Getting High on Recovery

Recovery is not about how much you know, it is about finding yourself again.

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Headlines are exploding.

• Britain is leaving the European Union. (I had to be educated about this Brexit means Britain-Exit)
• There is a gun control sit-in happening in Washington.
• Bathrooms are a war zone.
• Guns seem to be everywhere.

Should you be concerned?

No.

Don’t get me wrong. It is important to know about current events so that we are informed. It is vital to not be a pigheaded bigot towards a person with a different gender identity. It is also important to be intelligent when it comes to our beliefs regarding carrying guns and the safer society. Will arming everyone, regardless of IQ level really make for a safer society?

What you should be concerned with is being yourself. 

Being yourself doesn’t mean burying your head or ignoring issues. What it means is that you know who you are. Because in recovery, what you recover is who you are. You can know a lot of information about current events but you may have no idea about yourself.

And that’s a problem. 

You and I can read all about the latest issues and be very informed. Being informed will not change you.

Knowing information is not what changes you. 

Emotions can change you.

Actions can change you.

Recovery is like having a GPS, a constantly adapting map that brings you to your destination. What is that destination?

Not using? No.

Not drinking? Nope.

Not feeling depressed? You got it, no.

Not feeling anxious? Also, no.

Recovery is not recovering ourselves to an un-using state. If that is what you and I accomplish, then we are not recovered because we have not changed at all.

What you and I recover is ourselves. It is knowing and recovering our values, our beliefs, our interests, and our relationships. It is finding yourself amidst the rubble of lies, hurt, shame, sadness, fear, self-loathing and then moving toward a better future.

So how do you find yourself? I have no clue how you can do it. What you may need is unique to you.

I can suggest some directions to take, but only because they work for me:

• Journal until you find your soul again.
• Exercise without music and just listen to your heartbeat, the sounds of the world and notice whatever comes to mind.
• Volunteer with any cause that is important to you.
• Talk with people who you care about.
• Love, and hug your family again.
• Draw, paint and draw some more.
• Write every day.
• Build playlists of songs that you like to listen to when you are in different moods or frames of mind.
• Meditate. Listen to your breathing. Get used to closing your eyes again.
• Go to family events again. Let yourself be loved.
• Open the closed doors. Disappointed friends and coworkers can become friends again. Never write people off if they have shown themselves to be in your corner.

Recovery is not only about you. It is not a selfish exercise. But it is about finding yourself. All that you have to do is be willing to see the world a little differently.

“Just when you think you know something, you have to look at in another way. Even though it may seem silly or wrong, you must try.”

I write articles about wellness, leadership, parenting and personal growth. My hope is to deliver the best content I can to inspire, to inform and to entertain.

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Please read Orlando, LGBTQ and Mental Illness and Recovery and Happiness.

Keep it Real

Photo by Matthias Uhlig