Goal setting is an important part of any successful recovery journey, allowing you to create a roadmap for your future and giving you something to strive for. When it comes to addiction recovery, setting goals can be even more helpful as they provide a sense of hope and purpose while also helping to keep you accountable.
Setting Goals in Recovery: A New Experience for Many
Setting goals in recovery may be a new experience for most of us. When we’re out in the mist drinking and using, we rarely think about plans beyond the evening’s shenanigans. Let’s face it, thinking about goals and what we want to achieve is usually the furthest thing from our minds. But recovery is about change isn’t it? We are changing everything from the way we think to the way we behave.
Having some idea of where we are headed in our recovery and where we want to land is a good idea. We want to start small when it comes to goal setting in addiction recovery. Focus on simple tasks that are easy to achieve and will help build confidence in your ability to succeed. It’s more important to stack up some W’s first before we start amazing ourselves or anyone else. The fact you’re in recovery at all is pretty amazing by itself. So set goals, but made them modest and realistic at first
How To Choose Goals in Early Recovery
Some examples of good short-term goals for early recovery could include attending all scheduled counseling appointments, learning new coping skills or actively participating in support group meetings. Taking daily walks or engaging in other activities like yoga can also help set the foundation for long-term success. No matter what kind of goals you have in mind, start by breaking them down into small achievable tasks.
Goals that target specific areas of your character you want to change are a great idea for early recovery. For example, if you are chronically late to appointments and meeting up with people— there’s a perfect opportunity for a goal right there! Make a promise to yourself that you will do everything you can to be early to every appointment and meeting for the week ahead. That’s a simple one. You can do it and once you do, it might sound a little silly, but it WILL make you feel good. Be sure to give yourself credit for it when you do it too.
Bigger Recovery Time, Bigger Goals in Recovery
As you progress and become more comfortable with goal setting, it can be helpful to set slightly bigger goals that challenge you a little more. This can include things like getting eight hours of sleep each night or eating healthy foods on a regular basis. It’s also important to focus on your mental health and think about ways you can practice self-care, such as meditating for five minutes each day or taking time out for yourself at least once a week.
It’s important to remember that recovery is a process and even the most daunting challenges can be broken down into manageable steps. Achieving small goals not only helps build momentum, but can also provide a greater sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Above all else, be kind to yourself and give yourself credit for every small victory along the way. With consistency and dedication, you’ll eventually find that those seemingly insignificant steps have added up to something much bigger than you could have ever imagined.
The Secret to Setting Goals
Maybe you’ve had some negative experiences in the past with promises to yourself and goal setting. That’s OK. This is an opportunity to change all of that. Remember that setting goals in recovery isn’t about pressuring yourself or guilt trips. The purpose of it is to help you focus on putting effort into the things that matter most to you. To remind yourself to put energy into the changes you want to see.
If anything, it’s the opposite of stress and pressure. Goal setting in recovery is really more like a form of self-love or self-care. It’s about doing good things for yourself. Helping yourself stay on the track of becoming a better human being. After all, that’s really the overall mission of recovery. In the early stages it’s almost entirely about staying sober. Make no mistake, that never stops being a priority. But with more time under your belt, it becomes easier to dream bigger and set more challenging goals in recovery for yourself.
JourneyPure Wants to Help You Reach Your Recovery Goals
We understand that recovery can be a serious challenge. When you’re caught in the throes of addiction, the idea of being sober for a week seems intangible. Being sober for a year might seem all but impossible. That’s OK, this is why we start small in setting goals. Let’s start by picking up the phone and just having a conversation about what we can do to help you or the person you love. We’re at 877-958-5354
