There Will Be Rough Days — How You Handle Them Is What Matters.

Apr 24

Let’s just be real—there will be days when it all feels too heavy. When the weight of healing, of staying sober, of showing up for yourself feels like too much. Maybe the cravings hit harder than usual. Maybe someone said the wrong thing. Maybe you just woke up feeling off, and now everything feels harder than it should be.

And that’s okay.

Bad days are a part of recovery. A part of life, really. What matters isn’t the bad day itself. What matters is how you deal with it.

1. Don’t Hide From It

Pretending everything’s fine when it isn’t only builds pressure. Say it out loud: “Today is hard.” Own it. By acknowledging the struggle, you take the first step toward getting through it. Call a friend. Text your sponsor. Journal. Whatever works for you—but be honest.

2. Lower the Bar Without Lowering the Goal

You don’t have to conquer the world today. You just have to not give up. If your goal was to run errands, go to work, hit the gym, cook a full meal—fine. But if getting out of bed and staying sober is all you’ve got today? That counts. That’s a win.

3. Move Your Body, Even If It’s Just a Little

Take a walk. Stretch. Step outside for five minutes. Movement breaks mental fog. Physical energy resets emotional energy. You don’t need to do much—just remind your body that it’s alive and worth caring for.

4. Give Yourself What You Need, Not What You Crave

Bad days can trigger old behaviors. That quick fix, that numbing agent, that “just this once” thought? That’s the lie. What you really need is rest. Or connection. Or food. Or hydration. Or silence. Get still. Listen. Then give yourself the thing that heals, not the thing that hurts.

5. Remember: One Bad Day Isn’t the End

You’ve survived every hard moment up to this point. You have the scars and the strength to prove it. Don’t let a bad day convince you you’re back at square one. You’re not. Progress isn’t lost just because the road got bumpy.

You are not weak for having bad days. You are human. And every time you choose to get through it instead of give up, you’re proving something powerful to yourself:

You can do hard things.
You can choose healing—even when it hurts.
You’re still on the path.

And tomorrow? That could be one of the good days.

Hold on.

— Alexander Walker

Donald Walker