Anxiety and stress are common in today’s fast-paced society and especially for those in recovery. Whether you encounter them together or separately, they are at the very least unpleasant and can be detrimental to your recovery. At Maryland Recovery, we recognize that part of our responsibility to our clients is to give them real-world strategies they can use to create their own “relapse prevention toolkit” whenever they need help coping with stress and cravings.
Tips On How To Reduce Anxiety And Stress
1. Adopt An Active Lifestyle
Regular exercise is a natural stress-buster. Being active helps the body to release endorphins, its own “feel-good” hormones. There is no need to go to the gym and start pumping iron if that is not really your thing; any activity that raises your heart rate for 30 minutes, three times a week will do. Walking is an excellent activity if you have not been active for some time, and all you need is a good pair of shoes. Jogging, cycling, gardening, bowling, dancing, playing soccer, volleyball or basketball are also good choices.
2. Learn To Meditate
If you think that meditation involves sitting with your legs crossed and staring at your navel looking for enlightenment, you’ve got it all wrong. When done properly, it helps you to learn to be mindful, as in living in the present. Far too many people are focused on their future or their past (which is a major contributor to stress and anxiety), as opposed to simply focusing on where they are in the present, right now.
Regular meditation helps you to train your mind to become an observer of your stressful and anxious thoughts without necessarily having to react to them. As a result, you can feel calmer and more relaxed.
3. Practice Yoga Regularly
Yoga is a great way to reduce both stress and anxiety. The poses help to strengthen your muscles and core, without having to do any heavy lifting. With yoga, you learn to breathe deeply, slow down and relax, which are all vital to preventing and successfully dealing with triggers and cravings.
4. Keep A Journal
Start writing down your thoughts as a way to reduce your anxiety and stress. Writing about your feelings and emotions is often much easier than talking about them. Journaling is a good outlet for stress relief because it helps you let out your feelings while accepting and working through them instead of keeping them bottled up.
Writing down positive thoughts can help to improve mood and keep you in a better frame of mind.
Anxiety Treatment Center In Maryland
Anxiety and stress are very common among people who are living with a substance abuse issue or who are going through recovery.
If you or a loved one is having issues with anxiety and addiction, our anxiety treatment center in Maryland can help!
Our caring and professional staff will treat you or your loved one with the respect that is both needed and deserved. At Maryland Recovery, we understand that each person is an individual and each has their own unique needs, history and goals. We create a customized treatment plan for each one of our clients, which allows them the best chance at long-term recovery.
Learn More About The Importance Of Personalized Addiction Treatment
Call Us Now To See How We Can Make A Difference In Your Life!
Reviewed by Christopher Schwartfigure MS, LGPC, CAC-AD
