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Trying to stay sober this holiday?

If your family’s anything like mine, that might be tough.

Ah, yes. The ol’ holiday triggers. Now, some might say I’m still a baby with my sobriety. Sure, I’ve only got four years under my belt. But I’d say I’m doing pretty well for someone who used to look at Valium as not just a crutch – but a social organ she vitally required to survive any sort’ve interaction with fellow species members. And how’d I do it? Just like they say – one second, one breath, one day, one craving, and one calamity – at a time. I listened to people smarter than I am. I did what they did. And, seeing as I did all of that (and got – and stayed – sober) right around the holiday time frame, I’m perfectly equipped to offer a few tips on what got me through during my first clean holiday. And those things’ve continued to serve me to this day.

The first thing I did?

Exercise. When? When I didn’t wanna go to meetings. When my skin felt like it was falling off. When every muscle felt agitated. When the “kicky legs” set in. During any and all’ve that, the elliptical became my best friend. Because I was suffering from a bad back I’d done nothing to help improve (save for popping pharmaceuticals), this low impact cardio was all I could tolerate. But it was perfect. Being able to sweat out the toxins was one reason. The endorphins were another. But, also, I on a psychological level, it also allowed me to feel in control of something when I felt like I’d lost the oars in my life canoe.

(Speaking of oars, rowing’s a great exercise too… Find the right workout for *you*)

And when my head was restless, but my body – not?

That’s when I found yoga and meditation.

Yoga came first. If you’re new to getting clean, you might be able to appreciate why. Ever notice how much simpler it is to move around… than to sit in silence with a not so silent mind? Trying to delve straight away into meditation was downright painful. I’d fidget at the slightest uncomfortable thought, memory, or sensation. That’s why yoga became an ideal segue into it. I’d formerly thought the whole thing was B.S. But, once I gave it a solid try, I came to realize something pretty awesome about my obstinate thoughts – I could make peace with each when they’d arise – in a very physical way. It’s like what that cognitive shaman, Tony Robbins, always says – about how motion generates emotion. The thing is, unlike other forms of activity, yoga helps you focus on facing ‘em down like a warrior – versus running like a li’l bish from them.

So, I did that.

And then, when I’d made peace with them enough to sit with my silent mind, I started doing exactly that. On the regular. Whether it was 5 minutes or 20, I’d take some time each day to just focus, with closed eyes, on nada but my breath. Sounds dumb and easy, right? Right. I thought so, too. But guess what? We’re both wrong. Because evidence based, peer reviewed research shows that both your brain and body can undergo physical (not just woo-woo in-your-belief-system) changes from a simple meditative practice done daily. That’s half of how my back pain began to improve. And it’s 100% of how I came to be able to deal with people and life triggers alike without reminiscing about my pill caddy.

That said, when I did reach for something external, it was in the holistic tea aisle.

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