@Fluttershy1 @Former-Member
What do you do to stay clean. Focus on some positives around what you can do by being clean.
What strategies do you put in place when you have thoughts of self-harm or feel tempted to go back to your addiction? Do you call lifeline on 131114 to chat to someone when you're struggling and need someone to listen to you.
What do you personally put in place to help elevate the stress. Do you listen to some music or wrap yourself up in a blanket or do a little home exercise? Cuddle your pet?
Do you keep a journal? I have started a mental health journal where I write down the negative and positive and then I write down what can I do to turn a negative into a positive. It can be something as small as getting out of bed and having a cup of tea or having a shower. Write down how it makes you feel when you have accomplished something like get out of bed, watch tv, have a cup of tea, look after the pet. Write what stresses you out, what are your obstacles and how you can strategise around them.
for example: when I'm stressed because I can't control the covid restrictions, my obstacles are I only have 2 hours to exercise, I can only go out once a day to go shopping, I can't see friends and family. How much control do I have I rate on a scale of 0-10 where 0 is no control and 10 is complete control. At this stage it's a 6 because I can't control the stresses of covid. However I can strategise to gain back some control. For example zoom meetings with my social clubs, zoom meeting with family, write on Facebook to family, exercise at home at my own pace and then go for a walk down the street to go shopping and walk back home. I learn to control my anxiety by being creative with the obstacles and put strategies in action to help reduce my stress levels.
what creative options that you can do to ease your stress levels so you minimise the risk of self harm and so you can stay clean?
