Tips for Finding Emotional Stability in Recovery

September 15, 2017

Harmony Place Team

The focus on sobriety and recovery tends to lean towards physical health. When a person with addiction quits using drugs or alcohol, emotional stability is of equal importance to staying healthy for the long term. As the body adjusts to functioning without drugs or alcohol, the individual can slowly begin to concentrate on what is most essential to recovery.
Finding emotional stability is a crucial step in the overall recovery process. On this page, we will look at some things that you can do to find and maintain the emotional stability to be successful in recovery.

What Is Emotional Stability?

Emotional stability is, essentially, the ability to regulate one’s emotions and mood. Emotional stability can refer to how well a person deals with strong feelings without turning back towards addictive or compulsive behaviors which were destructive. Without this, it is very difficult to maintain physical sobriety.

Individuals who remain physically sober but not emotionally sober may not drink or use alcohol but still exhibit destructive behaviors which are harmful to themselves or others. Physical sobriety is concrete and tangible while emotional sobriety is an abstract concept.

How Can I Increase My Emotional Stability?

Many different pathways exist to achieve emotional stability. Many people with addiction receive help through AA, NA, or other 12-step programs, but 12-step programs are not the only solution. Mental health therapy from professionals who understand addiction can also foster emotional sobriety. Let’s take a look at some of the ways that one can achieve emotional stability during the recovery process and maintain said emotional stability even after treatment has been completed.

Talk With A Therapist

During addiction treatment, you will work with multiple therapists. You will have the therapist that you see during individual therapy sessions as well as the therapist that leads your group sessions. Particularly during these individual therapy sessions, you will have the opportunity to open up to your therapist and discuss issues pertaining to you, namely how you ended up in treatment in the first place.

During these sessions, you can also work on the mental side of things as well, one of those being your stability from an emotional standpoint. Your therapist will help you with techniques designed to help better manage your emotions so you don’t go spiraling out of control and end up relapsing.

Don’t Try And Fight Your Emotions

Many people suffer from addiction due in large part to the way they are feeling. When someone doesn’t know how to handle their emotions or tries to fight or change the way they are feeling, they will oftentimes turn to substances to “fix themselves” when in reality nothing needed to be “fixed” in the first place.

In many cases, the problem or problems would have been solved by simply taking a minute and trying to understand why you are feeling the way you are. After all, emotions are just signals from the brain that tell us how we should feel about certain things. If you simply accept these emotions and learn healthy ways in which to manage them, it can greatly increase your stability.

Be Active

When you are moving around and being active, many positive things happen in your body and brain. Your body releases more serotonin, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and endorphins, all things that can make you feel good. It also stimulates blood flow to the brain which can help with your overall emotional stability. Regular exercise can help reduce stress and improve your overall mental health while also making you feel better about yourself.

Build A Support Network

A good network of friends and allies helps maintain physical and emotional sobriety in a place that offers support, acceptance, and safety. In the past, if you were having a tough day or really struggling emotionally, you might have turned to drugs or alcohol. These substances may have seemed to help numb the pain and make you feel better. However, it’s important to develop a network of people who are there for you now. When problems arise, you can talk to them instead of turning to substances of abuse.

Stay Positive

When you think negatively of yourself, it can severely affect your emotions. When you are feeling bad about yourself or sorry for yourself you are much more likely to turn to things like drugs or alcohol as a way to stop thinking about those negative things. Even in recovery, these feelings can increase the chances of a relapse.

Instead of saying bad things about yourself or letting these negative emotions set in, turn it around. Choose to replace those thoughts and feelings with positive ones. Remind yourself that you are doing a good job at work or in school. Think about something that was good that happened to you that day. If you think positively, you will be a more positive person.

Become One With Yourself

At the end of the day, nobody knows you better than you. So when your body is trying to tell you something, instead of trying to fight it simply listen to what it is saying. A great way to do this is to tap into your spiritual side through things like yoga or meditation.

A person’s spirituality can help maintain emotional stability by reminding the person that forces greater than himself or herself are at work and this, in turn, helps to accept things that cannot be changed. Acceptance and gratitude are often key components of a healthy emotional recovery.

Put Yourself First

While many people try and make everyone else around them happy, they tend to neglect themselves in the process. When you ignore yourself and your emotions it can be difficult to maintain your emotional stability. It’s important to remember that there are times where you have to put yourself and sobriety first and make it your number one priority.

