When you’re deep in the dark world of addiction, it’s hard to feel patient. After all, why did you get this way? How did you get here? And why do you feel irritable inside? These feelings bleed into other parts of your life—for one thing, it can make it difficult to have interpersonal relationships without feeling irritated. What are some methods for learning how to exercise patience?
1. Deep Breathing.
Taking full, deep breaths does a lot to help decrease anxiety and stress quickly in the moment. When you breathe deeply, this sends signals throughout the body that lower your heart rate and blood pressure, and releases signals to the brain that it’s time to relax. Problems related to stress and anxiety can be softened with the help of deep breathing. Breathe in through your belly, letting it stick out, and as you breathe in, suck in your stomach and notice as your diaphragm muscle moves upward as you breath out.
2. Count.
Count to ten, count to thirty, even to one hundred. Focusing on numbers can help you to stay focused and centered in the present. You can even do your deep breathing while you count. Count to ten as you breathe in, and count to ten as you breathe out.
3. Talk.
If you’re feeling irritable, talk to someone. Psychotherapy can help you to work through many different emotions. You’re likely aware that many people tend to self-medicate with drugs. Instead of using, unpacking the reasons why you use can help you to avoid using again. If you find that you’re using drugs just to avoid feeling sadness or gloom, there might be something going on underneath the surface. Simply airing the thoughts you keep tucked inside can really ease any pain and confusion you feel.
4. Cope.
Positive coping techniques, over time, contribute to a positive self-perception. From there, you can learn to start loving yourself. And once you like yourself, you can start to ‘work’ on yourself. This means catching negative thoughts before they happen—such as “I’m a failure, I’ll never do anything right” or “My life is terrible.” Even if you say things to yourself that aren’t true, it still weighs heavily later on. It’s hard to notice when you’re constantly bringing yourself down. Just as you unconsciously talk to yourself in your head, you can consciously speak positive thoughts to yourself.
In the end, patience will always help you to put your best foot forward and choose the way to cope that is best for you, without drugs or alcohol.
