been going well in your life, or even as simple as good health.

The longer that you do this, the more that you may find yourself with a more grateful mindset. Practicing gratitude helps you to focus more on all the positive things in your life instead of any negatives.

Healthy Habit #4: Learn New Ways to Manage Your Stress

Good stress management is so important in being able to prevent relapse. Consider learning some new stress management techniques to help protect your mental health. Everyone finds relief from stress in different ways. You just have to figure out what works for you.

Some common ways to manage stress include breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, physical exercise, and journaling. A lot of people also find relief by spending time in nature, spending quiet time alone, listening to calming music, or spending some time with a pet.

Healthy Habit #5: Increase Your Daily Self-Care

Self-care is extremely important for your overall mental, emotional, and physical well-being. It is easy to get so caught up in the stresses and responsibilities of the day that we forget to take time for ourselves. Self-care can be as simple as taking a break from work to have a snack or going for a quick walk with your dog. Self-care is meant to help recharge and rejuvenate you so that you can be the best possible version of yourself.

Some other forms of self-care include reading a book, listening to calming music, watching your favorite television show, and getting enough sleep.

Healthy Habit #6: Make Time for What Brings You Joy

One of the most important things to do when coming up with your new routine in recovery is to make time for what makes you happy. Consider what sort of things bring you the most joy. Maybe it’s spending time with your family or friends. Or it could be a certain hobby or passion that you have. No matter what it is, make sure you make time for it regularly.

Healthy Habit #7: Consider Yoga or Another Form of Meditation

If you’ve not already tried yoga or mindfulness meditation, consider giving it a shot. You don’t need to go out and buy anything to practice yoga, and you can do it from the comfort of your own home or backyard. If you don’t know where to begin, consider watching a YouTube video about beginner yoga techniques. Yoga can not only help to reduce stress, but it can also help you to feel more grounded and more in tune with yourself.

No matter where you’re at in your recovery journey, there is always more to learn. There are also always ways to better yourself. Habits have a major impact on our lives, so it’s always a good idea to develop new, positive ones. These positive habits can help improve your mental health and prevent relapse in the future. If you’re struggling with your mental health or are currently struggling with substance use disorder, our team at The Kimberly Center can help. Call us at (855) 452-3683 today to learn more about the different types of treatment options that we offer. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have.