If you are doing things that are causing you stress and anxiety you are increasing your chances of relapsing. Make sure that before you take the time to focus on someone or something else that you are taking the time to make sure that you are in a good place both mentally and physically.

Stay Grounded

Throughout the course of a day, our emotions will fluctuate based on what is happening around us. It’s important not to freak out when your emotions spike one way or the other. The key is to keep the body and mind stable. It’s important to remind yourself that no matter what is going on that you are ok. When a person feels down, grounding oneself through gratitude is key. When a person feels up, it is important to be humble. The key to emotional stability is to keep the body and mind stable as much as possible.

Are You Looking To Improve Your Emotional Stability?

Harmony Place is aware of the challenges people with addiction face when it comes to physical and emotional recovery. We’re here to offer treatment programs that provide therapeutic and emotional support while working through the difficulties addiction brings. If you or someone you know is suffering from addiction, contact us today to find out how to get started. We want everyone that leaves our facility to go on to live a happy, healthy, and sober life.

Chris P

I've been to 12 rehabs over the last 20 years and NO other place has touch like Harmony Place! From the owner right down to the cleaning lady, everyone here is kinda and warm. God has blessed this place and I feel privileged to have come through here. I recommend anyone who is going through their struggle with mental health or substance abuse to pick up the phone and come! You won't regret it!

Joseph S

This place is incredible, kind, loving, patient, rigorous, educative, caring and the best place for recovery. Ill be part of the alumni crew

Monica G

I had very good experience at Harmony Place From first day I came, staff was very kind and make me feel welcome and safe. Everyone was friendly and always try to help me. The therapists are very good and caring. They listen to me and help me understand my problems better. I learn many things from them and feel stronger because of their support. The nurses also very nice and professional. They always check on me and make sure I am okay. Food was good and facilities were clean and comfortable. It help me feel more relaxed and focus on my recovery. Management also doing very good job. Everything was organized and you can see they really care about patients. I am very thankful for this place and all the people who work here. I recommend this center to anyone who needs help.

Denton

Awesome place great people u want to check this place out most definitely 😜

Tyler

A treatment center where the owners truly care about your recovery and after care.. cannot recommend enough

Jodana S

If you want to detox painlessly this is the place! The staff is A1. They truly care about us. The groups are awesome . Residential is crazy awesome! You live in a mansion. With a private chef who makes the best food. Community meeting that gets results fast, they care about your opinions. Pool and Jacuzzi are beautiful. If your struggling with addiction this is the house you should come to. I LOVE HARMONY PLACE!!!!! Thank you to all the staff they go above and beyond to make this experience comfortable therapeutic. Don't spend another day in your addiction come to Harmony Place right now!

Cass

I’ve been to 4 treatment centers before Harmony Place, and I can tell you without a single doubt that this is the absolute best by FAR. The past ones were luxury Residential Treatment centers that just treated every single client the same not tailoring to each individual, and were basically just in it for the money, dropping the ball each time. I can also tell you that I’ve never met the CEOs, but here, David comes to the facility almost every single day, and makes sure he get to know every individual here. He is incredibly kind, and was even willing to transfer me to another facility with a higher level of trauma therapy due to me having a lifetime of trauma and PTSD that just is going to take a long time to tackle. He truly cares about all of the clients having all of the tools that we need before getting released to the real world. No more of other CEO would ever be willing to miss an opportunity at making more money and even paired with my IMPECCABLE case manager to find a different facility that was more trauma based. My case manager, Sam, goes absolutely above and beyond in every single aspect. She makes sure you have a smooth transition into aftercare, provides out of this world advice when it comes to sobriety, and takes the time out of her day to make sure that FMLA and short-term disability are completely taken care of during your stay. I’ve never met a case manager that could ever compare to Sam. Ever. I feel lucky to have met her, genuinely. Marissa, my therapist, is SO SWEET, actually listens to you, and provides advice and therapy tailored to each individual’s experience. She’s handled every mood I’ve been in, never judged me, and allowed me to feel safe enough to tell her things I’ve never told any person or therapist in my 29 years of life. I’ve been going to therapy for the past 15 years, and none of those therapists even come close to how amazing she is. I’ve been to 4 other treatment centers in my life and none even come close to Harmony Place. The facility is clean, organized, and high-end. I would recommend Harmony place to my family, friends, and anyone seeking treatment. I feel SO BLESSED to have landed in their hands. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE IN THE CLINICAL STAFF BEYOND WORDS. I love you guys ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️. I feel more confident than ever in my Recovery.

