Getting through the Wall
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 2
Getting through the Wall
Hi,
I am in early recovery (day 77) and I feel that over the past few weeks I have hit the wall. I am tired a lot of time time and am not motivated to do a lot. I don't know if I am happy or sad, but I am definitely feeling emotions a lot more than I used to.
What I was wondering is, if there are any good ways of helping to cope with this. My life was slowly coming together, but I am unmotivated to work or look for work at the moment, and I really need to, so I can pay bills and keep my apartment. I'm was doing odd jobs a few weeks ago and did not have difficulty lining them up and this kept me in the green. I have pretty much stopped doing this over the past week and have to push myself to leave the house. I have noticed the below changes, and would be very grateful if anyone can give me some guidance to help me push through this stage. I am doing obvious things I shouldn't but I just cant seem to make myself keep my good habits.
1. I used to exercise more regularly. My exercise is reduced by 75%, I cant motivate myself to go running.
2. I spend all my time procrastinating. I spent an hour lying in bed deciding if I would purchase or make coffee
3.I'm not focused on job hunting, and I was a few weeks ago. I procrastinate about evening thinking about it.
4. My diet is not as good as it was a few weeks ago. I am eating more sugar, less veg and drinking less water.
3. I still attend meetings regularly. Some days I go to 2 meetings.
Thanks
I am in early recovery (day 77) and I feel that over the past few weeks I have hit the wall. I am tired a lot of time time and am not motivated to do a lot. I don't know if I am happy or sad, but I am definitely feeling emotions a lot more than I used to.
What I was wondering is, if there are any good ways of helping to cope with this. My life was slowly coming together, but I am unmotivated to work or look for work at the moment, and I really need to, so I can pay bills and keep my apartment. I'm was doing odd jobs a few weeks ago and did not have difficulty lining them up and this kept me in the green. I have pretty much stopped doing this over the past week and have to push myself to leave the house. I have noticed the below changes, and would be very grateful if anyone can give me some guidance to help me push through this stage. I am doing obvious things I shouldn't but I just cant seem to make myself keep my good habits.
1. I used to exercise more regularly. My exercise is reduced by 75%, I cant motivate myself to go running.
2. I spend all my time procrastinating. I spent an hour lying in bed deciding if I would purchase or make coffee
3.I'm not focused on job hunting, and I was a few weeks ago. I procrastinate about evening thinking about it.
4. My diet is not as good as it was a few weeks ago. I am eating more sugar, less veg and drinking less water.
3. I still attend meetings regularly. Some days I go to 2 meetings.
Thanks
Administrator
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Dancing in the Light
Posts: 61,469
Hi and Welcome,
I do remember not knowing if I was happy or sad in the early days. I found that deciphering and managing emotions was new to me.
I do think you should cut yourself some slack. You have achieved 77 days of sobriety and that's a great thing. But, I understand you being concerned about your lack of motivation. What worked for me was making lists. I would list things I wanted/needed to do in a week and I would make sure I could cross off one or two things each day. Doing that, helped me to appreciate that I was moving forward. As you said, job hunting is very important right now, so make a plan to rework your resume, to apply to online jobs each day, to make calls to places where you've applied.
You may be in a slump at the moment, but you don't have to remain there.
I do remember not knowing if I was happy or sad in the early days. I found that deciphering and managing emotions was new to me.
I do think you should cut yourself some slack. You have achieved 77 days of sobriety and that's a great thing. But, I understand you being concerned about your lack of motivation. What worked for me was making lists. I would list things I wanted/needed to do in a week and I would make sure I could cross off one or two things each day. Doing that, helped me to appreciate that I was moving forward. As you said, job hunting is very important right now, so make a plan to rework your resume, to apply to online jobs each day, to make calls to places where you've applied.
You may be in a slump at the moment, but you don't have to remain there.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: here, now.
Posts: 1,236
wow I really relate to this.
I'm only at 102 days, so my advice isn't much, but I did have this recently.
I really got a lot from reading Sarah Hepola's book, "Blackout" and especially her description of getting sober, no matter what. Same with "Dry" by Augusten Burroughs.
Recently I was eating like crap, not getting out the door to work, not exercising.
1. It's no reason to drink. Drinking will not help this problem.
2. In my case, there's a lot of feelings happening. I'm getting sober, figuring out who I actually am. I feel like part of that is being in a cocoon.
3. When I realized that I really had to put the nose to the grind at work, I did and I killed it. Knocked it out of the park. In a way I never could have while drinking. The feelings behind the lack of motivation/paralysis/depression that was going on, just kicked into gear.
I'm being nice to myself right now. It's hard because I had this vision of a new, skinnier, obviously healthier, wildly successful person I would be sober... but I'm just me, working through my stuff, bit by bit, day by day. It's much better than where I was though.
I'm only at 102 days, so my advice isn't much, but I did have this recently.
I really got a lot from reading Sarah Hepola's book, "Blackout" and especially her description of getting sober, no matter what. Same with "Dry" by Augusten Burroughs.
Recently I was eating like crap, not getting out the door to work, not exercising.
1. It's no reason to drink. Drinking will not help this problem.
2. In my case, there's a lot of feelings happening. I'm getting sober, figuring out who I actually am. I feel like part of that is being in a cocoon.
3. When I realized that I really had to put the nose to the grind at work, I did and I killed it. Knocked it out of the park. In a way I never could have while drinking. The feelings behind the lack of motivation/paralysis/depression that was going on, just kicked into gear.
I'm being nice to myself right now. It's hard because I had this vision of a new, skinnier, obviously healthier, wildly successful person I would be sober... but I'm just me, working through my stuff, bit by bit, day by day. It's much better than where I was though.
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