As you work through the process of recovery, ensuring you have various sober activities to keep yourself entertained is essential. Boredom often can lead to an increased potential of relapse. By having many different activities to engage in that you enjoy without the influence of substances, you can set yourself up for long-term success and sobriety maintenance.
Finding Something Enjoyable
The hardest aspect of engaging in sober activities is finding things that are enjoyable to you. Discovering new hobbies and making fun activities a deliberate part of your week is not always a fun process. You may try many things that disappoint or frustrate you before discovering something that you can look forward to doing regularly. Try to have fun and be patient with this discovery process, even if you don’t particularly enjoy everything that you try. Trying new things allows you to expand your perception of the world and develop a further understanding of your interests.
The best way to find out what you enjoy is to open yourself up to trying new things. Not only can this help you find new interests, but it also can be a great way to make new friends. As you get out and experience new activities, you open the opportunities for meeting other individuals with similar interests. This can help you build a social circle that supports your recovery.
How to Get Inspired
There are many ways to have fun and enjoy life without the assistance of a substance. Review the following list of activity categories and consider the potential benefits of each. Even if some of these do not instantly sound exciting, trying them may help you realize that you enjoy the activity more than you expected.
#1. Play a Sport
Many different types of sports can be engaging to play alone or with a team. Whether you choose to participate in a sport competitively or just with a group of friends, engaging in this fun form of physical activity can be very rewarding.
When you play a sport, you strengthen your self-esteem as you watch yourself improving at the sport over time. Seeing yourself improve can help you maintain motivation for other long-term tasks like recovery.
#2. Enjoy the Outdoors
Spending time in nature is an amazing way to enjoy your time free of substances and the stressors of maintaining sobriety. There are endless possibilities of activities you can engage in or sports you can take up that get you outdoors. For example, you might enjoy hiking, rock climbing, backpacking, camping, kayaking, surfing, fishing, bird watching, or practicing outdoor yoga. Even getting out and going on a simple nature walk or going for a swim can be a fun form of outdoor engagement.
#3. Get Creative
Not every form of engagement needs to be a form of physical activity. Try reading a new book, painting, drawing, coloring, writing, or trying a craft. Engaging in activities like this can improve your creativity and allow you to process your thoughts and emotions in a healthy way. These activities can often be used as a coping mechanism as well to decrease your stress and help you mentally escape your life for a time.
#4. Take a Class
Signing up for classes to learn a new skill can be a great way to develop new hobbies or engage more deeply with old ones. You can take classes to gain academic knowledge or to learn a specific skill like cooking, basket weaving, budgeting, or developing a personal style. The possibilities of classes you can consider are endless.
This idea may be limited by your finances and the availability of classes in your area. However, you may be able to find free classes through a library or other public venues. You may also find classes taught online.
#5. Have a Night Out
Go bowling, ice skating, rollerblading, or gaming at an arcade. These activities may not be sustainable hobbies to engage in regularly; however, they can be great forms of entertainment for a sober night out. They can add some excitement to your life during times that you tire of your routine.
#6. Volunteer
Volunteer opportunities are always available throughout your community or through travel. Finding a volunteer opportunity that interests you can allow you to give back to your community while having fun. Volunteering may sound like work; however, if you find an opportunity you care about, this form of engagement can be extremely fun and rewarding.
The Impact of Sober Activities
This is only a short list of possibilities of fun activities to engage in. Once you start to explore different options, you will realize there is not enough time in your life to enjoy all of the fun opportunities that surround us.
There are so many options to have fun without substances, it just takes a little push to find those interests at times. Allowing yourself to have an open mind when trying new activities can help you to enjoy the moment more and improve your perception of life overall. Having fun is great, but the long-term rewards for your mental health are even better. We encourage you to try some of the ideas discussed above and implement some ideas of your own.
As you adjust to life outside of treatment, sobriety maintenance is a key focal point. Many individuals find that they struggle to find fun activities to engage in without being under the influence of a substance. Figuring out what engagements interest you and opening yourself up to try new things is often the hardest obstacle with this. It may take some adjustments and opening yourself up to new experiences to discover activities that you find enjoyable; however, there are many opportunities out there. Reviewing the potential opportunities you can try, you are sure to find something that catches your eye. If each of these activities feels foreign to you, push yourself to get out and try something new. The benefits that you can receive are endless. To review potential ideas for sober activities, reach out to Dream Recovery at (949) 732-1960.