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The Danger of Judging Ourselves

When struggling with addiction, one of the most common emotional pitfalls we can find ourselves falling into is internalizing and absorbing society’s judgment of addiction and addicts and turning that judgment onto ourselves. We start to believe the things we hear – that addiction is not a real thing, that addicts are bad people and criminals, that we use our addiction as an excuse for bad behavior. We start to judge ourselves and think about ourselves disparagingly. Why is this self-judgment so dangerous?

When we are working towards recovery, we need all the support we can get. We need all the inner resources and strength we can muster. Self-judgment depletes our inner strength, our confidence and our sense of self. We start to believe that we can’t recover and that we’re doomed to a life of active addiction. We knock ourselves down rather than building ourselves up. Our self-talk becomes cruel. The voice we’re listening to all day every day is full of self-hatred. We’re up against not only the force of our addiction but our own self-disparagement as well. We deny ourselves of hope, optimism and positivity. Our energy becomes full of negativity and cynicism.

When we judge ourselves harshly, we’re more likely to relapse because we’re not giving ourselves our own support and encouragement. We’re putting ourselves down. Our negative energy taints everything we do, from the habits we perpetuate to the relationships we choose. We’re manifesting with an energy of pessimism which brings about the circumstances we don’t want rather than the ones we do. We give up on ourselves. We lose faith in ourselves. We stop believing in our ability to heal ourselves. Self-judgement can be the catalyst for our self-destructiveness. Feeling bad about ourselves can be the reason we self-harm.

When we find ourselves judging ourselves, we can make the conscious choice to turn that judgment around and choose compassion instead. Ask yourself, would you be so judgmental of someone else, someone who was struggling with depression and emotional pain, or a physical illness? Addiction is just as debilitating and destructive, and those struggling with it deserve to be understood and embraced rather than judged and rejected. You are no different. You are battling a tremendously painful illness, and just because it can operate invisibly and be less easily recognizable than other illnesses, doesn’t mean it is any less difficult. Choose to be kind to yourself. Surround yourself with people who understand addiction. Be in community with other people in recovery. Self-judgment is dangerous. Let’s work to eradicate this judgment in ourselves so that we can empower ourselves to heal.

The staff at Enlightened Recovery has a combined 45+ years invested in our personal recoveries, and we have assisted in the restoration of countless lives. We can help you too. Call us at (833) 801-LIVE today.

Creating a Relapse Prevention Plan

When we are in recovery, we soon discover that the challenges of addiction don’t disappear overnight. We still face the same addictive urges and temptations. We still live with the stress and overwhelm that drove us to our addictions. One of the best ways we can maintain our sobriety is create a relapse prevention plan. When we are hit with urges, our instinct is often to respond with frustration, resistance and panic, which can make us more likely to run to our addictions to escape the painful emotions we’re feeling. Creating a relapse prevention plan for ourselves provides us with a useful and effective tool we can keep with us moving forward, to help keep us on track with our sobriety.

1. Create a Routine

One of the greatest threats to our sobriety is a lack of routine. If we are on vacation, are not working or in school, or don’t have another outlet for our time and energy, we are more likely to find ourselves swayed by the temptation of our addictions. Create a routine for yourself full of things you enjoy, healthy activities, and productive ways to spend your time. Make attending meetings, going to therapy and working with your sponsor part of this routine. Give your energy to keeping this routine and make it a commitment for yourself.

2. Find an Accountability Partner

When we have someone to be accountable to, we’re more likely to stay the course of our recovery. This partner can be a sponsor, another friend in recovery, a family member, therapist or mentor. This person should be someone with whom we feel comfortable checking in and giving regular updates on our progress. We shouldn’t be afraid to discuss with them any challenges, temptations or even relapses that may arise. Keeping track of our progress, even when we stumble, can help us keep ourselves on track.

