Holistic treatment approaches can be very beneficial throughout the addiction recovery process. Many individuals use this method alone; however, many people may be using an alternative treatment approach and looking to implement holistic practices as well. Holistic practices can help ensure you are establishing a healthy balance during the process of recovery.
What Makes a Practice Holistic?
Holistic practices focus on the overall well-being of an individual. Instead of focusing on the addictive problem, these practices focus on the individual as a whole. By creating a balance in all areas of your life, a holistic approach makes regulating the effects of addiction and avoiding negative behaviors become much easier.
The following five sections detail five main focuses of well-being addressed in a holistic practice. While those using this as a main form of treatment would work to improve all areas, you may choose to focus on one that is lacking in your life currently. These practices can be applied throughout life at any time you feel they may benefit you.
1. Physical Well-Being
According to a 2021 article by Vergeer et al. in Psychology of Sport and Exercise, holistic movement practices can help people establish a healthy physical body and engage in physical activity to lead them to success.
Sleep
Getting adequate sleep regularly is essential for your body to function properly. Sleep is extremely important throughout the recovery process, allowing your mind and body to reset each day after the changes you have implemented.
Exercise
Exercising for a minimum of 30 minutes a day, at least 5 times a week, can have a drastic positive effect on your body’s functioning. Even going for a 30-minute walk every day can release endorphins and allow your body to regulate properly.
Diet
A healthy diet can drastically improve your physical health and well-being. Watching your sugar intake, eating in moderation, taking in nutrients, ensuring you eat enough vegetables, and drinking plenty of water are all extremely important. You can use a calorie tracking app if needed or start by watching your diet every day and fixing a few small things over time to help your body adjust to maintaining an adequate nutritional diet.
2. Mental Well-Being
Our mental health is often a combination of our physical and emotional well-being. There are many practices you can incorporate into your recovery to strengthen your mental state.
Understand Your Progress
Learning to truly understand your current standpoint in recovery and looking at how far you have come and what still needs to be done to reach your goal can mentally ground you. If you have a realistic viewpoint of your progress, you can avoid feeling overwhelmed, and you will more easily recognize the progress you have made.
Learn to Love the Journey
Addiction recovery is not completely about the destination of reaching sobriety. Throughout the process of recovery, you will likely learn a lot about yourself and develop skills that can apply to many aspects of your life. Learning to love the journey and the small steps of success along the way can help keep you on track.
3. Emotional Well-Being
Regulating your emotions and maintaining a healthy emotional balance can help you keep your mental state healthy and maintain the balance you need to overcome your addiction.
Coping Strategies
Review your current coping strategies and observe their current effectiveness. Search for more strategies to implement if your current strategies are not effective. Learning to cope and regulate your emotions is a key factor in maintaining your emotional health.
Deep Breathing
One of the most effective ways to calm heightened emotions is deep breathing. Deep breathing allows a sufficient amount of oxygen to reach your brain and encourages proper functioning.
4. Social Well-Being
A healthy social life can help you not feel alone during this process. Surrounding yourself with positive individuals can help you stay on track.
Find a Healthy Support Group
Finding a group of individuals who support your recovery and are there to encourage you can make a big difference in your recovery. Healthy and like-minded individuals who positively impact you can push you to success as well as add richness to your life.
5. Spiritual Well-Being
In “Spirituality: The neglected dimension of holistic mental health care,” author Shephard Chidarikire writes about this often overlooked aspect of holistic well-being. No matter what your religious background is, you can benefit from focusing on spirituality in a form that resonates with you. Spirituality can help you find a sense of self and understand your purpose.
Nature
Spend as much time as possible outside in nature. Try to get outside at least once every day. Seeing the beautiful environment surrounding us can reinforce the sense of purpose we feel and help us reach a grounded feeling.
Meditation
Meditation is a great way to improve your spirituality. Through meditating and clearing the mind of unwanted thoughts, you can allow yourself to deeply focus on your current state and resolve issues in a clearer sense.
Personal Practice
This can be any action that helps to improve your spirituality. It can be practicing a part of your religion, praying, stone therapy, taking a bath, or doing anything that helps you personally. Try a variety of practices and find something that benefits you and strengthens your spirituality.
You may have decided to take a holistic treatment approach or another effective recovery method. No matter what path you are working along to recover, some holistic practices may be implemented to help you reach your goals and maintain an overall healthy balance. Focusing on your physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health can have many benefits on addiction and mental health recovery. There are a variety of techniques you can practice within each of these areas to develop an overall balance. If you find you are lacking in one specific area, you can focus on those techniques to strengthen your well-being. Review possible techniques that can be beneficial to your success in recovery. To learn more about the different techniques and holistic practices that can be implemented into your treatment plan, reach out to Dream Recovery at (949) 732-1960.
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