Feeling lost after the completion of your treatment plan?

1. Feeling lost after the completion of your treatment plan? Feeling lost after the completion of your treatment plan? Here’s how you can keep a tab on your recovery Here’s how you can keep a tab on your recovery A patient undergoing addiction treatment would have multiple checklists, strategies, and coping plans that they need to follow once they leave the treatment center. But, when the patient is actually in the real world transitioning to normal life, they may feel overwhelmed, lost, and a little unsure of what the next step should be. However, setting up a recovery plan and listing out things to do can help overcome this uncertainty. Doing this also helps plan a routine and reiterate the goals of recovery, which include preventing relapse and maintaining long-term recovery. Use the steps below to get your recovery plan in place today. #1 Collect information about recovery tools Collect as many references as you can for your recovery plan. Collate and file them and keep them in one place. This way, the collected literature can be referred to quickly at any time needed. #2 Make a recovery diary Use the first half of the diary to mention the things that you would like to do, the coping strategies that you intend to practice and how you plan to avoid the triggers till you are comfortable around them. You can use the latter half of the diary to write about your experience while incorporating this plan. Write about all kinds of situations: hopeless ones and how you coped and hopeful ones and how you handled those. Writing about such moments will help you reflect better. #3 Identify and log indicators of wellness and recovery At the beginning of your diary, write about how you feel when you are well and recovered. You may feel confident, motivated, beautiful, peaceful, or anything else. Use these indicators to measure your daily routine and changes. When you have a ready reference of how you want to feel, it will be easier to separate the bad days from the good days. It will also help you identify what made your day bad. Once known, work out a plan to overcome those markers.

2. #4 List the happy activities Make a list of the activities that make you feel happy, relaxed and well. These activities can be anything from playing a sport, reading, listening to music, walking, exercising, meditating to gardening. Revisiting these activities on a daily basis can help set the mood for the next day and can also act as a powerful reminder of the goals of recovery. #5 Record your known and new triggers Triggers are events, circumstances, people, places or anything else that incite cravings to use a substance. Mostly triggers include strain, anxiety, stress, being around people or visiting places where you enjoyed using a substance in the past. However, with time, this list can become longer and may have additions like: trauma mental health disorders like depression overwhelming emotions relationship stress or particular activities. A new trigger can be identified by the way your body and mind behave around it. These are called Behavioral warning signs and may include: irritability negativity avoiding people and situations and lying or making excuses It is important you learn to recognize these in addition to the known triggers. Listing down known and new triggers helps you prepare for their occurrence. You can use the coping strategy that you had planned out in advance to help you overcome these triggers and continue on the path of recovery. #6 Act Revisit the wellness indicators daily before going to bed. Also, keep the number of your mentor, counsellor, or psychologist handy at all times. Whenever you feel that the known triggers are overwhelming you or the list of new triggers is increasing at an alarming rate, get in touch with them. They will help reinforce your treatment goals and also help you plan, update, modify your coping strategies. Alternatively, join a support group or find a buddy who would be available for you till the cravings subside. #7 Make a plan for emergency situations Remember that this plan is not for you but for others to help you. This plan would be used when the situation becomes such that it requires external intervention. Therefore, ensure that you lay down clear instructions with all the relevant details like your counsellor’s contact details, how to contact your counsellor, name of medications prescribed, your medical history, your treatment history, your treatment plan details, etc.

3. #8 Find a support buddy Finding a support buddy is an essential step in your recovery plan. A support buddy is very helpful in managing triggers and unwanted thoughts. As they might have gone through the same experience as yourself, they understand you and your struggles. Ensure that you discuss your emergency plan with them. Walk them through the plan so that they are familiar with the same and understand what they need to do in case of an emergency. Though planning in advance always works well when you have certain goals to achieve, sometimes even the strongest of plans do not work. In this scenario, do not hesitate to seek professional help. Athena Behavioral Health is the leading Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Center in Gurgaon. Our state-of-the-art facilities and experienced and talented staff ensure that the patient achieves the different milestones of recovery and stays committed to their recovery goals and plan. Our treatment programs are safe and our services are confidential. For more information about our treatment plans, WhatsApp us at 9289086193. For more information For more information, please visit: , please visit: - - www.athenabhs.com www.athenabhs.com