How to Support Your Mental Health During Recovery
Recovery is a tenuous time, and it’s normal to feel stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed as you move through the process. This is true even for those who aren’t dealing with a co-occurring disorder like depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), though a dual diagnosis can certainly make things more complicated.
For your own well-being, it’s important to prioritize your mental health in recovery from substance use disorder. Doing so helps protect you mentally and emotionally as you navigate treatment. It also lends additional support to your recovery efforts, helping you build resilience and coping skills so you can stay sober for the long term.
Whether you’re facing recovery with a co-occurring disorder or not, we’re exploring what you need to know about supporting your mental health through the process. Keep reading for insight on mental health during substance use recovery, including helpful advice for coping with mental health symptoms.
Understanding the Connection Between Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders
It’s estimated that 9.2 million Americans struggle with both substance use disorder and mental health disorder. This is known as having co-occurring disorders or a dual diagnosis.
Common mental health conditions that appear with substance use disorder include major depressive disorder, anxiety and mood disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and PTSD. These problems don’t necessarily cause substance use disorder in affected individuals but may exacerbate its symptoms and severity.
The link between substance use disorders and mental illness isn’t totally clear. However, researchers believe it may have something to do with the brain itself since both cause changes in how the brain is wired and how it functions. For many individuals, drugs and/or alcohol become a crutch for coping with the discomfort of untreated mental disorders, resulting in further neural disruptions and a vicious – and hard-to-break – cycle of illness.
Lifestyle Adjustments That Protect Mental Health in Recovery
For best results in recovery, it’s important to address both substance use issues and mental health issues at the same time, regardless of whether the latter is tied to a distinct, diagnosable condition.
A good place to start is with your lifestyle. Our day-to-day routines greatly impact our mental well-being, and while lifestyle adjustments can’t treat mental illness, they can reduce symptoms, boost mood, and improve cognitive functioning.
There are four types of lifestyle changes to make when prioritizing mental health in recovery:
- Building a supportive daily routine – Good sleep hygiene, balanced nutrition, regular physical activity, and active mindfulness and meditation practices have all been shown to improve mental health and protect psychological and emotional well-being.
- Developing coping strategies – Healthy coping mechanisms provide an alternative to substance use behaviors when feeling triggered. These mechanisms are often rooted in stress management, self-compassion, and self-care and should address the specific negative thoughts and emotions that bring on substance cravings.
- Avoiding triggers and high-risk situations – Preventing mental distress is key, too. This includes identifying and managing stressors, as well as creating a safe and sober environment.
- Establishing a strong support network – There is so much value in harnessing the power of peer support groups and sharing experiences with others who can truly understand. Also key is to build a strong support network of one or more trusted individuals you can turn to when feeling stressed or anxious.
While they may seem simple, these lifestyle adjustments can make a big difference in overall mental health – especially when done alongside targeted mental health treatments.
The Role of Treatment and Therapy
The path to recovery looks different for everyone. That being said, there’s no reason to go about it alone.
Professional help can be instrumental in helping individuals navigate the recovery process. It can also help with establishing a supportive community of people who understand not just the unique challenges of sobriety but the need to prioritize one’s mental health.
There are several types of therapy and treatment options designed to support both substance use recovery and your broader mental well-being:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – A therapy focused on identifying and replacing problematic thoughts and behaviors with more positive alternatives.
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) – A therapy that helps build resilience through the development of tools like emotional regulation, distress tolerance, boundary setting, and mindfulness.
- Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) – An approach that combines counseling and behavioral therapies with the use of FDA-approved medications for treating substance use disorder.
Protecting your mental health will help you stay sober and vice versa. A mental health professional will be able to support you in these efforts, providing a personalized treatment plan that adequately meets your needs in the moment.
Supporting Your Mental Health Long-Term
Getting sober doesn’t mean you’ll never struggle with mental health again. On the contrary, just like recovery from substance use disorder, supporting your mental health is a lifelong process that requires continuous effort. It won’t always be as intense of an endeavor as it is when you’re in treatment, but it should remain top of mind as you move through new stages of life.
One way to support sustainable mental wellness is to work with a professional to monitor your progress in recovery and engage in effective relapse prevention. This includes identifying the early warning signs of relapse and creating a plan for what to do if you feel yourself starting to slip.
It’s also a good idea to continue with mental health care outside of a treatment center. Ongoing therapy and support groups can work wonders to support mental health and help you stay sober. They also keep you connected to recovery resources in the event that stress, depressive symptoms, or other worrying signs start to occur.
Get the Support You Need
You deserve health and happiness. At Retreat Behavioral Health, we work closely with patients to build resilience in the face of substance use disorder and dual diagnoses, offering compassionate mental health services at each stage of your recovery journey.
Please contact us to learn more about our substance use and mental health programs and make today the first day of a brighter future.
