Thought: Yesterday has come and gone. So will tomorrow.
Addictions UK uses Twitter to share inspirational Thoughts every day. This article is based on one of them. Follow us at @addictionsuk.
We all get anxious.
Sometimes the causes of anxiety are obvious. Perhaps there is some test we must face at work or at school. Maybe it’s because someone else’s behaviour is putting us or themselves at risk.
Our anxieties may arise from our own actions. We may fear some skeleton tumbling out of our cupboard or we may be having to face the consequences of a past mistake already discovered.
Anxiety can sometimes have no obvious cause. Everyday medications and herbal remedies can have strange side effects and so can some foods. Everyone knows that anxiety can lead to raised blood pressure but some people believe raised blood pressure can trigger anxiety.
For those facing alcohol addiction, drug addiction or addiction to some other substance or process, the sources of anxiety are many though not always easily identified.
Whatever the cause, being anxious is unpleasant and presents special dangers for any addicts who is desperate to escape from the pressures. But the symptoms can be relieved in other ways.
Accepting the support of family and friends and mentors will usually help lessen your worries. So will becoming absorbed in any good distraction, be it your hobby or a good book or film or even some mentally demanding chores.
It’s helpful too if you can recover a sense of proportion.
You have been in trouble before. This isn’t the first time you have faced a challenge or been fearful of an outcome. Looking back, sometimes you wonder why you were so concerned. And even when things didn’t turn out so well, you now see yourself as a survivor.
“Yesterday has come and gone. So will tomorrow.” It’s quite logical to base a more positive view of your future on the fact that you have coped in the past. You have found a way through your troubles before and you can do so again. The important thing is not to do anything that makes the situation worse or makes recovery harder.
Please contact us now if you need help with recovery from any addiction and especially if you are seeking home-based treatment.
