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My Self-Care Routine

As a Recovering Addict

By Kristielyn JonesPublished 4 years ago 4 min read
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Medicine Wheel Teachings - My Self-Care Routine

As a recovering addict, it is super important to learn how to care for ourselves properly. After years of neglect, abuse and self-destructive behaviours, it is time that we show our bodies, minds and spirits some LOVE! It is important to be compassionate as we are recovering from addiction and to remember that no one is perfect and your self-care routine will not be. To be compassionate to ourselves, as we are healing, is one of the biggest forms of self-love we can have. Hope this finds you well.

When using the Medicine Wheel teachings, we can see each of the four quadrants represents the four parts of ourselves: the emotional, the spiritual, the mental and the physical self. Each of these quadrants are vital when measuring our self-care needs in each moment throughout the day. Also, the Medicine Wheel shows the four seasons, the four directions, the life-cycle of humans, and a representative of balance in life. Although they seem separate, they are all interconnected, as reflected in all things and all teachings within this Universe.

When you take the Medicine Wheel and place it horizontally, as seen in the video, you can visualize the importance of sustaining balance in all quadrants, to live a healthy and fulfilling life. When focusing too much on one area, the wheel will tip and it will become apparent that our well-being is out of balance. For example, if I was focusing too heavily on my spiritual self, meditating and praying all the time and neglecting my household chores, I will see the implications of that by a pile of dishes in the kitchen or a dusty floor. It is imperative we learn to live in harmony with ourselves and our environment.

Let us dive into the four quadrants that make up our well-being and I will share my self-care routine with you:

The Emotional Self is where we connect with our emotions, our ability to express these emotions through talking, singing, art, music, crying, feeling, writing, passions and healing. For many recovering addicts, we have cut off this whole quadrant with using drugs and other substance, to control our painful emotions. But one of the greatest gifts of recovery is that we can feel again, all emotions and all feelings; everything that makes us human.

The Spiritual Self is where we connect with our Spirit through prayer, ceremony, rituals, meditation, being in nature, giving thanks, being of service and healing. This is a very personal and sacred space within ourselves, many of which us addicts have disconnected or, like myself, abandoned my spirit while I was using. It had taken some time, patience and consistency to call back my spirit and develop the connection with my Creator.

The Physical Self is where we find a connection with our physical bodies again, through eating well, drinking lots of water, yoga, exercises like HIIT (high intensity interval training), stretching, baths, walking, resting, dancing, taking care of our homes, and work-home life balance. This is usually the first quadrant of ourselves that feels better once we have stopped using drugs and alcohol, as the toxins leave our system and our bodies heal itself. Learning how to connect with our bodies is a great way to determine if our basic needs are being met, which will help us handle living life without drugs and alcohol.

The Mental Self is where most of us are familiar with living, in our heads. However, our minds are one of thee most important and most powerful tools that we have in this life; which is why it is so important we learn to master our minds as we are recovering. We can exercise healthy self-care strategies for our minds through learning, practicing open-mindedness, practicing humility, curiosity, writing, reading, conversing, meditating, positive self-talk, exploring, analyzing, memories and work-life balance.

In early recovery, I developed a routine. One that has grown with me, but it’s simple. My daily goal is to be in balance. As soon as I wake up, I give thanks for another day to be alive. I put on a guided meditation from YouTube and do a meditation before my mind escapes me. Then I go eat and pray. I smudge my body with sage, and pray to Creator, surrender my fears and worries to him and go about my day. Developing self-awareness is important to determine what I need in that moment. If my body is tired, then rest. If I’m sore, I stretch. If I’m feeling emotional, I journal, pray for guidance and feeling my feeling or reach out to a friend. If I am giving myself a headache because I’m thinking or analyzing too much, I meditate and surrender to the present moment.

I attempt to accomplish one thing out of each quadrant on a daily basis. Sometimes I need to do more to feel balanced. Paying attention to my needs shows that I love myself and I can fill my cup. Then I can share my love with others in a more meaningful way. It opens up doors of opportunities, with practice, discipline and compassion.

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Kristielyn Jones

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