5 Ways to Deal With Anxiety in Recovery

When you struggle with substance abuse issues, it is common to also deal with mental health struggles. Having both an addiction and a mental illness is known as a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 21.5 million adults suffer from co-occurring disorders.[1]

One of the most common mental health conditions that co-occur with addiction is anxiety disorder. Whether you struggle with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, or social anxiety disorder, you need to find a healthy way to cope. Untreated symptoms of anxiety can make it difficult to stay sober, as negative emotions are often a trigger for relapse.

While you used to use drugs and alcohol to self-medicate your anxiety, in recovery you have to use coping mechanisms you learn during treatment or in therapy. You can practice mindfulness, exercise regularly, eat healthy foods, adopt a sleeping schedule, attend regular therapy, and try medication to cope with anxiety in recovery.

In this article, you will learn:

• The importance of treating anxiety in recovery
• 5 tips for reducing anxiety in recovery
• Why therapy is the best way to overcome anxiety

5 Tips for Dealing With Anxiety in Recovery

If you have anxiety, you probably developed a substance use disorder due to self-medicating your symptoms through alcohol and drugs. Once you get sober, you will still have the same anxiety you were attempting to cope with. This means you must learn new and healthy ways to manage your condition.

Without using healthy coping skills to reduce anxiety, you will be at risk of relapsing. Thankfully, there are a few easy ways to manage anxiety while in recovery from drugs and alcohol.

1. Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the act of staying present in the moment. It can help reduce anxiety by preventing you from focusing on the past or future. It also allows you to accept your current emotions and move on from them naturally.

You can practice mindfulness by engaging in guided meditations, yoga, and focusing on your breathing. Mindfulness helps all types of anxiety, from panic attacks to social anxiety.

2. Exercise and Eat Well

When you feel anxious, you can sometimes trace it back to physical problems you are dealing with. Have you been eating unhealthy food and not engaging in physical activity? If so, your nervous system might not be releasing the right neurotransmitters to combat stress.

According to Harvard Health, exercising helps anxiety in the following ways:[2]

• Distracting you from the thing you are anxious about
• Decreasing muscle tension that contributes to the body’s sensations of anxiety
• Increasing anti-anxiety brain chemicals like serotonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and endocannabinoids
• Lowering stress hormones

3. Have a Healthy Sleep Routine

Sleep can greatly impact your anxiety levels. According to the National Library of Medicine (NLM), “People with insomnia are 10 and 17 times more likely than those without insomnia to experience clinically significant levels of depression and anxiety.”[3]

If you are struggling to sleep on a healthy schedule, you might notice that you feel more stressed or anxious than usual.

Instead of accepting your insomnia, you should try healthy coping mechanisms that increase your ability to sleep. For example, you could exercise, meditate, or engage in calming activities before bed. If natural coping skills do not work, it might be time to consider therapy and medication.

4. Speak With a Therapist

If you are struggling with anxiety that impacts your daily functioning, you should consider seeing a therapist. Anxiety can be a huge barrier to long-term recovery, making you crave drugs and alcohol daily. Instead of suffering in silence, work with a therapist to reduce your anxiety and learn healthy coping skills.

Therapists can help you learn how to manage your anxiety using evidence-based treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or traditional talk therapy. They can also get to the root of your anxiety, helping you recover from underlying issues like childhood trauma.

5. Consider Medication

While therapy is incredibly helpful in managing anxiety, it can take some time to experience results. If you need immediate relief, you might want to consider medication.

There are non-habit-forming anxiety meds that will not trigger your substance use disorder. For example, many selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can manage symptoms of anxiety without causing you to develop an addiction.

It is important to note that while some people need medication long-term, it is possible to only use it until you see results from therapy. In other words, if you do not like the idea of relying on medication every day, it is possible to use it short-term until your therapy begins working.

Get Connected to a Top-Rated Sober Living Home

If you or a loved one has recently completed an addiction treatment program, sober living can ease the transition from a facility to independent living. New You Sober Living will offer you the tools and support you need to get used to sobriety outside of a treatment center.

Contact us today for more information on how our sober living facility can help you deal with anxiety in early sobriety.

References:

1. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): Co-Occurring Disorders and Other Health Conditions 
2. Harvard Health: Can exercise help treat anxiety
3. The National Library of Medicine (NLM): Improving sleep quality leads to better mental health