Summer is a sacred time of year full of promises, opportunities, and the sweet feeling of freedom. Men who are in their first year of recovery might be in treatment or graduate treatment right around summer, taking on soft jobs or attending lower levels of care. Though summer feels eternal, it is not. At the end of summer, the fall returns. As part of their plan for recovery, many men decide that starting a job or going back to school is the best way to fill the rest of the year. Summer acts as a transitional period between the end of addiction, the beginning of recovery, and the rest of a man’s life.
Carefree and finding gratitude, it is easy for men to want to coast through summer. In preparation for school or a job, summer is the perfect amount of weeks to kick some remaining bad habits to the curb. Go into your fall plans this year the best version of yourself yet by nixing these seven habits.
Stop Procrastinating
Tomorrow is one of our greatest illusions in life because tomorrow is never guaranteed. You’re likely to make it to tomorrow and tomorrow is likely to go off without a hitch. Life does have a way of getting in the way, which means that procrastination can set you up for stress and trouble. Men in recovery learn how to “live life on life’s terms” which means meeting deadlines, goals, and finishing tasks when they need to be finished. Procrastinating is an addiction mirror- a short term reward based on negative behaviors.
Kick Negative Thinking To The Curb
You’re your own worst enemy in your mind, but you don’t have to be. A critical inner voice can feel like a permanent resident. With training by way of positive affirmations, you can become the boss of your critical inner voice and kick the terrible things he has to say to the curb. You have to be your star player, your coach, and your own cheerleader.
Quit Your Sugar Habit
At Tree House Recovery, men engage in rigorous physical training, pushing their physique and athletic abilities to new levels. Men learn that in order to keep their bodies running like finely tuned machines, they have to supplement activity with a nutritious diet. Sugar is death to the body, causing stress, inflammation, and illness. Replace refined sugars with natural sugars to start, then limit your added sugars until you consume sugar in nowhere but fruits, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates.
Unglue From Your Devices
Overcoming an addiction to drugs is no small feat. While you’re still on the momentum of early recovery, overcome another addiction as well: digital devices. Interacting with your phone, tablet, or computer should be an act of recovery rather than numbing or escaping. Digital devices create stimulation in the brain similar to cocaine and other stimulant drugs. You don’t need to feel high anymore.
Stand Up Straight
Posture may not seem like the most essential bad habit to kick. Men who regularly lift weights know that posture is the difference between a clean squat and months of back pain. Your posture not only supports your back health, but your mental health as well. Research has found that standing up right with good posture increases your confidence and sense of self-worth. By the time school or the beginning of a job rolls around, you can walk in with your head held high, full of confidence and lacking in bad habits.
From the mountains to the coastline, the possibilities of living a life without limits are endless. At Tree House Recovery in Orange County, California, we’re helping men recover their lives from addiction through innovative treatment designed to transform their lives inside and out. For information, call to speak with one of our graduates: (855) 202-2138
