Burnout and Sobriety: 5 Simple Self-Care Habits to Prevent Relapse and Feel Better Daily

Burnout has a sneaky way of making sobriety feel harder than it needs to be.

When your nervous system is overwhelmed, everything feels heavier, cravings get louder, patience gets shorter, and your ability to cope without alcohol feels shaky.

In this episode of the Sober Vibes Podcast, I get practical about self-care — not as a luxury, but as a daily recovery tool that keeps your sobriety steady and your relapse prevention plan strong.

If you’ve been feeling off, tired, or stretched thin, this episode will help you reset without overwhelming yourself.

This episode is a RE-RELEASE.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• why burnout makes sobriety feel harder than it actually is
 • how self-care supports relapse prevention and emotional stability
 • five simple self-care pillars you can build using baby steps
 • how habit stacking makes self-care realistic and sustainable
 • Why sleep is one of the most important tools for mental health and sobriety
 • how to regulate anxiety through better rest and routine
 • how to create decompression time without guilt
 • how to set boundaries that protect your sobriety

A Reminder for Your Sobriety Journey

Self-care isn’t extra.

It’s what makes sobriety sustainable.

When you take care of yourself first, everything else tends to run better — your mood, your relationships, your patience, and your ability to stay alcohol-free.

Resources & Support Mentioned:

• Sobriety Circle — ongoing support for women exploring alcohol-free living
• Sober Breakthrough Session — personalized guidance from a sobriety coach
• 1:1 Sober Coaching 
• Free tools for navigating the first 30 days without alcohol
• The After-Emotional Sobriety Program

Gain access to my Masterclass when you submit a review on iTunes. Email me sobervibes@gmail.com with a screenshot of the review, and I will send you the code to unlock my Masterclass for free!

Thank you for tuning in!

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Connect w/ Courtney:
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Transcript

Why Self-Care Comes First

Courtney Andersen 0:31

Hey, welcome to the Sober Vibes podcast. I am your host, Courtney Anderson. I got a good one for you today. We're gonna start prioritizing self-care. I know I feel like the past three, or this one is three, the past, past two. It's we know we need to do this stuff because this day and age, you're on social media, everybody talks about it, gurus, all that. It's not, you really do, especially now more than ever, you have to take care of yourself. And this is something that I just had to relearn over the past, the past, let's just say the past year, okay, of especially too of coming out of getting burnt out and then having to redo the things to make me feel better and where life didn't feel so hard. And that really does come from taking care of yourself. And when you prioritize self-care and start taking care of yourself first, I'm not even talking about not drinking. Okay, I'm just talking about the overall prioritizing the self-care is when you start taking care of yourself first, all areas of your life flourish. It's true story. Uh, things in your relationships get better, things if you are a mom or dad, parenting gets better because it just does not feel so hard. Because you are putting pouring love into yourself, your business gets better, uh, work gets better, many things. You start seeing life a little bit differently. As I said, it doesn't feel so hard and like that you don't want to do it, right? In the midst of life's demands and challenges, taking care of yourself may sometimes fall by the wayside. However, prioritizing self-care is essential for maintaining sobriety and overall well-being. Here are some tips to incorporate self-care into your daily routine. Okay. Again, I don't want you to look at this because I have five and I have notes, so I'm reading off of my notes. This is a little bit different than my shoot from the hip. Okay. But don't feel like you need to do all of these five in one day. If you're like me, we like to baby step this shit. And if you can just start incorporating one in and add it into your routine, and then the number two, number three, four, and five, and so on, right? And it goes back to the habit stacking. So incorporate one thing, make it a part of your day-to-day routine, and then keep on trucking to the next and the next. Why I don't want you to do all five, why I don't think that all at once is because it's too much. And it is really possible to overwhelm yourself and then on day three, just say F it and forget about this. You have heard me say on this podcast before, I have said it in my book. Like, when I quit drinking and then quit smoking cigarettes six weeks later for my sweet Jair Bear RIP. Looking back, I'm like, I should have held quitting smoking cigarettes off because it was a lot. It was a lot, and I was an emotional demon. And so I just wish I would have taken it taken one thing at a time. Now, for some people, you can do it all at once. Some people you can't. I have a feeling majority of listeners to this show cannot do it all at once. And you are a baby stepper like I am. Okay.

