Recovery from any type of addiction is both physically as well as mentally exhausting and draining. For many people, it is literally peeling away layers upon layers of unhealthy behaviors and coping mechanisms to understand the root of the issue and then build new, effective and healthy coping mechanisms and behaviors.
With all this energy drain, it can be had to sustain the mental and physical levels needed to be successful in recovery. Anyone working to change a behavior knows that being tired, anxious, stressed or simply overwhelmed is a key trigger to regressing to past negative coping mechanisms.
The Universe Holds the Answers
The Law of Sobriety is a book I published in 2010 which focuses in on the concept of the Law of Attraction and how it can be used to assist with recovery. The Law of Attraction is a universal law that states that the way we think and the way we see ourselves is a magnet for the types of energy and opportunities we see in our lives.
For example, if we focus on how mentally exhausted we are during recovery, we are promoting a negative thought about ourselves and our path. Negative thoughts create negative energy, which means we attract negative energy. In the case of feeling exhaustion, this would be sending out low energy and receiving back low energy.
Instead, we need to turn our thinking around to feeling positive energy. By seeing ourselves as accomplishing tasks, of keeping on track and of meeting our goals, we create a high level of positive thoughts. Positive thoughts radiate positive energy out from our beings towards the Universe, which is returned in kind.
Mindful Thoughts
It is important to understand that the Law of Attraction is not a passive principle. It requires focus and attention, with an effort to be mindful and cultivate positive, affirming thoughts about ourselves, our recovery and our journey through life.
Along with these positive thoughts and the manifestation of positive energy out from the self, we also have to be ready to take action on the opportunities that we will receive. This can be challenging for someone in recovery as self-esteem, and a sense of self-confidence is often eroded with addiction.
To help to get yourself on the path to positive thoughts and positive energy, there are some strategies and daily activities anyone can do to create a positive mindset:
- Become your own cheerleader – recognize yourself for accomplishments. Do not allow yourself to minimize the achievement of a goal or the completion of a task. Make it a mental celebration and reinforce the success through thinking about the personal steps you took to actualize that goal.
- Become a thankful person – there is something very powerful about setting your mind to look for things in your life to be thankful or grateful for. Keep a daily record, in writing, of at least two to three things that occurred in the day that you are thankful to have experienced. It can be something simple like saying hello to a stranger or for even recognizing a friend for giving you a call just to say hi.
- Start a talent list – start by making a list of all the things you feel great about. These can be talents, skills or abilities, or perhaps something new you learned or an opportunity you saw and choose to accept.
The more you recognize the positive around you, the less mentally exhausted you will feel throughout the journey of recovery. By sending out positive energy in the world, you will find you receive positive energy in return.
Sherry Gaba, LCSW is the author of “The Law of Sobriety: Attracting Positive Energy for a Powerful Recovery on Amazon. Join Sherry’s group coaching tribe www.wakeuprecovery.com for only $19/month where she combines the law of attraction with addiction recovery and codependency.
