Positive Psychology
Name 3 of your strengths
Ex: resilient, caring, intelligent, etc.
List 5 things you're grateful for today
Ex: sobriety, sunshine, warmth, etc.
Name 5 emotions that anger "covers up" or "umbrellas"
Ex: sadness, disappointment, betrayal, hurt, etc.
Name something you do during an argument that you know isn't fair to the other person and yet you do anyways
Ex: "low-blows", yelling, name calling, shutting down, etc.
Relapse starts way before you take that first drug, drink, see that toxic person, or let yourself slip into a crisis state. Explain how your thought pattern might shift from the track of recovery to the path of relapse.
Ex: I stop taking my meds, i unblock my ex on facebook, i don't delete my dealers number, etc.
Name 3 values that are important to you
Ex: Respect, honesty, loyalty, etc.
Reenact the last time you got upset and change the moment in which you could have handled it better.
Roleplay. Keep it appropriate
When are traditionally "negative" emotions a good thing?
When they are true signals to our body and mind. For example, anger can be useful if we are being cornered, attacked or threatened. Anxiety can be useful to signal ourselves of "red flags" or risky situations. Sadness is natural during loss, grief or trauma.
Name 1 or 2 characteristics that hinder you that you are aware of but have not put any "real-work" into bettering. Why do you think you do this?
When you start to feel even an inkling of a negative emotion that could spiral out of control, you should be proactive and not wait until the situation is dire- how do you plan to do that?
Ex: go to a meeting, call a confidant, call a counselor or peer support, go to therapy, journal, surround yourself with people, etc.
Name 3 things that you enjoy doing
Do the 4-7-8. Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds. hold your breath for a count of 7 and exhale for a count of 8
Have the whole room do it.
What is your definition of "Love"?
Open-ended. A discussion can be had if it happens organically.
Name a time when hindsight being 20/20 you now know you were in the wrong but at the time didn't believe that and didn't back down. How could you have handled that differently?
Open-Ended. This is not a moment for beating one's self up, it's for awareness and metacognition purposes
Play the tape through. Imagine you are, for whatever reason, in a situation where use is accessible and tempting. Play the tape all the way through and describe what you believe the immediate and long term consequences would be of using.
Open-Ended.
Open Ended but cut off if any war stories or drug glorification start
List a few coping mechanisms you are ACTUALLY going to apply the next time you are stressed or upset.
Open-ended. No need to lie, if you're not going to use them, don't list them.
What is something you wish you could say to somebody that hurt you?
Open-ended. Keep it appropriate.
We all indulge in some toxic thinking patterns from time to time. What's a few that you go back to over and over again? How can you correct that kind of thinking?
Ex: all-or-nothing, black and white, over generalizing, victimization, "I can do this alone"
Without self-care recovery is not probable to be long lasting. What are some things you can do and steps you can implement in your daily routine that will help you stay centered?
Ex: alone time, reading, treating myself to something small every pay check, letting people know I'm in recovery so they are less likely to tempt me, etc.
Say 3 good things about yourself
Ex: I am __________
If your best friend or loved one were beating themselves up and being hard on them-self (calling themselves names, becoming hopeless and depressed) for a mistake that was simply human, what would you say to make them feel better?
Let them say their piece of what they would say to their friend and then tell them next time they are beating themselves up to remember those words.
Life can be traumatic without things like substance abuse, mental illnesses and traumatic experiences. You may feel down on your luck but you are a warrior of your experiences because you are still here- waking up every day and giving it an honest go. Give yourself some praise.
Open-ended.
Imagine there is a younger version of you standing in front of you. It can be from childhood, adolescence, young adulthood or even a few days ago. What would you say to yourself knowing what you do now?
Open Ended
Relapse is a part of some peoples story. Its not the end of the world and it's not the end of the line. What's important are the steps you take afterwards. In the case that relapse becomes part of your journey what are some things you can immediately do afterwards to get back on the wagon?