Physical Health That Supports Sobriety

Courtney Andersen 3:54

So your physical health. Make sure to prioritize your physical health by exercising regularly, eating more nutrient foods, and getting enough sleep. So this is really like three in one. So again, if you want to take one of these and start doing it and then adding to and all of that, I will tell you exercising, just go for walks every day. Um, eating nourishing foods, you aren't already doing this. And the diet, your diet, I'm not saying like diet to lose weight, but your all overall diet is lacking. Just start incorporating some vegetables to a meal and start there and prioritize that sleep. Prioritize the sleep, man. Shut it down early, get yourself in bed, watch a little TV, and then go night. I last night I went to bed at 8 45. Okay. And I know everybody's at different stages of their life with their sleep, but I really prioritize my sleep now because I have to get up with the little dictator and I'm with him all day long. However, I will say, even before he was born, I prioritized my sleep. And that was something I really worked on when I quit drinking alcohol because I was such on a night schedule that when I quit, I had to immediately go to the nine to five grind. And I was able to get my body back in that group. But it took some time. So it took some time. But that the sleep I can't, I need a solid eight to nine hours because I just I focus better and I perform better of the day when I have enough sleep. If you've ever noticed, too, I will tell you this if you're not getting a lot of sleep, you will induce an anxiety the next day. And if you are a sleeper and notice like some nights where you don't get enough and you feel that anxious feeling, it's because you haven't gotten enough sleep and your body needs it. So sleep, take naps if you need to, okay? But this type of activity is definitely gonna boost your mood, reduce your stress, and improve your overall health. And when we are feeling our best, we usually will make it easier to stay committed to sobriety, emotional well-being.

Joy And Emotional Check-Ins

Courtney Andersen 6:16

This is number two. Take time to check in with your emotions and practice self-compassion and engage in activities that bring you joy, whether it's spending time with your loved ones, pursuing hobbies, or practicing relaxation techniques like mindfulness or deep breathing. Definitely try to do one of these things, okay? Breath work, meditation, crafting, reading books. You gotta do something that is gonna bring you joy and make you feel good. If shopping makes you feel good, do more of it, right? If baking makes you feel good, bake the cookies, have fun with it. But it's just something for you and to keep your mind, to keep your soul right. And again, things that bring you joy. This past year, I'm telling you, I have I have found a newfound joy in checking, going to the library. Okay, and again, this is where I'm at in my life, but it it was with the overall coming out of a burnout, but but checking books out of the library and just going to the library and just walking up and down both aisles, looking at books. And it brought me back to my childhood years of enjoying being at the library, and it was fun to check out books and not bring more junk into my house of buying and consuming like that. So I have found a great deal of joy at the library and checking books out, reading them, taking them back, and learning about other people's lives. Cause I took a pause on personal development books and I'm just reading about people's lives. Okay. Also, two, I have to say another thing that I need to do for number two now. And I just want to share this with you. Because in case you need to do it to protect your energy. After I put the little dictator down for his nap, I go and lay in my bed for 30 minutes. And I don't do anything other than just stare up at the ceiling and decompress because it's such high energy. It's a high level of demand. And I need to decompress because I also to get, if you're mom, you understand this of getting, you don't want to be touched, you just want to be left alone, you need to decompress. So this could be the same thing if you need to take that car ride home and decompress in your home, or just go home and ask for a minute of time. It's fine to ask for 20 minutes to yourself and just to go into your bedroom or the bathroom and just sit there for a minute, okay? And decompress. Ask for that time because it is much needed. And take a couple breaths, decompress, and go on for the day. And usually that type of alone time is going to recharge you, re-energize you. It's also going to protect your energy and your mental, and it will recharge you to be able to move forward.

