20 Apr Recovery Without Judgment
A first impression should never be your last impression. It’s natural to pass judgment on anything at first glance, but it’s important not to place value in these initial judgments. You won’t know what different activities, communities, or people have to offer until you make a genuine effort to understand them.
Placing value in your judgments can make it impossible for you to try new activities or meet new people. A judgemental attitude makes it easy to focus on the negatives in your recovery because it will prevent you from exploring people and activities that could create positivity in your life.
Judgement-Free Self-Talk
Sometimes the person you are most judgmental toward is yourself. Beating yourself up for past wrong-doings will not help you move forward and live a healthier life. It will lead you to an abundance of self-doubt and cause you to obsess over negative thoughts.
Self-judgement will prevent you from being open to trying new things that could bring positivity into your life. It can also fuel your fears as well as anxiety and depressive symptoms. When you judge yourself, negative behaviors will seem like a permanent fixture of your personality rather than something you can grow from. Constantly passing harsh judgment on yourself makes it easy to set unrealistic standards and create unrealistic goals.
The best way to mitigate self-judgment is through positive self-talk. This can be accomplished through activities such as meditation, yoga, or cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Managing your self-talk involves being aware of your thoughts as they occur so that you can prevent negative thoughts and, eventually, turn them into positive ones. This will help alleviate self-shame and make it easier to manage your mental health symptoms. One of the important parts of self-talk is being present. Concentrating on the present and self-improvement will free your mind from obsessing over negative thoughts surrounding memories of past trauma and instead focus on creating positive new ones.
Accept New People and Their Ideas
A successful recovery requires you to give your life a makeover. You’ll need to change your behavioral habits, thought patterns, and perspective on yourself and others. It’s easier to make these types of changes when you let go of toxic friendships and surround yourself with people who can generate positivity in your life. To do this, you may have to join new communities and meet new people. You might join communities that are involved in activities you enjoy or are relevant in your field of work. Joining a support group will also give you opportunities to connect with new people and build new friendships.
It is more challenging to meet new people during the COVID-19 pandemic when fewer events are occurring and fewer people are meeting in person. However, there are apps and online communities where you can connect with others. The internet can connect people from all over the world. You will meet people from various walks of life. The people you meet will have different attitudes and inherent beliefs. During your recovery, it’s healthy to be open to other people’s perspectives. You may learn something about yourself by understanding how someone else sees the world. Understanding other people’s perspectives will make it easier for you to find gratitude and hope in your life.
Try Something New
Initial judgments are often based on emotions instead of facts. For instance, you may think that running is boring and a waste of time, but you might try running regularly and realize that you enjoy the quietness and the sensation of challenging your body’s endurance. Sometimes your first impression will be correct; you could try running and still hate it. However, first impressions are never always right. The only way to know if you’re going to enjoy an activity is to try it and give it a chance.
A large part of your recovery will be self-discovery. On your journey, you’ll rediscover old activities that you used to enjoy, but you’ll also want to branch out and try new activities too. Introducing new activities in your life can help you create healthier habits, find new communities to connect with, and meet new people.
Trying something new can be exciting and give you something to look forward to. Depending on the activity, it can also provide structure to your week. For instance, joining a climbing gym or a boxing class is something you could do every week, bringing structure to your schedule. Picking up a creative activity can help you process your emotions and can give you a sense of accomplishment once completed.