How Household Projects Aid Addiction Recovery
Working on and completing household projects play an essential role in your recovery journey. By performing certain duties and obligations on your living space, you build structure and confidence within that is necessary to face challenges that threaten substance use. They not only better the home, but they also prepare you for other challenges and realities that come with life. Let’s take a closer look at how finishing household projects can aid your addiction recovery.
Building Stuff Builds Life Structure
If you struggle with a substance use disorder, certain aspects of your life might have become unmanageable. However, recovery provides you with the opportunity to rebuild the structure within your life. Therefore, building or repairing items around the house not only encourages structure but cultivates good habits that can transcend into your personal and professional life. Examples of building or repairing household items include:
- Hanging shelves
- Painting
- Cleaning gutters
- Clipping grass
- Building or restoring furniture
Overcome the Demands of the Everyday
Participating in household projects will help you develop the problem-solving skills necessary for every day. They also develop good habits that you can use in other areas of your life to maintain structure and help prepare you for the little demands of everyday life. In the context of being a homeowner or even a renter, you might experience a leaky faucet, a toilet that runs, or wasp nests that form on your house or apartment.
Being able to handle these on your own not only boosts your confidence, but you become self-sufficient, both of which are crucial for successful recovery. When you build a structure that embraces challenges, you are embracing the essence of life and recovery.
Teaches Responsibility and Accountability
Returning to a sense of obligation and accountability is essential for growth and recovery. Completing household projects provides an opportunity to practice responsibility. Taking ownership of household projects and the daily mishaps or obstacles that can occur within your living space can also help you gain a sense of self-respect.
Gaining this sense of responsibility and accountability can restore a sense of direction, and you might discover that your skills can help another. For example, you can help a friend or family member work on a household project. It not only enables you to strengthen your trust and bond with this person, but helping someone in this way can provide a great sense of purpose.
Build Leadership Skills
A major aspect of the recovery process is developing leadership skills that help you work both independently and with others to maintain success. Accomplishing household projects help build leadership skills. Not only do household projects require hard work, but some might also need constant maintenance. Whether mowing the lawn once a week, shoveling snow, installing new windows, or remodeling rooms, there is likely always a project to work on. So much of being a successful leader in your life requires grit, determination, and the motivation to continue doing something simply because it’s essential to do, rather than for obtaining a reward.
Additionally, household projects develop leadership skills because it is inevitable that you will need to overcome setbacks and challenges, much like recovery. Each new project is a learning experience that will expose areas where your knowledge might be limited and accentuate areas where you excel.
When you are persistent, you begin to develop and refine skills, and over time, you are capable of handling a large array of projects. For example, you might want to build furniture; while this can be a great way to use your time creatively, you might not be able to build what you want immediately. Before making shelves, or tables you might start with more manageable or realistic things such as repairing various items. It will show you how things go together and what tools repair them.
Helps Your Community
Sometimes working on projects involves more time and effort. If you are taking on a large build or renovation, it is likely that you will need help from others. Working on projects helps you develop team-building skills necessary for accomplishing the projects, and it also helps you develop trust within your relationships.
Accomplishing tasks with others can encourage you to take the focus off your needs and start getting involved with more community acts. You may also find local events where you can put your skills to good use or donate some of your builds back into the community. When you begin to give back, you are participating in perhaps the greatest reward that recovery has to offer.
Household projects don’t need to be something you stress over. They can be critical learning experiences that help you embark on creative endeavors that promote a sense of purpose and motivation. Simply put, household projects can aid you in your journey. If you are currently struggling to manage your sobriety, then the time to seek help is now. At Choice House, we offer a safe and secure place for men to explore and expand upon their abilities to develop healthy skills necessary for recovery. We also provide treatments and therapies that are grounded in team building, such as outdoor therapy. Such therapies offer real-world challenges that will prepare you to become more resilient to life’s curveballs. The professionals and peers you meet here will help you create a strong support network around you; therefore, you will always have help when difficult times occur. To find out more, contact Choice House today by calling (720) 577-4422.