Addiction is a terrible thing to have to deal with. Many people have to deal with addiction, whether it is drug addiction or alcohol addiction or gambling addiction, or whatever else. It’s hard and embarrassing and sometimes even shameful, but that doesn’t mean you need to keep struggling on your own. Some people are ready and willing to help you. All it takes is to accept their help and be willing to ask for it. Here we shall discuss different ways that can help you overcome shame when first getting into recovery.
Keeping Clean and Sober
Your priority should be to keep clean and sober. Once you start living a clean and sober lifestyle, you will begin to notice many changes in yourself for the better. It may feel hard initially, but once you get used to it, it will improve your life in every way possible. The worst thing you can do is fall back into your old addiction while trying to recover from it. If you do relapse, it will not only make you feel even worse about yourself, but it will also make your recovery road much harder.
Acknowledge Your Feelings
Before you can genuinely overcome shame, you need to acknowledge your feelings. Shame is an emotion you should feel confident in buying and accepting should it arise. Don’t be afraid to have such emotions; don’t try to push them away. You should take such feelings, and instead of rejecting them, you should turn towards them and try to understand why they are there. It is only after understanding your feelings that you can overcome your shame.
Forgive Yourself and Others
It would be best if you forgive yourself and others for the mistakes that you have made in the past. You must forgive yourself for any errors you may have made, especially if they are big ones. You need to let yourself off the hook for things you have done wrong. This will allow you to move on and stop feeling ashamed of yourself.
Consider Seeking Professional Help
Professional help is often required to overcome shame because of the repressed emotions that have built up inside you. You should talk to a professional and ask them how they can help you overcome these feelings of shame. The most popular way to deal with such issues is through therapy. Such therapy may involve talk therapy sessions with other recovering addicts, family counseling where you can express your feelings towards them, and psychoanalysis that seeks to analyze what makes your emotions so strong about yourself. If you want to overcome the shame that you feel, then you must seek professional help.
Work on Loving Self-Talk
Negative self-talk will only make you feel worse about yourself and your state of mind. If you constantly say demeaning things about yourself to others, it is time to stop doing so. You should work towards having a more positive and uplifting self-image. It is important that you love yourself and have good self-esteem. Begin by finding things about yourself that you like instead of focusing on the negatives all the time.
Engage in Physical Activity
It is not just your mind that influences your emotions but also your body. If you feel ashamed, you need to try physical activities that can help reduce this emotion. Exercise is one of the most effective ways to do so. You should start walking or running regularly. Taking up an exercise class or joining a sports team will also be effective ways to improve how you think of yourself. Many people struggle when they first get into recovery because of the shame that they feel. You should not let this emotion rule your life. Instead of letting it bring you down, you should accept it and attempt to overcome it. Remember that there are people who will always be available to help you. If you want to overcome the shame you feel, then all you need to do is accept the help that they are offering and learn to understand yourself. This will allow you to overcome your shame and lead a happier life. If you want to know more about overcoming addiction, visit our homepage, or you can contact us anytime at 732-392-7311.
