Important Life Skills in Recovery And Long-term Success
Here at The Verve, we find different fields of skill development crucial at different stages of the treatment process, depending on a client’s needs.
Individualized care is important to us – rather than take every client through the same journey, we find that every client’s needs call for very different treatment plans and potential modalities. Some of our most important fields of skill development at The Verve include:
DIVERSIONS AND COPING SKILLS IN RECOVERY
Coping skills in recovery focus on stress management and alleviating pressure immediately, especially after a particularly hard day or during acute episodes.
Journaling – Journaling involves writing about personal experiences, or jotting down a few notes about the given day. Journaling is part consistency, and part honesty. Putting your thoughts to paper can help you re-evaluate them and reconsider whether they are helpful or negative.
Breathing Techniques – Breathing in a certain way can help activate the parasympathetic nervous system and induce a physiological response that calms the heart, and in turn, the mind. It can counteract the adrenaline that rushes through you during anxiety, and put you in a better state of mind. Breathing techniques also help facilitate mindfulness.
Imagery Techniques – Imagery techniques are often used in different therapy methods to help clients return to a safe and welcoming space in their mind when things get tense or frightening during treatment.
RELAPSE PREVENTION SKILLS
These are skills that center around avoiding and preventing relapses, especially in cases of substance use, or co-occurring mental health disorders.
Avoiding Triggers – Learning to avoid triggers can be a skill, especially over multiple years. As time goes on, becoming better at knowing what triggers you can safely re-engage with, and which you should continue to ignore becomes important.
Improving Sleep Hygiene – Poor sleep hygiene can drastically affect a person’s mood, cognitive abilities, memory, and mental health. Better sleep can give you a better chance at recovery.
Consistent Exercise Planning – Exercise is another great way to reduce cravings. The endorphins released during exercise can help reduce the need for another hit, and consistent exercise can give you a reason to continue to stay sober.
Medication Adherence – Treatment adherence for your mental and physical health conditions is another way of creating an important routine for yourself, one that helps give you an additional means of defense against a relapse.
Better Eating – This involves both a balanced diet and a healthier relationship with food, especially if a client has a history of disordered eating or extremely stringent food rules.
SKILL DEVELOPMENT IN DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOR THERAPY
These are skills that are traditional in dialectical behavior therapy.
Mindfulness Training – Mindfulness training has been adapted into several different talk therapy methods, including DBT. Mindfulness originates in Eastern Zen philosophy, and is centered around focusing on the present moment and letting go of the past.
Distress Tolerance – One of the key differences between DBT and other forms of talk therapy is that it focuses on accepting that things are bad before they can get better. Distress tolerance means developing the means to tolerate difficult and uncomfortable emotions.
Emotional Regulation – More than just managing your emotions, emotional regulation is also about learning to accept how you feel, and embrace your feelings, rather than bottling them away until they boil over.
Interpersonal Skill Development – Whether that means knowing when to say no and recognize abuse, or becoming better at letting people through emotionally, interpersonal skill development is critical for all forms of recovery.
