Managing Stress While Sober

2020 has been a stressful year. Many people have not realized the full dangers of stress when it comes to stinks over. When you start living sober, most things seem stressful, and you use the coping mechanisms you’ve learned in therapy and through the sober living community to help overcome triggers. But the struggles that we’ve seen in the last few months go beyond triggers.

The shelter in place orders have made many people feel isolated, and addiction thrives in isolation. Much of what we’ve seen on the news and fast and unexpected drastic turns of events have caused most of the general public to have raised anxiety and a greater awareness of how life as we know it can turn upside down. For people who are trying to remain sober through this time, everything can seem like a challenge, and everything can seem like a huge stressor in life.

Take some time to find a few enjoyable activities that you can keep up through the weeks or months ahead and gained some stress relief in your day-to-day life. Lastly, you should contact one of our Carolina rehab specialists.

Find an Online Community

Because of COVID-19, more people are trying to find ways to connect online. People are becoming more comfortable with getting behind a webcam and speaking to strangers that have shared interests or hobbies. It is more convenient now than ever before to find clubs or groups of like-minded people online.

With online communities, you can start a new hobby, or continue a hobby that you love with new people who might reignite that spark. A lot of times, stress comes into our lives because we neglect the things that contribute to our happiness. Adults like over many hobbies, and sometimes a little stress relief can come from playing a game, reading, or watching a film.

Check out these communities:

• Onlinebookclub.org (free online community)
• GoodReads (find a club for you on this platform)
• Roll20 (Tabletop role-playing games right on your screen – newcomers are welcome)
• Meetup – Now, with online events, you can find groups for everything from healthy living to building your career!

American Film Institute hosts a movie club focusing on one movie a week. You can watch the film on their site, learn about the writers, directors, and actors and participate in discussing the movie.

Put Down the Screens

If you’re feeling stressed, then carefully evaluate your screen time. It may be that you’re neglecting work or other duties because scrolling through Instagram is so captivating. Or you may be flipping from app to app trying to catch the latest news in the latest updates on what’s happening with the world. It could be that you’re feeling overwhelmed from all the things that haven’t been done because you pinched a Netflix series, well we’ve all done it.

In fact, active health identified that high-frequency task switching and use of screens lowers productivity by 40%, and most applications you find on a phone, tablet, or computer prey upon addictive behaviors. When developers work, they take into consideration how compulsion and withdrawal can Help you stay on their app or their website or longer.

To better manage her stress, put down the screen. But that’s easier said than done. To get started, look at the screen restrictions settings on your device. Many have either screen restrictions of parental controls that will close off apps after you use them for a certain time. Additionally, you can block off chunks of time where everything except very specific functions are blocked off. This setting is usually called downtime. Finally, turn off your notifications.

Find Local Help

Finding help or support isn’t just for when you’re starting your journey of sobriety. There are many times that people have been sober for months or years made a bit of help. But the many challenges that people have experienced and shared over the last few months, it’s not uncommon for people to have started living sober to need assistance through an outpatient center or frequent meetings.

Meetings have their own system, and many outpatient centers offer individualized plans. These options aren’t just for people who are struggling to get sober. If you’re struggling to remain sober, reach out for help now.

At Rehab Carolinas, we offer our local communities the opportunity to connect with other people who are dedicated to sober living. Those who need to begin this over path are welcome and will have access to individualized care plans. But those are the community who are white-knuckling or struggling to manage daily stress are encouraged to come in as well.