LICR Blog

Getting Through The Recovery Blues

December 18, 2024  |  Category: Addiction Treatment

The ‘blues’ as they’ve come to be known, are a real thing for many individuals and present themselves in a variety of settings and situations. There are winter blues, Sunday scaries, and in this case, we will be exploring the recovery blues. Nearly everyone will have a moment in their life where they experience a depressive episode, a moment where a wave of sadness, loss of interest and despair take over and feels inescapable. For those diagnosed with clinical depression or major depressive disorder, this is a daily fight they will work to overcome, but for those experiencing the recovery blues, you’re likely going through a moment of depression brought on by severe change to your way of life and routine. It could be that you’ve escaped the clutches of addictive substances, and that your mind is, for the first time in a long time, open and clearly thinking to the point of sensory overload. It could be many things across a spectrum of individuals on their path to recovering from addiction. No matter what the specific cause, there are ways to help best get through these recovery blues and move toward a path of positive sobriety, which we’ll be reviewing today.

Tips On Getting Through The Recovery Blues

If you are a recovering client of Long Island Center for Recovery (LICR), or seeking addiction treatment at our inpatient recovery center, there is built-in support to help client’s along their path to recovery and specifically for those dealing with depression. However, if you’re any other individual who’s trying to get through the recovery blue’s, these tips from the Anxiety & Depression Association of America should help you cope with elements of depression:

• Get Active: 30 minutes is the ideal recommendation but any amount of physical activity can help distract, push back against depression, and is even a proven way to release endorphins for positive mood-growth and development.
• Nourish Your Body: Depression itself is enough, but adding to the drained feelings byway of malnourishment will only make matters more difficult. Work to get your body three square meals a day, and avoid foods that might contribute to anxiety such as high-sugar or highly caffeinated foods and drinks.
• Sleep: Too much sleep will only further your depression, but insomnia and a lack of healthy rest won’t help either. Getting an adequate 8 hours of sleep is recommended but at least a minimum of 6 hour to let the body and mind recover.

• Journal: Write down your experiences and what you’re going through and feeling in that moment. Writing helps with personal expression and can help individuals identify distorted feelings. 

• Challenge Your Thinking: Question your thoughts, and especially those negative one’s that tend to creep in and circulate. Are your distortion true or does it just feel real? Are you taking into account the evidence? Does it help to think this way?

• Limit Rumination: Rumination, or excessively rehashing thoughts, memories, or moments is a part of depression. Try redirecting these thoughts into a more positive thought stream and it should eventually take over.

• Set Realistic Goals: The common saying here is to take it one day at a time. Make life as manageable as possible and don’t get too caught up in the far-off future. Tackle the here and now and give yourself realistic goals to accomplish

• Reduce Procrastination: Like a depressive moment, nearly all of us procrastinate to some degree. Do your best to reduce this and instead of dwelling and avoiding tasks that seem daunting, try a chip-away method to accomplish tasks in small increments at a time.

• Avoid The Big Decisions: Life continues around us, despite what we’re going through. That said, in a wave of depression, you should be working to lighten your load and ease any burdens rather than piling on. Set aside major life decisions for a time where your cognitive and decision-making abilities are sharper. 

• Engage in Healthy Joyful Activities: Have a set list of activities as your ‘go-to’ for when depression presents itself. The feelings of depression will likely tell you to enjoy yourself or activities but fight through it and get to those little things you most enjoy. It could be listening to a song, talking with a friend, drinking a nice cup a tea, or dancing away in your own space. Whatever it is, get to that feel-good activity and commit to it.

• Stay Connected: It’s important to know you’re not alone. Keep family, friends, and any level of support you’ve gotten through your recovery close. Like journaling, it’s best to release and open up to someone or even a group of individuals then to just bottle up those thoughts or feelings. Build a support network as you recover and work to stay in touch. 

• Practice Self-Compassion: Depressive thoughts will also try to self-deprecate, likely placing blame on yourself and seeding negative thoughts. As mentioned previous, limit the rumination but replace with the voice of negativity with brevity, compassion toward one’s self, and grace.

 We hope this information was helpful and you use these tips in practice the next time you are going through any recovery blues. If you or a loved one needs any additional assistance with addiction treatment services, please reach out to Long Island Center for Recovery at 631-728-3100, and we’d be happy to assist you or your loved ones in any way possible.

References:
Anxiety & Depression Association of America: Tips To Manage Depression
https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/depression/tips

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