Recovery means something different to everyone. Just as healing is not one-size-fits-all, what recovery means to each person is going to be different.
The Comparison Game
Recovery and healing can stop feeling aligned in your journey when you begin comparing what your journey looks like to someone else’s. It can be easy to fall down the slippery slope of thinking you are not doing enough in your journey when someone else is further ahead of you or seems to be doing better than you.
Each person’s journey is meant to be different. Just because your recovery looks different than someone else’s does not mean you are doing anything wrong, or that your journey is wrong for you.
Defining Recovery
The definition of is recovery is a return to a normal state of being. What does it mean to you?
What do normalcy, balance, and recovery mean for you? What is normal is different for everyone, and therefore recovery is different for everyone. No definition is right or wrong, it just has to be right for you.
What Does Recovery Mean for You
It may be useful to think about what recovery is giving you the opportunity to leave behind. Similarly, think about what letting go creates space for you to experience. On that note, what is recovery is giving you? What is it allowing you to leave behind? What is it allowing you to do, be, or experience? The answers may be different for every person, and that is a good thing. Healing is a personal journey, and its meaning will be personal as well.
Although there may be resistance, getting specific about what recovery is going to give you can be a motivator in times when healing feels hard and maybe even impossible. It also gets to be a space for self-discovery and remembering who you were before substance use or mental illness changed you into who you became.
Accepting what recovery is allowing to let go of, and therefore experience and create, can be a useful practice to utilize when recovery feels challenging. At Avalon Malibu, we recognize how hard healing can be at times. Because of this, we are here to guide you in your journey of discovering what healing and recovery mean to you. Our team of professionals is here to support you as you use that meaning to make a strong recovery. If you are ready to begin your journey, call Avalon Malibu today at (844) 857-5992.
