Addiction recovery, or for that matter, any recovery, requires a certain amount of patience in yourself when learning new healthy coping skills. Some people who struggle with addiction, have struggled for years, and brain pathways have developed around the craving and use of substances. In order to change behaviors, there is absolutely going to be an amount of time where you feel uncomfortable, unsure of yourself, and feel out of your comfort zone. That is because the addiction was the comfort zone for so long, no matter how devastating the consequences.
Challenging Your Comfort Zone
I used to struggle with this concept of “comfort zone”. I thought I had to do these HUGE monumental activities to feel I was living life to the fullest. I think that is why, for over 10 years of my life, I sought extremes in everything. I also am an impulsive person by nature and think this is also why I fell into substance abuse and eating disorders. Extremes were always chosen in life.
This is where black and white thinking has come into play. I couldn’t see the grey area – that living outside of my comfort zone doesn’t have to be only through impulsive, life threatening, and dangerous activities or choices. Living outside our comfort zone is the very definition of what addiction recovery feels like at first, at times when struggling.
You are making new choices, replacing behaviors, countering thoughts, and all of that is outside your comfort zone. When you are in recovery from an addiction remember that every day, and each decision will feel different from one day to the next; what was once hard will become easier. A new behavior that once felt forced, will happen naturally, and organic. Recovery is all about challenging our comfort zone to have a better life, free from the confines and prison of an addiction.
Facing Your Fears in Addiction Recovery
Fears can often take over when you are in the middle of a flashback, a triggering situation, and you feel out of control and uncertain you will be able to do the “right” thing for your recovery. This is why it is so important to have an addiction support system, a sponsor, a mentor, to help shed some light in the darkness. It is also critical to meet yourself where you are at, and be patient with yourself. There are some feelings you will want to run from, where you feel fear, and uncomfortable with most. These are the feelings where you need to be most kind, loving, and patient with yourself.
Fears do not have to be the deciding factor anymore in your life. Fears are blips on the radar, and you have a choice as to what weight you give to them. You can choose to recognize them for what they are, and what they are not. They will not guide, nor determine the choices, or path you take in life.
I personally have benefited greatly from challenging each and every fear along the road in recovery, and this is simply not going to change. I will continue to fight the fears, and challenge myself. My dreams, my passions, my goals are worth it. Your dreams, passions and goals are worth it because you and your recovery from an addiction is worth it.
Addiction recovery is all about challenging your comfort zone, facing your fears to have a better life. Never give up challenging yourself, and having patience and kindness when facing new fears. Every day is a new day, full of new experiences. Face them with a clean slate, a new desire to fight for the life you want, because you are worth it.
“Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.” Brian Tracy
