Managing Stress and Anxiety in Sober Living

By /
picture of a man managing stress and anxiety

Any major life change causes stress and anxiety. This includes changes that are viewed positively, such as getting a desired promotion at work or moving to an area where you had long wanted to live. They can also result from other life changes, such as mentally moving from a past self that experienced addiction and towards sober living.

Stress in Recovery

Stress in recovery can occur because of two main reasons.

One of those is experiencing the aforementioned major life change. You are leaving the life you used to have, which had become normal for you, and you are creating healthier habits. Doing so can create significant stress and anxiety, both mentally and physically, the latter as your body adjusts to no longer receiving the substances that it had gotten used to and depended on.

The other is dealing with unrelated stresses in your life in a different manner. Those who spend time with us often dealt with these emotions by drinking alcohol or taking drugs. In other words, that was the adopted self-medication method. Much of stress management in recovery involves learning about and adapting into your life new ways to handle these types of situations.

Managing Stress in Recovery: Methods

Here are a few ways to balance sobriety and anxiety as you create a better life for yourself and work towards maintaining a sober lifestyle.

Exercise

Exercising is a method that works best for some who are managing stress in recovery. This is, in fact, a way to change an unhealthy way of responding to stress and anxiety to a much healthier one. It can involve engaging in yoga or going on walks, or it can consist of activities such as running and weightlifting.

In fact, it is often beneficial to simply connect with nature. Doing so can clear your head as well as provide you with the opportunity to engage in physical activity.

Talk

One of the ways to go about managing stress in recovery that is highly recommended is simply talking. So many times stresses build up inside us because we keep them inside our own heads. Talk during gatherings designed for that purpose, and talk with friends you make here.

Discuss your concerns and struggles, particularly with those who can either relate or are trained to help individuals in your situation, but also with anyone who cares about you and what you are going through.

Sleep

Getting enough sleep and deep sleep is essential to getting the most out of yourself mentally and physically. This is partially because sleep deprivation chemically causes us to be less able to handle the day-to-day stresses of our lives. Use your time with us to work towards engaging in this healthy adjustment.

With that said, keep in mind that the physical changes that you are going through as it relates to the cessation of alcohol or drug use may make doing so more difficult initially, but do the best that you can as you work towards making this a habit.

Your body and your mind are exhausted, and they need to rest.

Take Deep Breaths

This is a common recommendation for dealing with sobriety and anxiety, but it should be stressed here too. When you are feeling anxious, mentally take a step back, and take some deep breaths. As you do so, transition your thinking from what you were anxious about to solely focusing on the physical act of breathing.

Sober Living

During your time with us, it is important to visualize sober living as you move your life toward that. We not only want you to experience a tremendous amount of recovery while here, but we also want you to continue to apply what you have learned here once you return home as you continue to make this life change.

However, it’s important to remember that many sober people experience struggling with anxiety and that you will, at times, experience both sobriety and anxiety. And remind yourself that mentally struggling with sobriety in and of itself is a natural stage that many go through.

Be gentle with yourself as you experience challenges on the path of recovery, some of which may occur unexpectedly, and remember that recovery is not linear.

Sabino Recovery

We at Sabino Recovery offer highly personalized, residential treatment for those experiencing addiction as well as understand how anxiety and related struggles impact that. We want to help you learn how to handle stress and anxiety while you are in recovery so that it becomes habitual as your life improves.

If you are interested in learning more about what we have to offer, reach out to us. We may be reached at (844) 227-7014 and through our website.

Managing Stress and Anxiety in Sober Living

Jul 20, 2023

Addiction Recovery

Shara Turner, LPC, MSC, NCC, NARM

picture of a man managing stress and anxiety

Any major life change causes stress and anxiety. This includes changes that are viewed positively, such as getting a desired promotion at work or moving to an area where you had long wanted to live. They can also result from other life changes, such as mentally moving from a past self that experienced addiction and towards sober living.

Stress in Recovery

Stress in recovery can occur because of two main reasons.

One of those is experiencing the aforementioned major life change. You are leaving the life you used to have, which had become normal for you, and you are creating healthier habits. Doing so can create significant stress and anxiety, both mentally and physically, the latter as your body adjusts to no longer receiving the substances that it had gotten used to and depended on.

The other is dealing with unrelated stresses in your life in a different manner. Those who spend time with us often dealt with these emotions by drinking alcohol or taking drugs. In other words, that was the adopted self-medication method. Much of stress management in recovery involves learning about and adapting into your life new ways to handle these types of situations.

Managing Stress in Recovery: Methods

Here are a few ways to balance sobriety and anxiety as you create a better life for yourself and work towards maintaining a sober lifestyle.

Exercise

Exercising is a method that works best for some who are managing stress in recovery. This is, in fact, a way to change an unhealthy way of responding to stress and anxiety to a much healthier one. It can involve engaging in yoga or going on walks, or it can consist of activities such as running and weightlifting.

In fact, it is often beneficial to simply connect with nature. Doing so can clear your head as well as provide you with the opportunity to engage in physical activity.

Talk

One of the ways to go about managing stress in recovery that is highly recommended is simply talking. So many times stresses build up inside us because we keep them inside our own heads. Talk during gatherings designed for that purpose, and talk with friends you make here.

Discuss your concerns and struggles, particularly with those who can either relate or are trained to help individuals in your situation, but also with anyone who cares about you and what you are going through.

Sleep

Getting enough sleep and deep sleep is essential to getting the most out of yourself mentally and physically. This is partially because sleep deprivation chemically causes us to be less able to handle the day-to-day stresses of our lives. Use your time with us to work towards engaging in this healthy adjustment.

With that said, keep in mind that the physical changes that you are going through as it relates to the cessation of alcohol or drug use may make doing so more difficult initially, but do the best that you can as you work towards making this a habit.

Your body and your mind are exhausted, and they need to rest.

Take Deep Breaths

This is a common recommendation for dealing with sobriety and anxiety, but it should be stressed here too. When you are feeling anxious, mentally take a step back, and take some deep breaths. As you do so, transition your thinking from what you were anxious about to solely focusing on the physical act of breathing.

Sober Living

During your time with us, it is important to visualize sober living as you move your life toward that. We not only want you to experience a tremendous amount of recovery while here, but we also want you to continue to apply what you have learned here once you return home as you continue to make this life change.

However, it’s important to remember that many sober people experience struggling with anxiety and that you will, at times, experience both sobriety and anxiety. And remind yourself that mentally struggling with sobriety in and of itself is a natural stage that many go through.

Be gentle with yourself as you experience challenges on the path of recovery, some of which may occur unexpectedly, and remember that recovery is not linear.

Sabino Recovery

We at Sabino Recovery offer highly personalized, residential treatment for those experiencing addiction as well as understand how anxiety and related struggles impact that. We want to help you learn how to handle stress and anxiety while you are in recovery so that it becomes habitual as your life improves.

If you are interested in learning more about what we have to offer, reach out to us. We may be reached at (844) 227-7014 and through our website.

Table of Contents

←Table of Contents
Scroll to Top
Skip to content