Establishing healthy self-care habits is essential for taking care of yourself, maintaining physical, emotional, and mental well-being after losing a loved one to alcoholism or addiction, an incredibly challenging and painful and often traumatic experience. Establishing healthy self-care routines is crucial for coping with grief, managing your emotions, and moving forward in a positive way. Here are six tips to help you establish healthy self-care habits in such difficult circumstances:
Prioritise Self-Care
Make self-care a non-negotiable part of your daily or weekly routine. Just as you allocate time for work, chores, and social activities, allocate time for self-care. Treat it as a priority, not an afterthought. There are different categories of self-care and Physical self-care is an important one to prioritise. Grief can take a toll on your physical health. Make sure to eat nutritious meals, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. These habits can help you maintain your energy levels and cope with grief more effectively.
Create a Self-Care Routine
Establish a consistent self-care routine that includes a variety of activities to address different aspects of your well-being. This may include exercise, meditation, journaling, reading, hobbies, and spending time with loved ones.
Healthy Self-care habits Require you to Set Boundaries
Boundaries are crucial for maintaining balance in your life. Learn to say no when necessary and communicate yourneeds to others. Protect your time and energy so that you can dedicate it to self-care without feeling guilty or overwhelmed.
Listen to Your Body and Mind
Pay attention to your body and mind’s signals. It will remind you to practice self-care. If you’re feeling stressed, tired, or emotionally drained, acknowledge it and take the necessary steps to address these feelings.
Connect with Supportive Relationships
Lean on friends and family who understand your grief and are willing to support you. Share your feelings with trusted individuals who can offer empathy and comfort. Isolation can exacerbate feelings of sadness, so maintaining social connections is essential. The Blossome Community is a great place to connect with others who understand the heartache of a loved one’s battle with alcohol dependency or any addiction.
Practice Mindfulness and Self-Compassion
Mindfulness techniques, such as meditation and deep breathing exercises, can help you stay grounded and manage difficult emotions. Additionally, practice self-compassion by being kind and patient with yourself. Creating new habits is challenging, so being able to cheer yourself on can be the difference between giving up and persevering.
You don’t have to walk this journey alone. Learning self-care and healing is easier together. Join others who understand the heartache and together commit to your self-care, to finding the courage to be you along a guided healing journey. Join the Blossome Community.
Kim Moore is the Founder of Blossome CIC. She lost her husband Chris to alcoholism in 2017. She faced a difficult journey while raising 2 children alone, with her family living on the opposite side of the world. Kim founded the Blossome Community and The Pathway to Peace healing journey so no one would have to feel alone while enduring the trauma of a loved one’s battle with alcoholism or addiction. She is also on a mission to end the generational cycle of alcoholism and addiction in families.
