Getting High on Recovery

It’s there, right beneath the surface. For me. For you.

Stress.

It’s not just in your head. It’s in your body, in your soul, in your relationships, in your work, and it is in your recovery…

“Modern life exposes us to mild-to-moderate, but chronic, stress constantly — multitasking, juggling too many things, moving too quickly, being bombarded with stimulation.” 

Rick Hanson, PhD

We can sit with stress and reality and anxiety and frustration all day. It can stew under the surface at all hours, save when we have moments of distraction and perhaps only moments of sleep.

Our always “on” world of email, text, cell phones, meetings, television, radio can trigger our bodies to respond – and burn precious energy and attention – even when we are not aware. This can create subtle triggers or pressure that can drive decisions to places we don’t want to go. We may dwell on thoughts or emotions or mistakes or setbacks. We may focus on future or past or vacations or situations. We may eat or sleep or do.

And we are not present. To ourselves. To our need to pause.

This week, I received a gift from a podcast that I subscribe to, The One You Feed. Creators of the show, Eric Zimmer and Chris Forbes have developed a short guide, “The Hidden Signs, Symptoms and Impact of Stress in Your Life.” It can help you to be aware of your stress and how you carry hidden stress.

When we carry hidden stress we are more prone to hide:

• We hide parts of ourselves – like fear, anxiety, sadness, hopelessness, conflicts, not sure how to feel hopeless/sad/fearful/uncertain/helpless and also hold onto hope at the same time
• We hide by numbing, distracting and avoiding

Being aware takes time. It means that we allow what is there to be “there” without rushing in to fix it or not feel it. Awareness is a gift that we can give to ourselves.

I invite you today, or this weekend, to download the guide and take a few minutes to be aware.

It may surprise you.

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I welcome you to read a related article of mine – Addiction: A Simple Path

You can sign up for my blog by clicking “Follow Getting High on Recovery.” It won’t cost you anything except a few seconds and in return, I promise I won’t spam you. Also, please vote for my page on Psych Central’s list of mental health blogs.

Keep it Real

Photo by Amy McTigue