The Importance of Self-Compassion in Early Recovery

If we treated other people as badly as we treat ourselves sometimes, we probably wouldn't have many friends – a few of us might even end up in jail because we were being so abusive. An inner soundtrack that is overly negative can threaten your sobriety and recovery because it reduces your motivation and enthusiasm. This is why it is so important to develop some self-compassion inearly recovery.

What is Self-Compassion?

Our job is to look and say, "You know what? You're imperfect, and you're wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.  Brene Brown 

Self-compassion is all about being kind to yourself. It is not about ignoring your flaws, but about loving yourself despite these flaws. All you are really doing is offering yourself the same level of compassion as you give to somebody you care about – don’t you deserve that? Self-compassion can be said to be made up of three elements – an acceptance of our humanness, mindfulness, and self-kindness.So what is acceptance of our humanness? The goal of recovery is progress and not perfection. If you have unrealistic expectations for yourself, it is only going to lead to disappointment. Accepting your humanness means understanding that you are going to make mistakes and there are aspects of your thinking and personality that are currently flawed. This is not about accepting these weaknesses in the sense of ‘it’s just the way I am’, but in the sense of ‘it’s the way I am now, but I’m trying my best to change’.Mindfulness is the ability to observe your thoughts and feelings objectively. There was an article in the Huffington Post last year talking about how the average human has around 50,000 thoughts every day – wow. This claim may or may not be accurate, but there is no doubt we do think a lot. If we acted on all of these thoughts, we would have a mental breakdown, so we only tend to focus on certain thoughts. The problem is that if we are focusing on the wrong thoughts, it can make our lives miserable. Mindfulness can give us the ability to be more selective about which thoughts influence our behavior.Self-kindness means offering yourself support and encouragement rather than criticism. Image if you had a boss who was constantly putting you down and being overly-critical; do you think this would make you better at your job? A negative inner-dialogue can work the same way as a boss who is a merciless bully, and it is better to replace this with something more encouraging.

How to Develop Self-Compassion in Early Recovery

Nowadays my brain no longer races compulsively in either elation, grandiosity or depression. I have been given a quiet place in bright sunshine. Bill W.

Self-compassion in early addiction recovery is something you need to develop if you want to become emotionally sober. Physical sobriety can mean you stop making yourself miserable, but it is emotional sobriety that is going to lead you to happiness. Developing self-compassion is something you will learn more about during your stay with us here at Serenity Vista. Our rehab offers a holistic approach that includes mindfulness training and 12-step work. We offer the ideal environment so you can begin to learn how to treat yourself kindly – our international facilities also offer a high level of luxury at an affordable price. Click here to learn more about what Serenity Vista offers you.