Boundaries That Protect Recovery

Courtney Andersen 9:10

Number three, boundaries. Establish healthy boundaries to protect your sobriety and well-being. Learn to say no to activities or situations that may jeopardize your recovery and surround yourself with the supportive individuals who respect your boundaries and your journey. If you have people around you that are not respecting your sobriety, then you are going to have to look at that relationship and figure out where you want that in your life. Because what's number one important to you right now for this sober tip Tuesday is always you going to continue your sober path. But there's just no room for haters in your life in this new life you're trying to live. There's no room for it. Because what happens is when you start getting healthier, which everybody does, once they get the clarity after drinking alcohol, what happens is you don't have time for the bullshit and the bullshit people, because there are bullshit people out there that you just outgrow and you're not on the same wavelength as them, and they don't want good for you. And it's just time to reevaluate that relationship.

Asking For Help And Community

Courtney Andersen 10:18

Number four, seeking support. Don't hesitate to seek support when you need it, whether talking to a trusted friend, attending support group meetings, or seeking professional help. Reaching out for support is powerful and it's an act of self-care. Support is going to be your best friend in this road of sobriety. Even if you have one person in your corner cheering you on. If you do not have, that's where I strongly suggest you try in-person support groups or online support groups. That way you have a network of people to tap into when you need that support. I have an online community, the sobriety circle. I will link it down in the show notes. Come and join. All of the information is down there, but there's options out there for you. Don't back yourself into a corner where it's, I don't have anybody when you can try to be connected, even if it's just virtually, with people who understand it. Number five, mindfulness and reflection.

Mindfulness Plus Self-Care Is Not Selfish

Courtney Andersen 11:27

Practice self-reflection and mindfulness to stay connected to your goals and values. Journaling, again, meditation, a quiet reflection can help you gain insight into your thoughts and emotions, fostering more self-awareness and growth. Okay. Again, when I said for number five, that's like the same thing of me like decompressing after I put the little dictator down and just for myself to breathe it out and know that it's okay to feel that way. Because for a long time I fought it where I'm like, I should be doing this, I should be doing that, especially as a new mom, not understanding all of this, and thinking that, thinking that you can almost do it all. I I really don't think, I don't think, and this might be an unpopular opinion, but I just don't think that women can do it all at once. I think you can do it all at different points of your life, right? Currently, right now, I'm in my toddler mother era. And that meant that a lot of other stuff had to take the backseat because you only can focus on so much. Anyways, that's a different topic for a different day. But journaling is helps to the meditation and like I said, the quiet reflection. It will all help you gain more mindfulness and to listen to your body and know what you need at that time. Okay. I will leave you at this, and I want to keep reminding you that self-care isn't selfish. And especially if you're in those early days of recovery, those early couple years, you because for so long you were told selfish in your active addiction, and then you get on this other side and you get into sobriety and you're like, okay, well, I need to do this to maintain this shit, right? And then you start getting told that you are selfish because you need to do this, right? I totally believe we've all gone through this. Majority of us, 90% of us have. But the reality is for you to be at your best, continue for long-term sobriety, continue for the healthy life you're looking for, you have to prioritize your needs first. That's what I'm saying. Even getting into that house and being like, I just need 20 minutes and I will be down in 20 minutes. Saying that, it's putting yourself first to go breathe, to go scream in a pillow, to go do what you need to do, to recollect, and then carry on with the rest of the day. It's not selfish. It's something that we need to do more of. Okay.

Subscribe Review Rate And Close

Courtney Andersen 14:05

I hope this Sober Tip Tuesday helped. As always, make sure that you have subscribed, reviewed, and rated the podcast so you never miss an episode. And as always, keep on trucking.