When you’ve struggled with addiction in the past or are currently working towards sobriety, it can be easy to have plenty of regrets. You may not like who you’ve become or the decisions that you’ve made. Unfortunately, a negative view of yourself can make it challenging to maintain your sobriety.
As you work hard to overcome your addiction, it’s important to have self-compassion. Self-compassion will make it easier to have a better view of yourself and understand why you’ve made mistakes. There are a few key ways to improve self-compassion to ensure you can develop a better relationship with yourself.
Understand Why You’ve Made Mistakes
It can be difficult to let go of the past when you’ve struggled with addiction, hurt other people, or have broken the law. Take a close look at the mistakes you’ve made and reflect on why you made poor decisions. You were likely running from pain, disappointment, or abandonment that was inflicted by other people. Once you understand why you’ve made mistakes, it can be easier to be less hard on yourself.
Journaling is a great way of writing down painful memories. This can make it easier to get a better picture of certain events or experiences that triggered your drug or alcohol use.
Forgive Yourself
It can be difficult to have self-compassion if you don’t choose to forgive yourself. Many people forget that forgiveness isn’t just a feeling but is a decision. You have to decide that it’s time to forgive yourself and release yourself of the judgment or anger that you may have towards who you’ve become. This will make it easier to learn that you’re deserving of a better life and are worthy of becoming sober.
If you don’t forgive yourself, it’ll be impossible to understand your value. If you don’t value who you are, you won’t make an effort to work hard to regain your life and make better decisions in the future.
Seek Help
Seeking professional help is crucial to developing self-compassion and shifting your perspective of yourself. With the help of a therapist or counselor, you can get an unbiased opinion and start to process some of your pain or negative thoughts. This can help you to get an outsider’s perspective and learn how to love yourself.
You can also rely on your family members and friends to learn how to become more compassionate. Once you discover how much other people care for you, it can help you to let go of the past and love who you are because of your support system.
Change How You Talk to Yourself
The way that you talk to yourself shapes your feelings and attitude, making it necessary to choose your words wisely. Get into the habit of making your self-talk more positive. Avoid talking to yourself in a way that is different than how you’d treat your loved ones. Be quick to forgive yourself when you make mistakes or have a hard day. Give yourself plenty of chances to try again.
You can also treat yourself better by writing down what you appreciate about yourself. You may like your integrity, drive, or your passion in life. Focus on what you do well instead of areas you need to improve as you learn how to develop more self-compassion.
Although it’s normal to think negative thoughts at times, it’s important to get into the habit of switching it to a positive thought. Avoid spending too much time thinking about the people you’ve hurt or the problems you’ve experienced due to your addiction, or it can lead to setbacks as you work hard to maintain your sobriety.
Become More Mindful
Many people have difficulty practicing self-compassion because they’re too stuck in the past. It can be impossible to love and appreciate who you are if you’re always dwelling on mistakes you’ve made or problems that you’ve experienced. Try to focus on being present in the moment.
It’s also necessary to focus on the future and what you want your life to look like as you start to dream. Think about who you want to become and how you can use your gifts to make a difference in your community. Focusing on the future can give you hope that you can achieve personal growth and overcome challenges that you’ve had.
You can reach out to our counselors 24/7 if you want to learn more about the services that we offer. We’re here to help answer your questions. Call us at 866-963-7200.