Gabe H

Where to begin.. Harmony is a place that will forever be a part of my story as the first step in my recovery journey. I’m so grateful for this program. The staff is very friendly, and many of them understand what addiction is like, for they themselves have recovery stories of their own. They have an awesome team of therapists, group facilitators, nurses, RA technicians, medical and health professionals, a wonderful case manager for aftercare that cares deeply for your next steps; making sure you are set up for success. They have a wonderful admissions team (shoutout to Marielle who was so kind and understanding of my messed up situation). Everyone is very relatable and friendly. They invest heavily in the importance of diet and nutrition too - there’s a full time professional chef. I gained all the weight I lost and wanted back in the first two weeks lol. On top of the intensive programming they do throughout the day, they take us out to experience various kinds of outside groups to get a taste of the real world, and also take us on social outings during the weekend. If you’re serious about getting better this place will meet you where you’re at and prepare you to launch with a renewed mind and heart.

Monica P

I can't begin to explain just how amazing Harmony Place is. In fact, when we sit down with the owner, Jeff, and clinical director, David, on Monday mornings to have a house meeting, they ask us what they could be doing better. A bigger blender for smoothies is the ONLY thing we could come up with. Let me begin by addressing some negative reviews. If you notice many of them are from people, or are referring to people who have been asked to leave. It is because of harmony places protection of their clients that provide ideal conditions for healing and progress. There is a screening process that it is implemented where they make sure the clients they admit are ready to start a life of sobriety. Some people slip through the cracks. Some people find out a few days or weeks in that they've changed their minds. Some are inappropriate and break rules. It happens. When Harmony Place ask people to leave, It's because they are protecting the people who are here that want treatment. In effect, they're providing exactly what I needed for a genuine start to recovery. When I began my search for a treatment center, my requirements were that the facility's provide an environment in which its residents all want to be there and that it is ethically ran. I got that and so much more at Harmony Place. As well as a structured routine, they also provide a confidential and nurturing environment where one feels safe and where profound healing can begin. Their program offers a sound foundation where further progress in sober living is almost guaranteed. In group meetings, we enjoy getting to know ourselves again and with deeper understanding about why we are the way we are. We are provided with skills to handle real life. Its here that I've come to understand that its not addiction that has driven me to make a mess of my life. It is the trauma that I endured and not processing it correctly that lead to poor thinking patterns that opened the door to addiction resulting in poor life management. So we start at the bottom. Trauma. They help us understand that trauma has led to our own toxicity, what that trauma looks like and how to get out of our own way. Process groups help us learn how to take accountability and foster healthier relationships. I learned here that changing the way I think is absolutely possible and imperative to the healing process. Harmony Place offered me hope when I previously felt I was unfixable and a support team that truly loves me. Even after I leave here, I have contacts that almost demand I keep in touch and an alumni meeting where I can return to the facility on Thursday nights. I wasn't a 12 stepper when I came here but my first experience with it was not one where I was ready to stop using. I understand now that the steps will work for me. It's certainly is not the only modality that they teach. In one group, we are provided an opportunity to sit with a recently retired medical doctor to just ask questions. Another is with a nutritionist. There are a handful of people IN recovery that come to lead groups that are all accredited highly specialized where I felt understood and not judged. The knowledge I have gained here is life changing. It is also versatile and relatable for all types of people. my favorite group was dialectical behavioral therapy. There are breathing classes and sound bath groups and I started doing yoga in the morning. There's a dharma meeting they take you offsite that focuses on Buddhist values. A fantastic onsight chef provides three meals and you can have special requests. We facilitated our own Movie nights during free time. I cant forget to mention you get your own one on one meetings with your assigned primary therapist and there is comprehensive medical support complete with 24/7 nurses and a doctor that shows up throughout the week. If this is what you need to recover and you have mediCAL, cancel your mediCAL and get insurance Harmony Place accepts if you can. There are people to help you with that as well. Just call. Many, many thanks to the staff. ✔️Another life changed.🙏

Cody B

This is such an amazing place truly changed my life. I would recommend this place to anybody if they’re looking for a strong recovery house that truly cares about your recovery and not about just money So if you’re ready to change your life, don’t miss out on the greatness of harmony because this place is where it’s at