Dealing with Your Emotions in Recovery

Recovery from a substance abuse problem is often a rollercoaster ride of emotions.

There are several ups and down as well as many unpredictable changes in mood. While some of this journey may be positive feelings of triumph and success, many negative emotions will also make an appearance. If left unchecked, these emotions could derail your recovery journey.

Dangerous Emotions in Recovery

Many emotions in recovery can be overpowering or overwhelming. Because substance abuse problems are often tied to our mental health, these strong feelings could lead to an emotional relapse or hinder the recovery process.

Some dangerous emotions in recovery include:

• Anger
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Loneliness
• Hopelessness
• Guilt
• Shame
• Overconfidence

While these emotions are normal, they can be dangerous for someone who recently completed faith-based residential treatment and is trying to transition back to their normal life. There emotions could lead them to fall back into bad habits and eventually lead them back to addiction. Luckily there are ways of dealing with emotions in addiction recovery to stay on the right path.

How to Cope with Emotions in Recovery

Dealing with your emotions in recovery may not be easy, but it is important if you want your sobriety to last. These coping techniques can help you get more control over your emotions so that you can continue to move forward in your recovery journey.

Meditation

When we are feeling stressed, anxious, or depressed, we sometimes let these feelings escalate and overwhelm us. Meditation is a good way to step back from these emotions. Meditation and breathing exercises can help people relax and bring their emotions back to a more manageable level.

Analyze Your Feelings

Sometimes people in recovery may suddenly experience strong emotions and not understand why. Take a moment to analyze these feelings. Why are you feeling this way? What triggered this response? Are these emotions reasonable? Once you have the answers to all these questions, you can better deal with the emotion and also focus on how to avoid letting this emotion overwhelm you in the future.

Let Yourself Feel

Too often people believe that allowing themselves to feel negative emotions can be harmful for their mental health, but holding everything in can be just as damaging and prevents you from moving forward. It is okay to feel these emotions, but don’t let them consume you. If you are sad, cry. If you are angry, get mad. Just be sure to not take out these emotions on others.

Journal

Journaling is a great outlet for coping with negative emotions in recovery. You are able to freely express your emotions without feeling judged or embarrassed. Getting your feelings out on paper can also help take some of the weight of these emotions off of your shoulders.

Faith

Many people underestimate the power of managing emotions with faith. People with strong faith know that they can turn to God for guidance and strength when they are overwhelmed by their emotions. Prayer can help people better articulate their feelings. Themes of forgiveness in Christianity can help those who are struggling with guilt and shame.  Some Bible passages can even be a warning against letting certain emotions overpower you and a lesson on how to deal with these emotions in recovery.

Get Help

Dealing with your emotions in recovery isn’t easy, so if you are struggling, get professional help. There are plenty of therapists, support groups, and programs out there that can help you with your emotional struggles. With time, they will teach you to better recognize and manage your emotions so you do not let them overwhelm you.

Emotions are a powerful thing and could lead to relapse, so it is important that you learn to deal with your emotions in recovery properly. Our faith-based rehab facility helps people move past their addictions and better their lives, including managing their emotions and living by God’s word. Whether you or someone you care about is looking for a faith-focused approach to treatment, we want to help.

 

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To learn more about our programming and goals at Faith in Recovery, reach out to us immediately at 888-280-4763.