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The road to recovery and sobriety is different for each person. Women struggle differently than men and mothers have particular sets of challenges others may not. Depending on who they have helping them, they may be single parents, widowed, married, partnered with someone, and many variations in between.
Exploring how to practice self-care on top of caring for themselves in recovery is difficult for mothers. They rely on community support and the love of family and friends to get them through hard times. Find some tips on how to help a mother in recovery regain her footing after attending treatment for substance use.
New Hobbies
Finding hobbies helps women explore other opportunities to develop self-care practices and skills. There is also time to spend with friends and family. Spending time together creating new memories is important. Women love socializing and being with others but sometimes women also need that time alone, especially if they are parenting or in a tough stage of life at the moment. Recovery is a difficult transition so it helps to have some fun activities to do that are not associated with recovery groups or sobriety.
Be Curious
Mothers in recovery have a rough go. They are juggling motherhood, sometimes work, their husband’s jobs, life, and other personal responsibilities. Being curious means tapping into a local scene and just sitting with everything. This also means finding time to create art together in a way that allows the mother to express herself and be open with her loved ones. It might mean doing some writing together, exploring fun things around town that are sober activities, or just sitting and listening. Being able to express fun and joy are part of the journey of recovery, also, but it may take being vulnerable and feeling safe enough to do so.
Gratitude Helps
Joy and gratitude are important in recovery. Thankfulness for being here today is key. The more grateful a person is, the more they notice other things and it builds on itself from there. Friends and family can really help in recovery by supporting a mother with meals, food, childcare, time to herself, and ways to spend time on herself like going to the salon. Sometimes mothers need help to find gratitude by having time to themselves. Taking care of children and others is hard work and exhausting. The more grateful a person is, the more they can focus on healing in recovery from the harder parts of their story.
Model Self-Care
One of the hardest aspects of recovery is dealing with self-care. Mothers are notorious for caring for others but neglecting themselves. Sometimes that is why they put recovery lower on the list. It can be hard to leave everyone behind to go care for themselves. Mothering oneself is a gift that takes time to learn. Recovery is the right time to start learning how to do that. It can help to:
- Take soothing baths
- Get some new makeup or clothes
- Volunteer
- Take a small vacation just for the mother
Positive health, getting enough sleep and finding fun are all important and healthy for a woman to pursue her goals and feel happy in recovery.
Set Goals
Women in recovery need some goals. They need to set appropriate short term and long term goals that are measurable and attainable. Aside from staying sober (number one) they can also work on how to navigate recovery while caring for themselves. It may mean further education, moving up at their job, working fewer hours, changing shifts to be with family more, and other things so she can be the best mother in recovery she can be. She needs support to meet these goals so be sure to help her celebrate milestones and victories along the way.
Find Victories
Small victories are a great way to spur positive change. It means seeking opportunities to grow and learn about herself as a mother and also as a woman who is changing her life for the better in recovery. Once she celebrates and is able to feel like she is making progress, she might start seeing places she can work to improve her life in other ways.
It might mean taking more time for sober living arrangements or seeking opportunities to give back to herself by noticing where she already has come a long way and honor those moments. The victories are important and will help her see she is making progress, even if it feels small at first.
Loved ones are pivotal in changing a mother’s life in recovery. If she is willing and ready to change, she is going to find hope and healing she never dreamt or imagined being possible. The key is to stick with her and help her through rough patches. Be there to listen, spur her on, and encourage her journey of sobriety. With all the challenges she is facing, she likely needs the added support to help her stay the course for the long haul.
Forge is a place to come and recover your life from addiction. We help you reimagine what is possible and create the life you’ve been dreaming of.
Call us today: 1-888-224-7312
