According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 72.1% (or 50.2 million) of people consider themselves to be in recovery from substance use disorder (SUD) and or mental health disorders. Recovery can feel both daunting and thrilling in its nature as a dynamic process of change. Change itself is inherently frightening, but recovery is more than change; it is an agent for personal growth and development. Despite the peaks and valleys of recovery and life itself, the progress of healing is made possible by a multitude of factors, including resilience. Thus, understanding resilience in recovery is an invaluable tool for finding joy and understanding at the peaks and the strength to weather the storms in the valleys.
At Driftwood Recovery, we know change is both positive and possible. The fear of change is born out of the uncertainty of the unknown, but belief in positive change is often built in resilience. Through the building of resilience in recovery, you are reminded of your strength, courage, and capacity for change. However, fostering resilience in recovery does not start and stop with treatment. Recovery and the fostering of resilience in recovery is a lifelong journey of self-discovery and growth.
As a result, we are dedicated to cultivating an environment built on the power of resilience in connection. With a greater understanding of resilience in recovery, you can effectively engage it for strength in your daily life.
What Is Resilience?
As noted in “Resilience” from the American Psychological Association (APA), resilience is the ability to successfully adapt to and bounce back from difficult or challenging life experiences. Through resilience, a capacity for mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility to external and internal demands can be observed. Further, resilience is not devoid of stress or negative thoughts and feelings. Rather, resilience is both a natural and learned way of thinking for positive reinforcement to weather the ups and downs of life and move forward in growth rather than fear. Yet, where does resilience come from? How is resilience formed or built?
Several factors can contribute to your resilience to adverse experiences. As stated in World Psychiatry, attachment and sociality are important factors in the plasticity of resilience. Through attachment and sociality, you develop the capacity to effectively contribute meaning to adversity cultural and spiritual systems in your life. Thus, resilience is the way you view and engage with the world, the availability and quality of social resources throughout your life, and the access to adaptive coping strategies. Understanding the adaptive and socio-cultural attachment of resilience can further highlight the facilitators and, thus, the benefits of resilience in recovery.
Facilitators for Resilience in Recovery
It is well-known that resilience can support you through adverse experiences. Yet, what does it mean to be resilient to adversity? What does it mean to have resilience in recovery? Resilience is foundational to positive mental health and adaptive coping skills. Thus, resilience must encompass various aspects of health, including physical and psychological health.
From a health perspective, resilience is multi-dimensional. Each type of resilience helps you cope with different forms of stress:
- Mental
- Ability to adapt to the uncertainty of change
- Flexibility
- Problem-solving
- Hope
- Ability to adapt to the uncertainty of change
- Emotional
- Ability to regulate your emotions in times of stress
- Self-awareness
- Self-understanding
- Optimism
- Ability to regulate your emotions in times of stress
- Physical
- Ability to respond to change and recover from physical demands, sickness, and injuries
- Healthy choices
- Physical activity
- Sleep routine
- Nutritious food
- Healthy choices
- Ability to respond to change and recover from physical demands, sickness, and injuries
- Social
- Ability to connect with others and work together to overcome challenges
- Social support
- Building a sense of community
- Ability to connect with others and work together to overcome challenges
Looking at the different types of resilience speaks to the various factors that promote resilience. Listed below are some of the facilitators that support resilience in recovery:
- Communication skills
- High emotional intelligence
- Self-esteem
- Self-worth
- Self-efficacy
- Optimism
- Positive reframing
- Active coping
- Humor
- Perceived social support
Many of the facilitators of resilience in recovery stem from personality traits, upbringing, culture, and other learned behaviors. Thus, resilience’s ability to be learned throughout life also highlights the possibility of erosion as well.
Factors that Impede Resilience in Recovery
Despite resilience’s association with adaptability to adversity, it is the impact of adversity that can erode resilience. Listed below are some of the adverse experiences that can contribute to the erosion of your resilience:
- Chronic health issues
- Financial instability
- Job loss
- Separation or divorce
- Loss of a loved one
Exposure to traumatic experiences can increase your risk for traumatic stress, burnout, and negative thinking. Fear of uncertainty, defensive coping, and a lack of social support also contribute to poor resilience. Together, poor resilience and other factors like stress, negative thinking, and a lack of social support can increase your risk for SUD and other mental health disorders.
Understanding Resilience and Addiction
The erosion of resilience at the hands of traumatic stress and other adverse experiences is often the root of addiction. As noted in the World Journal of Psychiatry, stressful experiences have a profound impact on the brain that increases your risk for SUD. Profound stress early in life is harmful to functions like cognitive processing and your physiological stress response. Yet, erosion does not equal a complete loss, as resilience can be learned and utilized as a moderating factor for sobriety and resilience in recovery. Expanding your awareness and access to tools to build resilience can be instrumental in maintaining your recovery.
Ways to Build Resilience in Recovery at Driftwood Recovery
Some of the valuable practices and resources that can support building resilience in recovery include:
- Meditation
- Positive thinking
- Reframing the situation
- Self-care
- Strong support network
- Spending time with loved ones
- Volunteering
- Sober community events
At Driftwood Recovery, we understand the value of meaningful connection for sustained recovery. Therefore, we are dedicated to providing comprehensive alumni services and resources to help you thrive. With support, you can build skills to manage life stressors and unexpected crises. Through an active alumni program, you are given the guidance, accountability, and support to learn and heal together.
Resilience is an important part of your mental health and overall well-being. With resilience, you can adapt to and bounce back from adverse experiences. Various factors help facilitate resilience, such as adaptive coping, hope, self-awareness, self-care, and social support. However, resilience can be eroded by traumatic experiences, stress, negative thinking, and poor social support. The erosion of resilience can increase your risk for SUD and other mental health disorders. Yet, resilience in recovery is possible with access to support resources and practice. Some valuable tools for building resilience include positive reframing, self-care, meditation, and developing a strong support network. Therefore, at Driftwood Recovery, we are dedicated to providing connection-driven alumni services and resources for sustained recovery. Call (512) 759-8330 today.