Supporting a loved one in recovery can feel like a full time job. Hired Power is here to take on that job and help you be the supportive person your loved one needs you to be. Here are five things to keep in mind as you support a loved one in recovery.
- It Takes Time To Heal: Recovery takes time. Treatment is one step in a lifetime of action which will continuously inspire change, growth, learning, and healing. You have to have patience with yourself and with your loved one as you continue along this journey of recovery. One day at a time is a popular saying in recovery. Each 24 hours is the most we can accomplish, and it only comes a minute at a time.
- Compassion And Empathy Are Key: Compassion and empathy are key to taking care of yourself and supporting a loved one in recovery. You have to recognize the limitations of human behavior and understand that everyone struggles with something. While you may not understand exactly what it is your loved one is going through, you have experience in pain, struggle, and perseverance.
- Don’t Take Things Personally. Mental health can hurt. Your loved one can say things they don’t mean, say things they do mean, and be difficult to deal with. There will be celebrations and disappointments, shocking moments, and heartbreak. Don’t take someone else’s mental illness personally, no matter how personal it gets. At any given moment, you and your loved one are doing the best you can do with what you have. Committed to growth and learning, it is going to get better, one day at a time.
- Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously. You are just a human being, even if you are the superhero parent/friend/spouse/sibling/family member/ or coworker supporting a loved one in recovery. You are only capable of so much and you have all of your own needs which need to be met. Instead of fighting to be perfect yourself, remember not to take yourself too seriously. Your loved one doesn’t need you to be a hero, a rescuer, or perfect. They need you to just be yourself, the person who loves and supports them the most.
- Now Is Always The Best Time For Help: The only time it is too late to help a loved one seek treatment or any kind of support is if they are no longer with you. It is never too early or too late to seek treatment or ask for help in recovery. You and your loved one do not have to take this journey alone. Companies like Hired Power are available to support your family through empowering recovery services which help you focus on healing as we take care of the planning and the details. Our family is here to support your family every step of the way.
For information on our recovery services from intervention and safe passage transport to aftercare and sober monitoring, call us today at 800-910-9299.