When you’re striving for recovery from an addiction, one of the most important things you must do is learn how to build your self-esteem.
Having high self-esteem and confidence in who you are will help you stay motivated and improve your overall mental health and quality of life. According to VeryWell Health, self-esteem is a term used to describe “a person’s overall subjective sense of personal worth or value. In other words, self-esteem may be defined as how much you appreciate and like yourself regardless of the circumstances.”
It’s easier to want self-esteem more so than it is to build it. And in a lot of cases, it doesn’t just come naturally, especially for addicts. All too often, addicts have low self-respect and confidence level, so it’s imperative that as an addict is working towards recovery, they are also working toward building their self-esteem. Keep reading to learn our top four tips to building confidence for addicts in recovery.
#1: Accepting Compliments
Addict or not, as humans, we often tend to shrug off compliments or deny someone when they compliment us, and there’s no exception to those who struggle with substance abuse. Although we all want to feel loved and accepted, not accepting compliments is one of those classic examples of us not believing in ourselves. Instead, if you’re going to build your self-esteem, it’s essential that you not only start accepting compliments, but that you start believing them, too.
#2: Do Something for Yourself Everyday
A great way to find self-acceptance is to do at least one thing that makes you feel good about yourself every day. This can be participating in your favorite hobby or trying something new, or it can be as simple as giving yourself affirmations. By actively striving to do something for yourself, you’ll find confidence in who you have become.
#3: Finding a Support System
When in recovery, finding a support system is essential to finding confidence in who you are. A support system is a group of people who will accept you for who you are and encourage you to grow into the person you want to be. For some, your support system might include your family, a small, encouraging group of friends, people you met online who are also recovered addicts, or really anyone who you know loves you for you. Finding people who will cheer you on and cheer you up on the hard days are the people who will help you grow your self-esteem the most.
#4: Pat Yourself on the Back
If you’re working toward recovery or if you’re in recovery, you’ve already accomplished so much. Make sure you give yourself credit for how far you have come. Taking that first step to decide to get clean was huge! That first week you went without giving in to your temptation? Talk about a big accomplishment. What about when you were brave enough to seek out help? All of these things are significant steps in your recovery, all of which you should be proud of yourself for doing. Pat yourself on the back, tell yourself that you’re proud of how hard you have worked, are working, and will work. When you’re consistently proud of yourself, building self-confidence is not as hard as it once was.
Build Your Self-Esteem with Steps Recovery Centers
If you’re ready to seek out help with your addiction and learn how to build your self-esteem, Steps Recovery Centers are the place for you. We take pride in our programs as we give you the tools you need to reach sobriety and stay there long after you complete our program. We’ll teach you how to build up your self-confidence, so when you’re in recovery, you can develop a kinder relationship with yourself. Our recovery centers are located in St. George, Utah County, and Salt Lake County, Utah, so if you’re struggling with addiction, please reach out to us for more information about our recovery services and to schedule a free consultation with us.
