Have you felt disconnected from your body, your desires, wants and needs in your journey alongside a loved one's addiction/recovery, and how do you reconnect?

self-care
#1

I’ve noticed that enduring my husband’s addiction and recovery journey has often kicked me into ‘positivity coach’ role. I set everything aside to care for him through the darkest days - it was a natural instinct seeing him in so much pain, day-to-day concerns paled in comparison. I was surprised at how quickly those dark days left my consciousness in his first years of recovery.

Now with a few more years on I’m realizing there’s a wide open space I’m soaking into - getting to know myself more again and my body - I realize I’ve felt pretty out of touch.

Interested if this feeling resonates with you all, or anyone out there?
<3

#2

Hey @polly! Great question. :hugs: Wondering if you’ve discovered any new ways to reconnect with your body/desires/wants/needs since you posted last month?

#3

@polly this is a great question. I’ve certainly had times where I have felt disconnected from my body over the past few years due to constantly thinking about my parents’ alcohol issues and my own anxiety. I remember times where I felt like I just didn’t know who I was anymore, or like I was just carrying around this sort of shell of a person. In the past few months since I began really getting back into rowing and yoga, I’ve really been able to reconnect with my body. I’ve noticed that it’s almost become more important to me to work out not just for keeping weight in check/being fit, but to uphold the awareness I have for my body. When I feel this way, I end up feeling so much more coordinated mentally and physically, and am more likely to “flow” as a person. It’s crazy how much our minds and bodies are truly connected, yet people still compartmentalize them into two different things. We have to keep watch on each one, as they both influence each other and can so easily get lost when we’re focused on our loved ones. <3

#4

@polly thank you for bringing this up. yes I have felt that way in the last two months as my partner went through a difficult patch just before going to rehab. I was completely focused on making sure he just made it through the day. I hardly did my yoga, or read or anything I usually enjoy. I am now starting to get back into doing things I like- making time to meditate, read while my partner attends his support meetings, taking a walk, spending time with friends for lunch or dinners. I realize I feel good every time I do so and that it is critical for me to do something to reconnect with myself every day even just for 20 minutes. As someone said to me recently “I have to remember to put my oxygen mask on first”. My ability to support him will be that much stronger if I bolster myself as well.

#5

So so true and well put @keli thank you for sharing!