3. Choose Calm

We commonly become stressed, anxious and panicked when we’re faced with an addictive urge. We worry we’ll relapse. We fear we’ll always be suffering in this way. When we practice mindfulness, we can more easily calm ourselves down, which can help us avoid some of the emotional overwhelm that can lead to relapse. Practice doing things that bring you feelings of peace and calm. Repeat calming affirmations such as “I will get through this. I am at peace. I am reaching my goals.” Use other calming practices such as meditation, journaling and talking with a supportive friend.

Enlightened Recovery was created to help people learn more about addiction and to find the support of a community that understands the struggles firsthand. Call (833) 801-LIVE today to get the help you deserve.

How Our Lives Benefit from Inner Peace

Having peace of mind changes everything for us and drastically transforms our lives for the better. We experience an internal well-being that can feel totally new and different for us when we’ve been consumed with inner turmoil for so long. The health of our relationships improves, and we repair those that have been broken and heal the conflicts that contributed to their demise. We change the energy with which we manifest in our lives moving forward, bringing us happier circumstances and easier navigation through life’s challenges. We start to see things working out more easily for us. We feel happier and more secure within ourselves.

Stress is a normal part of life, and recovery doesn’t mean our stress disappears. With inner peace, though, we can more easily deal with the stresses in our lives. We are more centered, balanced and grounded. We are less triggered by the things that formerly knocked us off our center. We become less reactive and less emotionally swayed by challenging things, events and people. We find it easier to stay true to ourselves and to keep our focus on our emotional well-being.

Inner peace allows us to reclaim the dignity many of us lost when we were at our lowest point, when we were most self-destructive and self-harming. We learn what it means to love and accept ourselves. We forgive ourselves for our mistakes rather than condemning ourselves to live in shame and self-deprecation. We’re better able to release the past in order to focus on the future ahead. We find ourselves wanting to move forward with hope rather than staying stuck in our pain.

With inner peace comes self-empowerment. When we’re at peace within ourselves, we mentally and emotionally start to uplift ourselves more. We shed the disparaging self-talk that dominated our minds. We stop being our own worst enemy and shed our self-hatred. We find it so much happier and easier to be our own ally instead. We start to shower ourselves with self-love and self-acceptance. We stop denying ourselves the gift of our own compassion and understanding.

When we have peace of mind, we start to make better choices, in our relationships, habits and behaviors. We shed our self-destructiveness. Being good to ourselves comes much more naturally. We become better able to recognize our harmful patterns, and we develop the mindfulness to stop them in their tracks. Our energy is one of peace, and we manifest more peace in our lives rather than the tumult, confusion and conflict we grew accustomed to. Our lives and everything in them benefit tremendously when we work to develop our inner peace.

At Enlightened Recovery, our holistic and multidisciplinary approach is focused on healing the whole person and invigorating your soul. Call us at (833) 801-LIVE today.

Prioritizing Our Peace of Mind

When we are struggling with addiction, depression, anxiety and other mental health issues, we often tend not to prioritize our own well-being and peace of mind. We place more importance on everything else in our lives – our families and relationships, our obligations and responsibilities, and the lifestyles that allow us to maintain our addictions. Getting high becomes our primary focus, along with avoiding the difficult emotions we’re afraid to face. When we make the life changing decision to work towards recovery, we learn that we have no choice other than to prioritize our peace of mind.

When we realize how important our internal peace is to the rest of our lives and to our overall health, we learn that there are some things we must shed. We go through an elimination process where we remove the things and people that no longer serve us. We separate ourselves from toxic relationships. We work to discontinue the destructive habits that facilitated our addictive behaviors. We begin to create lifestyles focused on health and wellness rather than on self-harm.

This process can bring up some challenging emotions we might not have been prepared for. We might feel grief to lose people in our lives with whom we were close but who contributed to inner turmoil. We might feel resistance when we have to drop the habits we’ve become so accustomed to. We may want to cling to our former lives and all the ways in which we self-identified. We might feel frustrated with the complicated recovery process and overwhelmed with how much more is involved than simply abstaining from our drug or behavior of choice. We might feel afraid to venture forward, uncertain of what’s to come. We can be filled with anxiety and trepidation.

