Wellness Wednesday: Dealing With a Relapse

We’ve all heard the phrase “Relapse is a part of recovery.” It’s `100% true. I don’t think I have ever met a person recovering from a mental illness or addiction who has not experienced at least one period of relapse. It’s normal and its scary but there are ways to get through it. One important thing I want to mention is that a relapse is a period where one falls back into their old habits and if it is not dealt with it will progressively get worse. The longer you take to address your relapse, the harder it will be to come out of it. That being said, here are some tips to handle a relapse:

1. Identify your behaviors: Its important to identify the behaviors you are engaging in. There will be times you might not even realize that your behaviors are “disordered.” If you have a feeling in your gut that something is wrong, go with it. If you know what behaviors you are engaging in you can work to stop them.
2. Frequency of Behaviors: Take a mental note of how often you find yourself engaging in these behaviors again. See if you can identify a pattern or a trigger. Oftentimes, there are specific things that will trigger us and the disordered behavior you use is your response or coping mechanism you use to deal with it. I also find it helpful to keep a journal during times of relapse. Keep track of your mood, the behaviors, how they made you feel, etc. This will help to see if there is a pattern.
3. Reach out: If you’ve been on your journey of recovery then chances are you have a support system, more specifically a treatment team. This could include your therapist, psychiatrist, medical doctor, dietician, and then non-professionals such as family members or close friends. If you don’t have someone you can go to during this time PLEASE reach out. As soon as you start to notice yourself slipping back into your old habits call, text, or email someone in your support system. Let them know what’s going on and what to look out for. If they know what to look for it will make it easier to support you but also hold you accountable for dealing with what is going on. Also tell them what you need from them. If you need to speak with your therapist, make an appointment. If you’re having trouble with your meal plan, call your dietician. If you need someone to vent to or a shoulder to cry on, ask for it. People will not know how to help you unless you tell them.
4. Acknowledge your past success: If you’ve relapsed then you’ve been in recovery. Up until your set-back you were actively taking care of yourself and fighting your disorder. A relapse isn’t a permanent failure. If you’ve gotten through it before, you can get through it again.
5. Make a Pro/con list: Look at the benefits and consequences of continuing to use the behaviors. Think short term and long term. How will this affect you in 2, 5, and 10 years to come? Also make a list of goals you want to accomplish in the future and really think about how this relapse will affect those goals. Will you be able to reach them and live a fulfilling life if you continue down this path?

Relapses are hard and scary but theyr’re not life sentences. You can come out of them if you put in the work. Have faith in yourself and don’t be afraid to reach out for help. This is YOUR life and you deserve to live it.