The New Year is a great time to set good intentions and develop healthier habits.
While there are often negative connotations surrounding New Year’s resolutions, they can be very positive if approached correctly.
The mistake people often make is that they only focus on the things they shouldn’t be doing. Quitting smoking and not eating junk food are two very common examples. Instead of approaching your resolutions from this perspective, think about positive changes you can make instead. For example, committing to eating more vegetables or exercising three times a week.
With this approach in mind, below we’ve highlighted seven New Year’s resolutions to boost your sexual addiction recovery in 2022.
Find a new hobby
Hobbies can play an important role in sex addiction recovery. There are many reasons for this including:
- You’re surrounding yourself with new people and environments you don’t associate with your addiction
- They can be a great distraction when you’re struggling
- Acquiring a new skill is great for confidence which will help to keep you strong
- If it’s a social hobby, you’re building up a strong support network. These people can become confidants which is important when you’re trying to recover from sex addiction
Focus on good nutrition
When thinking about how to recover from sex addiction, food is unlikely to be something that springs to mind. Diet is far more important than many people realize however.
How we approach food and nutrition is the foundation to good health. If you’re following a healthy, balanced diet, you’re going to feel much better mentally and physically. This will put you in a much better place for your recovery efforts.
This doesn’t mean that you have to completely eliminate tasty treats. Simply keep them to a minimum and ensure you’re eating plenty of good protein sources, wholegrains, fruits and vegetables.
Stick to a regular therapy programme
One of the most effective ways to recover from sex addiction is to attend regular therapy sessions – even if you’ve been in recovery for many years.
Therapy is a critical part of sex addiction recovery because it will enable you to identify:
- The underlying causes of your addiction
- Triggers
- Coping mechanisms
- Effective communication techniques – being able to talk to your therapist and loved ones is a very important part of recovery
- How to rebuild relationships with loved ones
Focus on your mental health
Undiagnosed mental health conditions can play a big role in the development of addictions. For example, if you’ve been feeling depressed for some time, you may turn to sex, drugs or alcohol in an attempt to feel better.
When you get the high you’re looking for, the behavior becomes addictive and you engage in it more and more. Eventually however, the opposite becomes true. Your behavior starts to make you feel guilt and shame, this escalates your mental health issues and you turn to your vice more and more in an attempt to get that initial high.
Put yourself first
There’s a lot more to mental health than depression and anxiety. You can still struggle even if you don’t have either of these conditions. During times of stress or when you’re feeling a bit down in the dumps, it’s important to put yourself first, especially when you’re in recovery.
- If your workload is stressing you out, speak to your employer about how you can offload some projects
- If you have too much to do around the house, ask your partner, children or housemates to help out
- Ensure you have someone you can talk to about your concerns
- Increase the number of therapy sessions you’re having (even if it’s a temporary measure)
- Do more of the things you love and enjoy
- Don’t be afraid to say no to things you don’t want to do or walk away from people who don’t make you feel good
Prioritise sleep
Poor sleep can have a huge impact on sex addiction recovery.
Firstly, those in recovery often rely on structure. If your sleep is all over the place, it disrupts your daily routine and can put your mind into a spin.
Secondly, even one bad night’s sleep can have a significant impact on your mental health. If you haven’t been sleeping well for a while, you may find yourself in a very bad place.
Being tired, irritable and stressed out puts you at risk for relapse. Here are some great tips from Harvard Health for getting a good night’s sleep.
Know your triggers inside-out
Knowing your triggers is crucial for relapse prevention.
If certain places, people and activities tempt you to fall back into old habits, they should be avoided at all costs. This is applicable no matter how long you’ve been in recovery. If you’re having a weak moment, you might find it too difficult to resist.
If you need help with any aspect of sex addiction recovery, please get in touch with Toronto Trauma and Addiction Counselling.
