Finding Balance in Life on Your Journey to Wellness
If the idea of balance is foreign to you, you’re not alone. In our fast-paced, consuming culture where everything from work to our social lives to our hobbies is expected to be at full throttle, there’s little room for balance.
But when you begin to move toward wellness, lifestyle changes become necessary—especially when reevaluating your relationship with alcohol.
Reducing or eliminating alcohol from your life requires some significant changes, which leaves room for other habit-forming behaviors to surface. As such, it’s essential to achieve a balance where jumping from one thing to the next isn’t necessary.
When you’re taking steps to a more balanced life, it can help to shift your energy from neglecting your well-being to making it a priority. Here’s how you can begin to do that.
Take One Step at a Time
It can be tempting to map out your new life and make big plans and goals. And there’s nothing wrong with that—as long as you take it one step at a time.
Things can quickly feel overwhelming when changing your routine or adjusting your lifestyle, and you may not realize it until you’re tossing your laptop across the room in anger or crying over a burned dinner.
It’s normal to feel overwhelmed when making changes, and it’s definitely normal for some uncomfortable feelings to surface during times of transition.
Taking things one step at a time can help. Be gentle with yourself, especially when you’re triggered. Running into friends you used to drink with, an upsetting call from a family member, or one too many projects at work can make you feel like you need a drink (or three).
Be aware of how you’re feeling and just focus on the moment: what’s going on a few hours or days down the line doesn’t need to be your top priority right now.
Stick to a (New) Schedule
A new routine can help support your journey to wellness, but it can also feel like a chore at first. Adjusting to a new schedule over time may be helpful, such as incorporating new activities into your day one week or month at a time, whatever is realistic for you.
You may find your schedule changing naturally as you cut back on drinking and focus more on balance. Getting in bed earlier, waking up earlier, being on time for work—these are all things that can happen as you start to prioritize your mental and physical well-being.
Be aware of old patterns that can pull you back into unhealthy habits—being stressed out, going to the same places, and even spending time with many of the same people can be triggering for those who are trying to cut back on drinking.
If you go out, don’t feel pressured to stay in situations that can trigger you to feel like you need to drink. Be aware of how you’re feeling so you can excuse yourself when you feel overwhelmed or like you’ve hit your socializing limit.
Ask for Support
Life will have its ups and downs, even when you make wellness a priority. You won’t be happy about everything that happens in life—but it’s important to cultivate a sense of peace even without alcohol.
Adjusting your life takes time and effort, and it can be challenging, especially at first. A support system can help you be gentle with yourself and develop better coping mechanisms to handle whatever life throws your way.
For some people, a support system looks like family and friends. For others, it can include a therapist, counselor, or trusted mentor. Many people find themselves seeking new relationships as their life includes more balance.
Don’t be afraid to ask for support during this transition—calling a friend, scheduling a therapy appointment, or attending a support group can all be helpful.
Remember You Don’t Have to Have It All Figured Out (Because No One Does)
Finding balance is a process that will look unique for every person, so it’s ok not to have it all figured out (because who does?). Your new life won’t look exactly like your old one, but that’s the point—you may find more meaningful relationships, better physical and mental health, and more balance on your journey to wellness.