People who experience psychiatric symptoms or have had traumatic experiences feel power and control over life is lost. Taking back control of one’s life may have taken over when symptoms became severe. Family, friends and health care professionals may try to support but it feels like a further loss of control. Learn how to regain control of life with the following three avenues to help get started.
Getting Started
Taking back control of one’s life starts by making better decisions and owning choices that are essential to recovery. It helps to feel better about oneself and feel relief around the symptoms which are troubling a person. Several things may be possible but it helps to focus on just a few to get started.
Think about what life can look like
When thinking about how to regain control of one’s own life, it helps to focus on what is really desired in life rather than what others think or feel about it all. Contemplate some of the following:
- Going back to school
- Increasing talents in some way
- Doing a certain kind of work
- Finding a new home
- Moving to a new place
- Future goals of any kind
A person can come up with many ideas, but first write it all down in a journal. Keep it tucked away where it is easy to look up and discover all that awaits while planning goals for the future.
List barriers to success
The easiest way to give up control in life is to let barriers get in the way. List out the things that have been in the way of achieving what is desired. Whether it is money, education or other issues, figure it out and seek treatment for the things that need extra attention. Start making healthy choices and stop relegating important decisions to others. Take ownership by writing down a resolution for each problem and a goal to achieve in tackling that barrier head on.
Get educated
One of the best ways to take back one’s own power is to become educated so that a person has all the information needed to make good decisions and take back control. Check out books from the library, get online or ask people who to trust. Make decisions about what feels right and what doesn’t. Refuse to compromise and make strategies for getting educated more effectively on how to achieve desired goals.
Loved ones are an important aspect of taking back personal power. Seek out those who will support the endeavor and lean on those individuals for help. Ask what can be done to improve life and seek out mentors who have gone before in the same situation. All it takes is a little gumption to get started and let the ball get rolling.
If you are not sure how to get started on achieving goals around sobriety, call The Villa. Let us help guide you towards resources to help you give up addiction for good.