Tips for your Sober Toolkit that Might Surprise You
(Sponsored post, because I love this company! Read below for how this partnership was born) A few weeks ago, I felt a deep, all-consuming urge to drink. Everything – I mean everything – that I had worked so hard towards these last 3+ years went out the window and suddenly none of it mattered. My sobriety date, my healthy, my kids… I reverted back to that broken girl on the bathroom floor with nothing to live for with the flip of a switch.
And it startled me. How did I get here? I’ve been working on my sobriety, my mental health, and healing from my pain for years now. I couldn’t believe how quickly it all disappeared.
I did not drink though. Something in the back of my mind – my years of therapy, or my recovery work, perhaps – reminded me that this feeling will pass. I also pulled from the first place I always go when I feel triggered: my toolkit.
My toolkit has everything I need to keep me centered, in touch with my tendencies, and personalized for me and by me. My toolkit says more about me than probably anything I’ve ever written or said. And it’s ever-evolving, just as I am.
Here are my tips for a well-rounded toolkit…
Think about connecting to your five senses: touch, smell, taste, sound and… crap, what’s the last one? Sight! Yes, that’s the one. I have essential oils that make me feel blissful or nostalgic (eucalyptus or lavender are both faves). Gum is a must-have for me. I have binaural beats that I can connect to in an instant on my phone. And I always have a book on standby. Books put me in a very relaxed state of mind. I hear other people find this through knitting or coloring books. Lastly, showers and baths are big for me. I use a facia blaster in the shower on my shoulders and it immediately softens the muscle tension. Also, and this one might surprise you... CBD is also a big part of my recovery, and an important part of my toolkit.
I use CBD to ground and calm me, and even to help me get to sleep when I am feeling especially anxious. I've been using CBD for years, but I started using Exact Nature a few months ago after hearing about it on a podcast. The company was founded by people in recovery and created for people in recovery. Their mission is to support addicts and alcoholics with safe, healthy and effective supplements in their journey in sobriety. CBD is a natural, non-intoxicating or psychoactive hemp derivative and the benefits may include pain-relief, reduced anxiety, improved sleep, and much more. If you have any questions or concerns on CBD, I encourage you to research it for yourself! Exact Nature also put together this list of FAQ’s with links to third party organizations.
My favorite products are the Boost Coffee Stickpacks, which help me focus during the day. I add it to my morning coffee or for an early afternoon boost. I also take the Zzzs CBD Oil to help me drift off and sleep well. After using the products for several months, the owner of the company emailed me to see how I liked the products. He did not know I wrote about sobriety on a blog or social media. He was just checking in on a customer. I was so impressed, first with the products, second with the company's mission and background, and third, with their hands-on approach and customer service, I asked him if we could work together. (Pssst: I got us a discount code - 20% off if you use UMC20)
A sobriety toolkit is a game changer in a sober journey, regardless of how much your drank or how you choose to recover. I reached out to some friends on their best-practices for their sober journey, and they mentioned podcasts (personal favorite is Sober Powered and We Can Do Hard Things), meditation, exercise, and having a playlist with songs that inspire.
Now, tell me… what’s in your toolkit?
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