Your thirst for sobriety comes from an energy created as you successfully navigate the ups and downs of life. However, you must be prepared for the uncertainties of life; otherwise, success turns to failure, and excitement turns to anxiety. The cold truth is, no support groups, government agency, significant other, family member, or friend can keep you from engaging in destructive behaviors if you are not prepared. The draw of your addiction is simply too strong when anxiety and other emotions are taking control of your thoughts.
Being life prepared is what enables you to flourish in an uncertain world. While you never know what life is going to deliver next, you can prepare for the good, bad, or indifference it will deliver. For most individuals, habitual change is required before they can gain control of their life. When in control, the possibility of positive outcomes becomes more likely. You look to replace blame and excuse with responsibility and action. You beat anxiety and depression with courage and acceptance.
The excitement about future possibilities becomes real once you have incorporated a whole-body approach to your well-being. This whole-body approach is a lifestyle that includes health & wellness, betterment, and mindfulness. When living in this manner, you are armed with a set of skills and practices designed to simplify life. The panic or defeat that once stopped you will do so no more. Your strategically developed way of life will provide self-confidence to engage constructively in life’s present events and appreciate the diversity of emotion that this engagement delivers.
Take Ownership of Your Well-being
Being life prepared takes practice. It is not something that happens overnight. It is something you work toward with diligence and effort. The first step is to incorporate the three areas below into your daily life.
• Health & Wellness: Exercise and nutrition strengthen your immune system, so viruses and bacteria never stop your progress. When you supply your body with the healthy foods it wants, you are fully armed against the multitude of viruses and harmful bacteria that infiltrate your body daily. Similarly, exercise further strengthens those cells that combat unwanted bacteria. Research shows that when you exercise regularly, eat the appropriate foods (fruits, vegetables, & proteins), drink plenty of water, and get adequate rest, your energy levels will be higher, your immune system will be healthier, and your brain will function better.
• Betterment: Continually getting better through strategic efforts enables you to push through hurdles that had previously stopped you. To experience this type of advancement, one must accept and address their defects of character, like addiction, with the help of personal coaches, therapists, and support groups. The personal and social skills learned in these environments become valuable tools that extend far beyond sustainable recovery. These tools ultimately produce permanent change across all domains in life. This purposeful change fuels a desire that overpowers the draw of destructive behaviors or self-sabotage. You are pushed to advance your career, relationships, and knowledge to heights never thought possible. You are no longer limited by self-imposed barriers but driven by the power of possibility.
• Mindfulness: Your ability to stay in the present moment without the influence of past experiences or future expectations is priceless. This judgment-less attention to the here and now promotes a positive lifestyle abundant with good decision-making. A state of mindfulness demands you identify what is reality and disregard what is not. This exercise makes life so much easier. While life will continue to bring chaos, which tends to generate unwanted emotions, your mindfulness returns sanity and direction to your life.
The second and final step to being life prepared is to refine these skills daily until they become habits. By doing this, you will be life prepared!
Working Together:
When you have taken control of your well-being, you are prepared for the uncertainty and chaos life loves to deliver. Whether this uncertainty appears to be due to financial, relationship, career, or health-related issues, you are ready to deal with it. Each of the three areas, health & wellness, betterment, and mindfulness, play an equal role in your goal to be personally responsible and life prepared. Health & wellness keeps the body operating at full capacity for physical and mental excellence. Your self-improvement efforts or “betterment” provides you with the skills to manage the uncertainty of life. However, without a clear mind, the awareness to employ the appropriate skills at the logical time can become murky. Mindfulness brings a focus to the present moment, so truth and honesty can dictate action without hesitation. And, this is when you become an unstoppable force in any situation.
The chaos of life never goes away. But the chaos should never control you. Employing the skills described above will help you navigate every obstacle in your life with integrity. It will assist you in not allowing negative external influences to interrupt your good decision-making. What steps are you going to take today to be more life prepared?
ABOUT CHOICE RECOVERY
The courage to even make a call to an addiction treatment center takes an unbelievable amount of courage. We at Choice Recovery fully understand this, and our clinical team never takes for granted how difficult seeking substance abuse treatment can feel. Our goal is to support you on this journey in recovery and prepare you for all that life can become if you are clean and sober.
Choice Recovery is an addiction treatment center in Mesa, Arizona that offers intensive outpatient treatment ("IOP") day and night. We accept AHCCCS plans like Mercy Care, Banner University, Care 1st and others as well as private insurance like Blue Cross Blue Shield. Please learn more at www.choiceiop.com or feel free to call us anytime at 480-527-0337.
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