A look into what it is and why we are doing it
My first welcome surprise this morning after the start of sober spring was waking up clear minded. Actually, that is somewhat false, as I had gone to bed quite late last night due to studying for finals (yes, I'm an adult college student. No, I don't particularly enjoy it.) and I was pretty tired anyway. My fiancé, Mandy, and my son were already off to work and school by the time I forced myself to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. It was needed.
So, what is Sober Spring?
As I described in my post about how I got my start in observing this yearly challenge, I found that many of the stories I had told myself revolving around my consumption of alcohol were easily re-written. Going without drinking was actually easy, but only if I didn't start.
Sober spring is a time for you to recalibrate your body and your mind to focus on the things that matter in your life while practicing mindful sobriety in the process. Sober Sober Spring begins on the first day spring, and ends on the first day of summer each year. In that time, one is expected to abstain completely from alcohol and to take up one or two new healthy habits that is easy to commit to and helps one fill any perceived void left by not drinking.
Sober spring:
Is a challenge for you to abstain from alcohol
Is also a challenge for you to rediscover some things about yourself, your hobbies, your likes and dislikes, and your family that alcohol tends to rob the time out of
Can be expanded to you personal liking to include abstaining from certain foods or other vices, or even to do more of something you wish you had time for
Begins on the first day of spring and ends on the first day of summer every year.
Three thing I want you to do
If you feel as though this is something you'd be interested in trying, I want you to do a few favors for me to make sure we start off on the right foot.
Tell someone you are doing the challenge! There's a little healthy pressure we place on ourselves when we tell someone we are committing to a challenge like this and you make yourself accountable to your family or friends.
Take it one day at a time. Reflect on what you already have accomplished and go easy on yourself.
If you stumble, don't light the trash can on fire. Instead, start fresh the next day. Sobriety challenges are not easy! Not everyone succeeds the first time through, especially if you've built up some bad habits around your vices. These habits take time to break. If you slip up, just start again the next day. Then, just try to go longer than you did before.
We can do this. Drop me message, check me out on insta, and make sure to swing back in from time-to-time for some awesome updates.