As an individual, you may have been called rebellious. You might find yourself seeking and being drawn toward rebellion in general. However, in recovery, your rebellious nature can put you off track.
Fortunately, you can learn to find a healthy balance. By balancing your rebellious nature, you set yourself up for success. Of course, finding balance is not easy.
Getting treatment is the foundation of finding a healthy balance in your life. The next step is learning how to use your rebellious nature in ways that do not disrupt your recovery and may even help you heal from mental health disorders and addiction.
Rebellious Tendencies and Addiction
If you have struggled with rebellious tendencies, you are not alone. This is especially true if your rebellion led you to substance use and addiction.
According to research, those who struggle with substance abuse or addiction are often seeking a way to rebel or escape from difficult situations, such as family dysfunction, trauma, and more. Turning to substances can also be a way to define yourself. It can be a way to rebel against the normal way of living.
The Importance of Balancing Your Rebellious Nature
Since rebellion can lead to substance use and addiction, when you are in recovery, it is important to keep an eye on your desire to rebel. Balancing your drives and impulses is challenging. However, doing so can decrease your risk of relapse.
Questioning Rebellious Impulses
When you find a balance that helps you not be controlled by rebellious impulses, you provide yourself with more options to manage your relapse risk. For example, if you are in a situation where you feel the desire to rebel, you can pause and consider whether acting on that desire is in your best long-term interest.
This brief time to think about the consequences of your actions can make a significant difference. It can help you to stay out of situations that have triggers for you and ultimately improve your long-term recovery.
Adopting a Long-Term Mindset
Rebellious impulses often do not have your long-term goals in mind. When you strike a balance, you are more likely to make decisions that can benefit you tomorrow and far into the future.
Mental health, for example, is improved by regular exercise. Investing in an exercise routine today will therefore help you to feel better tomorrow. In recovery, managing your mental health is an important practice that helps you stay sober.
What Balancing Your Rebellious Nature Looks Like
As a rebel, you may wonder what it would even look like to find a better balance. Two keys to finding balance involve redirecting your energy and looking at the bigger picture.
Redirecting Your Energy
Acts of rebellion are often daring actions that release your energy and help you feel a sense of freedom. The feeling can be exhilarating. On its face, this is not a bad thing. However, impulsive actions can often put you at greater risk of unwanted outcomes.
Fortunately, there are many other ways to redirect this energy into actions that do not put you in jeopardy. Finding a way to do so can help you to be more successful in your recovery.
Actions and activities that help to redirect your energy will be unique. They need to be things you enjoy and give you a sense of freedom and individuality.
When you have the desire to rebel, try something like an adventure. You could explore a new area, eat at a new restaurant, or take a trip. These are things that can release your pent-up energy. They ideally are also things that you enjoy and benefit your recovery by giving you an alternative to substances.
Looking at the Big Picture
Recovery is a long process of change. Within the steps and daily grind of recovery, it is normal to get bored and want to rebel. However, along with redirecting your energy, you can also redirect your thinking. One way to do so is to look at the big picture.
Looking at the big picture of recovery can help you to see the entire process. This does several things that are helpful for your recovery. First, it can give you something else to think about. This can help you to get past the moments when you feel like rebelling. Second, it gives you a good reason to stick with your recovery. This can lead you to choose healthy and safe alternatives that relieve your tension without relapsing.
The First Step Is Getting Treatment
Engaging in acts of rebellion is common and normal if you struggle with addiction. However, to remain sober, you need healthy outlets for your energy and emotions.
Learning to manage your desire for rebellion can be challenging. The foundation of these skills is developed in treatment. Through treatment, you can learn how to notice your desire to rebel, learn alternatives, and enjoy the journey of recovery.
You may find that you consistently engage in acts of rebellion. In fact, this desire to rebel may have initiated your substance use. However, in recovery, it is important to take control by balancing your rebellious nature. At Dream Recovery, we understand that finding balance is an integral part of treatment. Through treatment at Dream Recovery, you can break free from your use of substances as a crutch. You can learn new skills that help you to find joy, freedom, and identity in your life without substance use. We offer multiple flexible programs, so treatment can be a part of your life even if is complicated. To learn more, call us today at (657) 216-7218.
Recent Comments