All of these feelings are normal and natural. When we’re ready to prioritize our peace of mind, we realize that we must be brave and move through the fear and other challenging emotions that arise. When we work through this process, we come to know that a healthier and more empowered version of ourselves is waiting on the other side. We come into this new sense of self with renewed joy and purpose. We feel more fulfilled within ourselves. We feel as though we’ve come home to ourselves. Prioritizing our peace of mind enables us to open all of these important doors for ourselves and venture confidently into a life of recovery and wellness.

If you are like many of us and feel trapped and controlled by your addiction, know that you are not alone and that there is hope. Enlightened Recovery is here to help you find your way. Call (833) 801-LIVE today to get the care and support you deserve.

Encourage and Congratulate Yourself

Many of us working towards recovery from addictions and mental health issues have spent years beating ourselves up, criticizing and judging ourselves, and denying ourselves forgiveness and compassion. All of these things make it harder for us to heal. One shift we can make in our mentality is to start thinking positively about our progress and growth. We can help ourselves do this by encouraging ourselves as much as possible and congratulating ourselves for everything we accomplish, even small things.

When we are depressed or in crisis, everything can feel impossible. We might feel like we don’t have any energy or willpower. We might struggle with daily tasks and responsibilities. When we are in this place, it’s highly important to change our self-talk to be empowering and affirming. “I believe in you. You can do this. You are strong. You are brave. You are powerful.” Encourage yourself as often as you can.

Motivate yourself. Set intentions for yourself and believe you can follow through on them. When we don’t believe in ourselves, we are blocking ourselves from our true capabilities. We are depriving ourselves of the energy of our intention, and we are failing to use our power for our own benefit. Build up your confidence by talking to yourself differently. Speak to yourself with love and hope. Pray for motivation, pray for courage. Believe in your higher power and your inner strength.

Everything you do, no matter how small, congratulate yourself. You got out of bed even when you felt like you couldn’t. You took care of things. You showered and brushed your teeth. If you’ve been in crisis before, you know how insurmountable even small tasks like self-care routines can feel. Congratulate yourself. Give yourself praise for showing yourself love. Work to build up your sense of self-worth.

Congratulate yourself for the bigger things. You haven’t given up. You are still trying. You are surviving. You are on your path. You are meant to do wonderful things.

Recognize all the ways you’ve showed up for yourself and others in your life, and congratulate yourself for them. We often forget all the good we’ve done and focus on our mistakes and regrets, so dig deep and look for the good. Meditate on self-love. Praise yourself for not succumbing to your addictions and mental health problems. Congratulate yourself for your resilience.

We are here to support you in your recovery. Treatment at Enlightened Recovery includes recovery planning, mentoring, therapy and more. Call (833) 801-LIVE.

How We Can Redirect Our Thoughts When We Are In Crisis

When we are experiencing a serious depression or other crisis such as a nervous breakdown, our thoughts can be debilitating and are often a major contributing factor in our condition. When we are in crisis, our thoughts can feel as though they are out of control. We can experience thoughts of deep hopelessness and despair, breakdowns in our rational thinking, and suicidal thoughts and ideation.

One thing we can do for ourselves when we are in crisis is to work on redirecting our thoughts. This can feel impossible. We feel controlled by our thoughts, even haunted or tortured by them. Our inner demons are persistent and overbearing, and they dominate our minds. If we can start to consciously choose our thoughts with intention, we can start to take back control of our minds.

Our usual default line of thinking is often focused on how much pain we’re in. We think thoughts like “I don’t want to be alive. I can’t do this anymore. I don’t deserve to live.” We tend to replay these same thoughts over and over again in our minds, which amplifies them and gives them even more power over us. When we have moments of feeling even a little better, maybe we have a pause in our painful thoughts, our instinct is often to return to the depressing thoughts. That becomes our automatic line of thinking that our minds naturally, instinctively revert to.

