Agni Yoga (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
One of the greatest gifts of recovery is having learned the many ways in which we can care for ourselves. We typically come to recovery via hard emotional and/or physical bottoms. In other words, we have often lost our asses in the process of trying to stay afloat. So, when we get to a place where we are being taken care of, we soon discover we are also learning to take care of ourselves.
When holidays are bestowed upon us, there is a great opportunity to invoke a sense of self-care. In the past, holidays often meant alcohol-filled parties or BBQs filled with some sense of debauchery or another. With the air of recovery about you, better choices are possible. This isn’t to say that gain perfect judgment—we don’t. We are human, after all. But the chances of us doing something good for ourselves are much higher than they used to be.
Overwhelmed by this? Try one or some of these things to give yourself pause:
- Take 10 deep breaths.
- Try one of my favorite calming techniques: Breathe in for the count of 5, breathe out for the count of 6. Do this 10 times! If you can, increase the #s, always making the outbreath longer. It naturally calms the mind and resets the nervous system.
- Get outside! (We tend to deprive ourselves of good ol’ Vitamin N-ature!)
- Yoga;
- Take a nap;
- Read a book;
- Go to a meeting;
- Be of service. It will change your life.
Share with us: What do you do to take care of yourself in recovery?
Originally posted on May 28, 2012 @ 10:21 pm
