What Does Recovery Mean to You? Expanding the Definition of Recovery
When many people hear the word recovery, they think of sobriety.
Of abstinence. Of rock bottoms. Of starting over.
But recovery is so much more than that. And it is completely different for everyone (not everyone is in recovery substance use, abstinent, etc).
At SHE RECOVERS, we honor a broad and inclusive definition of recovery — one that makes space for the complexity of your lived experience.
Because the truth is: recovery can begin long before you ever name it. And it often continues long after you think you’re “done.”
Recovery Might Look Like...
Choosing to leave a toxic relationship.
Learning to speak to yourself with kindness.
Reclaiming your voice after trauma.
Letting yourself rest for the first time in years.
Unhooking from perfectionism or hustle culture.
Eating in a way that feels nourishing instead of punishing.
Rebuilding trust with your body.
Saying no when you mean no.
Saying yes to your own joy.
Recovery is any moment you choose presence over unhelpful patterns.
Any moment you say, “I am choosing differently.”
There’s No One Way to Recover
You don’t need to follow a specific path or fit a particular label.
You don’t need to hit a certain milestone or have a dramatic backstory.
If you are healing - from anything - you belong here.
We believe recovery is not a rigid process, but a personal one.
It can be clinical, spiritual, embodied, artistic, messy, sacred — or all of the above.
It can come with therapy and 12 steps.
Or it can come in the form of rituals, movement, breath, poetry, and community.
The point isn’t how you recover —
The point is that you do it in a way that feels true to you.
Journal Prompts for Expanding Your Own Definition of Recovery
Take what resonates, leave what doesn’t:
What does the word recovery mean to me right now?
What am I currently healing from — physically, emotionally, spiritually?
What are some small ways I already practice recovery, even if I don’t call it that?
What beliefs about healing or recovery am I ready to release?
What would it feel like to fully honor my own healing path, without comparison?
Recovery is not about perfection.
It’s about returning — to yourself, to your truth, to what matters.
There is no finish line.
Only the ongoing, sacred act of remembering your holy-ness and wholeness!
You are allowed to define recovery for yourself.
And whatever your version looks like - it is valid.
It is beautiful.
And it is enough.
Honoured to walk alongside you,
Taryn
P.S. If you’re craving deep rest, real connection, and sacred space to continue your healing journey — we still have spots open in our upcoming Sacred Pause Retreats this summer on Salt Spring Island. These are intimate, soul-nourishing gatherings for women in recovery.