Treatment for addiction, mental illness, or both includes a clear pathway for how to rebuild confidence after recovery. Individual and group therapy are the tools used to teach those in recovery about their personal worth. Low self-esteem can lead to addiction, as those who present with a low self-esteem turn to drugs and alcohol to escape or numb their feelings. Those with depression and anxiety, combined with a substance abuse disorder, also suffer low confidence. Learning the sources of these problems can help identify methods to rebuild one’s self-confidence.
The Role of Confidence After Recovery
Rebuilding confidence after recovery is vital to prevent relapse. Individual therapy programs while in treatment, aid in turning back time to find the causes for the previous lack of confidence. Once a person identifies and understands their issues, confidence begins to build. Group therapy can continue to build confidence by sharing personal experiences with others who have experienced similar situations. Understanding, education, and self-acceptance lead to self-confidence and hope for the future. Learning the importance of diet, exercise, and self-care continues to build self-esteem. This body-mind connection begins to show that recovery is possible, with the proper tools.
How to Rebuild Confidence After Recovery
Learning how to rebuild confidence after recovery begins with therapy, but continues with learning how to take care of the self. Self care builds self esteem, encourages confidence and builds a stronger foundation for success in sober living. One can set goals in therapy, and increasing one’s self-confidence makes for a great starting point. Treatment teaches the important building blocks of building confidence. Also, it teaches how one can carry out self-care through the following steps:
Forgive Yourself
Stop beating yourself up over your past, addiction and other faults or failures experienced in the past. Overanalyzing these factors drains energy that could be put to more positive use. Leave those mistakes and poor judgements in the past and forgive yourself. Learn how to rebuild confidence after recovery by identifying triggers that caused poor decisions in the past and make plans for how to positively cope with them.
Write Affirmations about Yourself
Rebuild confidence after recovery by making a list of things that you like about yourself. If this seems difficult at first, start with a simple statement of anything you might like: “I like my smile,” “I think my eyes are pretty,” “I care about people.” Think of positive experiences you may have been proud of or begin to dig deeper and write down personality traits, thoughts, or beliefs you hold dear. Practicing self affirmations is a work-in-progress as confidence builds.
Do Good Deeds
Learning to rebuild confidence after recovery can be as simple as looking outside of yourself to see others. Offering assistance of any kind can elicit a thank you and make you feel good about yourself. Thinking of others is a positive and healthy lifestyle choice. Confidence is also about being grateful for what we have and appreciating others in our lives.
Exercise
Most people believe that exercise is for the body, but exercise is just as important for the mind. With the addition of moderate exercise to each day, the movements of the body produce feel good chemicals in the mind and things look brighter and more hopeful. As our bodies become stronger we begin to rebuild confidence after recovery through strengthening our minds and bodies.
Set Goals and Work Toward Them
Creating a sense of purpose can be achieved by learning how to set goals and working towards achieving them. This excellent way to rebuild confidence after recovery allows for planning, working towards success and then celebrating success. Working towards goals can also change your life and make a sober future possible to achieve.
Find an Effective Aftercare Program
Treatment for addiction leads to new options to rebuild confidence after. When the goals of treatment and recovery have been achieved, finding an effective aftercare program can be extremely helpful and continue to build self-esteem. Group therapy in the community can offer additional support and increase friendships. Meanwhile, sober living facilities and mental health housing after inpatient treatment are always available. Also, maintaining individual therapy after treatment needs to be a priority.
Often, aftercare programs are offered through the facility that treatment was obtained from. Checking with the treatment team to find available programs can also rebuild confidence after recovery by taking the initiative to care for self. After all, learning how to reach out is part of recovery. In conclusion, Expressing gratitude, helping others, and feeling confident in asking questions are all part of building self-esteem.
How to Rebuild Confidence after Recovery in California
Those concerned about rebuilding confidence after recovery in California can contact Riviera Recovery in Los Angeles with any questions. We list our phone number on our home page and throughout our site. You can also click on the Contact Us link, and we will answer quickly to help. Plus, our pet-friendly facilities offers many programs that may be of interest to you.