Why Empathy Is an Essential Ingredient in Addiction Recovery

Empathy is the ability to relate to others and view the world from their perspective. This quality can form the foundation for healthy relationships and improve your connections with others. It helps validate and reinforce your most crucial treatment takeaways as you repair relationships you might have torn apart through your self-destructive behavior.

Making Empathy Part of Your Recovery Process

As your attachment to drugs and alcohol grew, you may have driven away friends and family or hurt people who were close to you. Once you commit to a sober lifestyle, one of your challenges will be to mend fences you damaged during your years of active substance abuse.

Addiction can cause self-centeredness as obtaining and using drugs or alcohol becomes a priority. Part of changing your life for the better includes restoring your emotional stability. In group and individual therapy, you will discover the support you need to guide you in replacing negative habits with healthy ones.

Your first step in becoming a more empathetic person is to tune into your emotions. Use your thoughts and feelings to try to understand other people’s lived experiences. You can start by talking to peers you meet during rehab or in your recovery group about their involvement with substance abuse. During these conversations, take the opportunity to practice your active listening skills and demonstrate you’re paying close attention.

Benefits of Practicing Empathy in Recovery

While each person has different takeaways from recovery, consider these advantages of making empathy one of your sobriety goals. Practicing empathy helps you:

• Avoid getting stuck in a negative feedback loop
• Improve communication skills, leading to less conflict
• Gain more profound compassion
• Become more selfless and put others’ needs ahead of yours
• Learn to listen without passing judgment

Are You an Empathetic Person?

To help you assess how well you relate to others and put yourself in their shoes, ask yourself these questions:

• Do you find it easy to tell when someone is upset?
• If you notice a friend or co-worker seems more subdued than usual, do you ask if they want to talk about it?
• Can people count on you to provide practical advice?
• In a conversation, do you listen to what others are saying, or do you find your mind wandering?
• Are you good at reading between the lines and picking up on things others leave unsaid in conversations?
• Are you usually excited about the chance to meet and talk to new people?
• Can you respect someone else’s views and values, even when you don’t agree with them?
• Do you tend to connect emotionally with your favorite characters in movies and TV shows?

Embrace Your Recovery

If you’ve resolved to make 2021 the year when you seek help for a substance use disorder, Complete Harmony proudly provides a full continuum of holistic treatment options. People looking for an empowering alternative to traditional 12-step recovery programs will find it here. To learn more about what we offer, speak with one of our recovery advisors today.

Simple Steps for Soothing Self-Care

Some people say self-care is the foundation of addiction recovery. If you’ve completed rehab and/or an aftercare program, you’re likely familiar with the role self-care plays in your recovery and long-term sobriety.   

You may even know that self-care goes beyond just bathing, eating right, and exercising. It means nurturing your physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and financial health. And it doesn’t have to be time-consuming or costly. 

Here are just a few self-care tips you can put into action today: 

• Snuggle up with your loved one.
• Sit down with a good book; perhaps one that inspires you to become a better person.
• Sip a warm cup of herbal tea.
• Begin your mornings with a few yoga poses to clear your mind and energize your body.
• Head outdoors and soak up the sun as you take a long, relaxing stroll.
• Sit in a bubble bath and tune out to your favorite tunes.
• Organize your desk and tackle one pile of paperwork or bills.
• Light a scented candle and get creative by coloring, drawing, painting, or writing poetry.
• Give yourself a facial or pedicure.
• Wake up early and watch the sunrise.
• Pop some popcorn and cue your favorite Netflix series.
• Pour yourself a tall glass of water infused with cucumber or lemon.
• Sit and focus on your breathing. Close your eyes and let go of your worries.
• Make a list of long-term recovery goals. 
• Jot down five things you’re grateful for. 
• Set the alarm a few minutes early and stay in bed and meditate.

A Healthier Lifestyle With Deeper Purpose

At Complete Harmony, our holistic relapse prevention plans provide the tools you or someone you love needs for lifelong sobriety. After recovery, our staff encourages you to continue holistic therapies and find groups and community resources that support your commitment to sobriety. To learn more, call 866-930-4673.

How Does Gardening Help With Addiction Recovery?

Toiling in the soil can do wonders for your mood and for your recovery – and, perhaps the best part, you don’t even have to have a green thumb to experience the many health benefits. 

Firstly, gardening is a great mental workout; it requires patience, planning, foresight, and persistence – all qualities you’ll need to strengthen as you heal from addiction. And it can teach you mindfulness, encouraging you to focus on the task at hand without letting your mind wonder to thoughts about past wrongs or pending recovery tasks. 

Digging in the dirt has also been shown to help fight depression and persistent low mood. Mycobacterium vaccae, a harmless bacteria found in soil, is believed to mimic an antidepressant drug by stimulating the production of the “feel-good” hormone serotonin. 

And, not surprisingly, if you opt to grow a small fruit or veggie garden, you’ll reap nutritional benefits, too. Gardeners have been shown to eat more fruits and vegetables, according to several studies.

Health Benefits of Gardening
Check out some other health benefits linked to gardening: 

• Better mental health
• Boosted self-esteem
• Increased levels of vitamin D
• Reduced stress and anxiety
• A greater sense of control
• A greater ability to achieve goals
• Improved immune response
• Lowered heart rate
• Reduced risk of bone loss
• Increased flexibility
• Weight loss (one hour of gardening is equivalent to roughly 35 minutes of jogging)

So what are you waiting for? Get out in the fresh air and sunshine and get digging today! And consider making it a family affair: Growing a small garden together can be a great way to bond and rebuild relationships. 

Begin Holistic Addiction Treatment Today

Complete Harmony is proud to provide a long list of holistic therapies that help clients detox more comfortably and pursue improved wellness during active rehab. To learn more about our alternative treatment avenues, call our admissions team at 866.930.4673 today.