How Perception Can Supercharge Your Recovery

Both internal and external things can contribute to stress and depression; however, it is vital to recognize how our perception and overall mindset can impact our mental well-being. With regard to perception, what’s most significant is the way that we perceive ourselves and the things happening in our lives. The great news is we can learn to manage the lens through which we see our lives.

WHAT IS PERCEPTION?

Perception is the way people experience their world and their interpretation of their environment and experiences. What we perceive is only partially determined by sensory input, it is also affected by our own energy levels, physical abilities, moods, social selves, and past experiences. The brain then arranges the sensory input into an organized representation of the experience that we can understand and quickly process. Understanding how we perceive ourselves, situations around us, and create meaning out of those perceptions helps us with navigating and interpreting our internal and external world more effectively.

HOW DOES PERCEPTION SHAPE OUR REALITY?

Beliefs about ourselves and the world around us are formed from our experiences, starting in childhood. These core beliefs continue to be expanded over our lifetime. One significant way we cultivate our perceptions of ourselves is by interpreting and internalizing the reactions we receive from others. How we perceive ourselves is based, in part, on how we think others perceive us and the roles we play in their lives. We also can perceive and react to the situations happening around us either positively or negatively based on those internal maps that have been created.

HOW DOES PERCEPTION AFFECT YOUR RECOVERY?

Perception impacts life in many ways. Addiction is a disease that impacts a person’s brain and behavior and can negatively impact how we interpret our world. It’s also been referred to as a disease of perception that flourishes on inconsistencies, untrue expectations, and misinterpretations. Understanding how we perceive ourselves and the situations around us allows us to respond differently and utilize the skills that we’ve learned in recovery. In order to maintain long-term recovery, it is crucial we preserve hope and a positive mindset that we will succeed.

WHY IS A POSITIVE MINDSET GOOD FOR RECOVERY?

Adopting a positive mindset can be beneficial to recovery and overall growth. Maintaining positivity can affect your self-worth and your perception that you will be able to maintain long-term recovery. A growth mindset is the belief one can progress with intentional development and effort. You might now know how to do something… but you punctuate the thought with word “yet.” Just because you don’t know it, doesn’t mean that will always be the case. This is the same for recovery, we take it one day at a time and grow more comfortable in our recovery and sobriety. As this happens, the perceptions of ourselves and the world around us begin to shift.

HOW DOES UNDERSTANDING OUR PERCEPTIONS AND HOW THEY AFFECT US HELP?

Understanding how we perceive situations enables us to:

• Reduce stress and anxiety
• Cultivate a healthier outlook on our lives
• Use less harsh judgement and feelings and emphasizes facts
• See an issue or challenge from other angles
• Improve our decision-making
• Evaluate the implication of something
• Keep worries or thoughts in proportion to their potential impact
• React sensibly and caringly as opposed to rashly
• Be unbiassed and impartial
• Improved self-awareness

Perception of ourselves and our experiences in part, impacts how someone in recovery manages the inevitable ups and downs that come with addiction. Fostering a positive mindset, openly seeking support, and challenging yourself to grow can all be things that contribute to a more authentic perception and to long-term recovery.

WHY SANTÉ FOR THOSE WHO WANT LONG-TERM RECOVERY?

Santé Center for Healing provides integrity-driven, evidence-based, and personalized long-term recovery customized for those suffering from substance use disorders, mental health, trauma, problematic sexual behavior, co-occurring disordered eating and other compulsive behaviors. Founded in 1996, Santé’s mission is to provide long-term recovery because left untreated, addiction is a fatal disease.

 

Photo: Racool_studio

 

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