Guidelines for Your First Days in Recovery

Starting your recovery journey is a brave and powerful decision. The first few days can be challenging. However, you can build a strong foundation for lasting change with the right steps. On the Dao Life Lunar Calendar, a few “fresh start” days exist. These days make it easier to drop bad habits. You can find them on Day 5, 16, or 27. Here are some key guidelines to help you accomplish your goals during this critical time:

Get Clear About Exactly What You’re Doing: Write it down. Light the candle, say the prayers, list the reasons, make the vow. Burn something. Carry a quartz crystal.

Without your mental effort, nothing will change. Every material object on this plane began in the mind. Remove the mind, and everything ceases to exist. This is a mental game. You are mentally breaking up with past behavior that no longer serves you. You are the one changing, and initially, you’ll be the only thing different. You’ll be acting oddly to others and feeling strange and weird to yourself. The journey is called the Weirdo Train to Elsewhere for a reason. lol.

1. Seek Support: Surround yourself with a supportive community. Whether it’s friends, family, or a recovery group, having others to lean on makes all the difference.
2. Take It One Day at a Time: Focus on the present moment. Recovery is a day to day journey, not a final destination. Celebrate small victories and be gentle with yourself.
3. Stay Hydrated and Nourished: Your body is healing—drink plenty of water, eat nutritious meals, and get plenty of rest. Supplement the B vitamins and consider a Liver Detox.
4. Avoid Triggers: Identify situations or people that may tempt you to relapse and set some boundaries. Be busy, be out of town, be working late, be anything but available. Being able to say no is an important step toward change. Create a safe and supportive environment for yourself. That’s a YOU thing. No one is doing it for you.
5. Stay Busy: Engage in activities that bring you joy and keep your mind occupied. Whether it’s exercise, reading, art, dancing, music, comedy or a new hobby, staying busy helps keep cravings at bay.
6. Connect with a Sponsor or Mentor: Having someone who has walked this path before can provide invaluable guidance and encouragement. Reach out. They really want to help you.
7. Be Kind to Yourself: Recovery is not about perfection; it’s about progress. Be patient and compassionate with yourself. Release your expectations about what it’s going to be. These journey’s take their own turns in their own times. Some days, we will have to float in trust. We need to trust that the larger universal cycles benevolently align with our highest good. We aren’t going to be able to control everything. And that’s Ok. Continuing the old patterns is what’s not ok, and you have everything you need to make the change. Sit back. Breathe. Enjoy the shit show out the window of the Weirdo Train to Elsewhere! You’re gonna love who you become again. You got this.

Remember, every day is a new opportunity to grow stronger and more resilient. You’ve taken the first step—keep moving forward, one day at a time. 💪💚

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