Setting Healthy Boundaries with Technology During Recovery

Recovery is a lifelong process, and a continuous struggle to fight temptations. The digital world has tools that can help you, but it can also be a source of stress and triggers for relapse. That’s why it’s important to set boundaries with technology so that you can stay on a healthy path.

Why Technology Boundaries Are Necessary

Boundaries in general are critical to recovery. You have to stay away from people, places, and situations that you associate with substance use to avoid temptation. Setting those boundaries can give you a sense of safety, but also of control over your life which can build your confidence.

In the digital world, however, it can be more difficult to set boundaries. Social media is often full of content that references drinking or drug use, and even on other non-social platforms, alcohol is often advertised. Being exposed to this content can lead to temptations that can threaten your sobriety.

Too much social media time can also cause undo stress. People tend to put their best foot forward online, making it look like their lives are perfect. This can lead to making unhealthy comparisons between yourself and your online friends, which can affect your self-esteem. This can put a crack in your confidence and negatively impact your mental health.

How to Set Technology Boundaries

Setting technology boundaries starts with one simple strategy. Set a limit on how much time you spend online unless you’re on a site or app that is related to recovery. You can put it on your daily schedule, such as giving yourself 30 minutes to browse after dinner.

Second, if you’re online and you see something that triggers you, unplug immediately and do something healthy to distract yourself, such as taking a walk.

Third, when you’re on social media, take all posts with a grain of salt. In reality, people’s lives are not as perfect as they may seem online. Don’t make comparisons to your life because everyone has problems and challenges.

Finally, be sure to incorporate healthy habits into the rest of your day. In recovery, you should have certain activities that help you stay on track, such as exercise, healthy hobbies, therapy, or support group meetings. These activities should be your top priority. Don’t let too much online time affect your focus on recovery.

Warning Signs to Watch For

It’s important to be self-aware during recovery, and to recognize signs that you need to alter your strategies when it comes to digital boundaries. Signs may include:

• Stress or frustration after being online
• Loneliness
• Lowered confidence
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Low mood in general
• Increased cravings

If you start to experience any of these signs, it’s time to reassess your boundaries, and your overall recovery strategy. Perhaps you need to reduce or even eliminate your online time, or increase your healthy activities, such as going to support group meetings.

Consider other boundaries that you’ve set as well, such as relationship boundaries. If you can determine what is negatively impacting your mental health, you can adjust your boundaries or strategies to get back on track.

Health Technology Tools

Of course, technology in recovery is not all bad. Many technology tools can actually help you with your recovery.

Telehealth

Telehealth, or virtual therapy appointments, is now offered by many treatment centers and mental health providers. It’s often available for intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) and individual therapy sessions. This makes treatment accessible if you don’t live near a provider or can’t attend in-person treatment for other reasons.

Even group therapy can be virtual, so you can get all the benefits of outpatient treatment programs without leaving your home.

Online Support Groups

Many support groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and SMART Recovery, now offer virtual meetings, as well as online communities where those in recovery can interact with peers at any time of day. For example, if you’re having challenges late at night, you can go to the virtual community to find support immediately.

These online options make support more accessible to anyone, because you can access them anywhere, anytime using just your smartphone.

Mobile Apps

Many mobile apps are available to help you track your sobriety, find relapse prevention tips, and locate nearby or virtual support. With some apps, you can even build your own personalized recovery plan and get daily reminders of your relapse prevention strategies and activities.

Setting Other Boundaries

Other types of boundaries are also very important in recovery.

Physical Boundaries

As discussed, it’s important to stay away from people, places, and situations that you associate with substance use. It’s also important to protect your personal space. If you live with others, they need to respect the boundaries that you set, such as not having alcohol in the house, not drinking around you, and not invading your personal space in the home (i.e. your bedroom).

Time Boundaries

How you use your time in recovery is very important. Your priorities should be your recovery activities, such as attending therapy or support group meetings. That might mean saying no when others ask for your time. It’s important to communicate to the people in your life that your recovery activities have to come first.

Emotional Boundaries

Having emotional boundaries means understanding that your emotions are yours, separate from those of others, and that another person’s emotions are not your responsibility. In recovery, that means that you need to communicate to others how they are making you feel, and what you need from them (or don’t need). It may also mean separating yourself from conversations or situations that are negatively affecting your emotions.

At the extreme, if you have a relationship with someone who does not respect your emotional boundaries, you may have to end the relationship. Your recovery may depend on it.

In Closing

While there are many technology tools that can be helpful in recovery, other online activity may have negative effects, so it’s important to set technology boundaries. Other boundaries are extremely important as well. Your recovery should be your focus.

If you find yourself struggling with boundaries in recovery, Bridges of Hope is here to help with resources and support. Give us a call today so that you can stay on the path to a healthier and more fulfilling life.