 Implement daily practices: prayer, devotions, study, gratitude list, reflect, think & ponder.
 Self-care: proper sleep, healthy eating, decrease or eliminate caffeine, increase exercise,
spend time in nature.
 Develop your spirituality: spend time in nature; evaluate what you have learned about God
in the past from parents and others. Investigate for yourself. Learn, read, ask questions,
try out things like going to church, praying, asking others about their spirituality, keep a
journal and record the questions you have and the answers you find.
 Put problems into perspective: think in relation to eternity. Don’t require immediate
solutions or decisions. Give yourself time to think about how the new you wants to do
things.
 Change your self-talk. First examine your thoughts. Write down what you consistently
say to yourself. Are you consistently negative? Are you living pretty fear-based? Do you
practice self-pity?
 Choose what you want to think and believe. Write that down and practice it constantly.
 See this as a Transition Time. Life is not always going to be this way. Major life change
requires time so putting it in perspective by saying this is only for a transition period, will
release some tension.
 Work on your emotional health. Identify how you’ve thought and acted like in the past
and how you want to be different. Get honest wit yourself and seek help.
 Create a “Care Team” that may consist of your physician, therapist, psychiatrist,
significant other, sponsor, and sober friends. Ask for help and allow others into your life.
©2014 Stepping Ahead, Ltd.
www.SteppingAhead.com
612-567-8817
 Writing/Journaling: keeping a daily journal so later you can go back and see the major
changes you’ve made in your thinking and living. When angry, write a letter. Write it as if
you are going to send the letter but don’t actually send it.
 Take action-do something you’ve never done, learn something new.
 When you don’t feel like doing something, DO IT ANYWAY!
 Add music or art to your life. Research shows how significantly music impacts your mind.
Choose to incorporate music into your life on a regular basis.
 Recognize the power of the brain. What we think determines how we act and how we act
determines how we see ourselves. Practice positive self-talk. Practice acting the way you
want to feel until you can feel the way you are acting.
 Honor your body and all it has gone through by taking extra special care of it now. The
practice of treating our body well is an act of self-love which creates positive feelings
about our worth and value.
 Exercise, exercise, exercise. Do it. No matter what, make yourself do it. Get a friend to do
activities with you. Help others by mowing their lawn, raking leaves, shoveling snow, etc.
 Love others. Smile, compliment others, show joy, eliminate complaining, write thank you
notes, be grateful, tell others about your gratitude.
©2014 Stepping Ahead, Ltd.
www.SteppingAhead.com
612-567-8817