In Recovery? Use This 5-Step Plan to Get Back on Track in 2018

 Have you admitted you have an addiction? Are you starting your path to recovery? Then you’re already on track to create some positive life changes in 2018 and beyond. But if you want to truly thrive this year, you’ll need to overhaul some other areas of your life as well. There’s no better place to start than with these five goals:
 
Makeover Your Home Life
 
Home should be a source of serenity and solace. If you’re in recovery, however, home can be filled with tons of triggers that can stress you out. Take your space back from addiction by giving it a fun makeover. Get rid of any clutter, and give the place a good deep cleaning. Neutralize old smells, a common source of emotion, with some natural solutions you can mix up yourself. Don’t forget to wash any sheets or fabrics, and use a detergent with a different scent. Then, treat yourself to some new decor to freshen up the place. You can find some amazing flea market deals to spruce up your space if you don’t want to spend a lot of money.  
 
Work Up a Diet and Exercise Routine
 
You have to stay strong to be successful with any major life change. That includes recovery. You can keep your mind and body strong by getting regular exercise. It doesn’t have to be anything intense. Even a brisk walk a few times a week is enough to stay healthy and boost your happiness. Add in a little strength training with free weights or a kettlebell to improve your fitness even more. To fuel your workouts, re-tool your diet to include healthier choices. Stock up on healthy veggies, like spinach, sweet potatoes and broccoli, stick to lean proteins, like chicken and lean beef, and be sure to get some healthy fats as well. Got a busy schedule? Meal prep a couple of times a week to keep those wholesome meals ready to go.
 
Enjoy Some Sunshine or Moonlight
 
We spend so much of our time surrounded by technology, and that tends to leave us stuck indoors. But there are proven benefits to getting outside and connecting with the natural world around us. Take advantage of these perks by making time to enjoy the outdoors a few times a week. You can try taking your workouts outside in the morning and soaking up some soothing sunshine, or get outside on the weekends for a relaxing hike through nature. If the days are too hot, try taking in some cooler evening air. Have dinner in your backyard, or spend a few minutes meditating under the stars.
 
Craft Some Healthy Hobbies
 
Aside from stress, boredom can be quite the trigger for those in recovery. Beat both at the same time by taking up some relaxing hobbies. Create positivity in your life by getting creative with art, music or even a garden. You can pick up a used guitar and begin learning some chords to your favorite tunes, or spruce up your patio with some edible plants. Bringing beauty into your world with music, art or plants can help you decompress while productively taking up your time. Looking for something a little simpler? Try out some adult coloring pages to kill time and take away stress.
 
Connect With Positive People
 
When you’re in recovery, your main focus should be yourself. Still, social connection is a significant source of mental stability and happiness, so make an effort to connect with people who will be supportive of all your positive life changes. Set up some meetups with caring family members and friends from time to time, or host a get-together at your house. If you need some new connections, look for people in support groups or other meetups that can help you along the way. Try to have an open-door social policy to encourage yourself to stay clean and keep your life in order at all times.
 
Recovering from addiction is such a major, positive point of growth in your life. But you can truly thrive in 2018 by making beneficial changes in other realms of your life. So, take your life back and get back track!