The good news is that we can reprogram this line of thinking. Our minds have the capability of transforming themselves from within. Even in times of crisis, even in a total state of breakdown, we often have moments where we have some clarity. In those moments, whenever you can, start to say things to yourself like “I am healing. I am getting better. This pain will be over soon. I will get through this.” Write them down if you can. If you need the help of a therapist or friend, ask. You can record your affirmations, and anything else you find comforting. Meditate with the recording to calm yourself and help you sleep. With repetition, we are reprogramming our subconscious minds. As we do this, we begin to be able to heal our deepest wounds, address our underlying fears and handle unresolved emotions.

When painful thoughts arise, try not to fight them. Meditation helps us to accept our thoughts rather than adding resistance to them, which can add fuel to the fire. We can embrace our painful thoughts with our understanding and compassion. We can have empathy and patience for our inner selves as we heal.

Enlightened Recovery has years of experience helping people in recovery. Call (833) 801-LIVE for more information on how we can help you.

Our Issues Are Interconnected

Sometimes we think of the problems in our lives as being isolated issues, and we don’t always take a step back to look at how they’re all connected. Everything we do, feel and think is part of the larger framework of who we are. We are made up of our spiritual, mental, emotional and physical selves, and everything is connected. When we can look at things in this way, it can help us to learn who we are and find healing solutions to our problems.

Many of us living with addictions and mental health issues have multiple things we’re dealing with at the same time. Many of us are termed “dual-diagnosis” when we experience a substance abuse problem and mental disorder at the same time. When we are able to look at our issues as being connected, we can begin to understand ourselves, how we developed these conditions, and how we can recover.

Our issues are often a manifestation of our traumatic experiences and the responses we have to them. How we process our fears, manage our moods, work with our emotions and handle our thoughts- everything is affected by trauma. Many of us have a tendency to want to escape our pain, many of us never deal with it at all. In our avoidance, we turn to addictive behaviors and thought patterns. Everything we go through is informing our development, and every facet of ourselves is affected by everything else.

In working through our trauma, it can be highly beneficial to work with holistic healing practices. They approach our various illnesses as being an interconnected manifestation of the whole person and all of our experiences- our fears, traumas, relationships, memories, behaviors, thoughts and feelings. There are healing methods that address all of our issues together, and they include therapy, meditation, yoga, energy healing, and chakra healing.

When we are suffering and in crisis, our symptoms are overwhelming, and we need relief. We struggle with panic attacks, suicidal thoughts, insomnia, and various problems with our physical health. Holistic healing methods can provide relief from our symptoms and help us heal the underlying issues and clear the energy of fear and trauma we’ve stored within us.

Seeing our challenges not as isolated illnesses to approach separately but as a part of the whole can help us to unearth critical information about who we are as people, how we can manage our pain, and how to work towards recovery.

Holistic healing is a major focus of treatment at Enlightened Recovery. Call (833) 801-LIVE for more information.

Creating Better Habits

A major factor in our daily lives, and in our addictions and mental health issues, is our habits. We often develop habits that are unhealthy and self-destructive. Along with our addictive behaviors, we also often neglect self-care and engage in toxic patterns. A helpful way to think about recovery is the idea of implementing better habits for ourselves.

We might tend to think of our bad habits as the smaller things we do like biting our nails, or hitting snooze on the alarm and being late for work, but our habits make up everything we do. We have our daily habits, our relationship habits, our habitual thoughts, feelings and behaviors.

When we are dealing with addictions, depression and other challenges, we often struggle to feel motivated. We can have a very hard time accomplishing even small tasks. Sometimes we don’t show up for our responsibilities. We feel like we’re disappointing, hurting and betraying ourselves and the people who care about us. Our habits have a lot to do with it.

When it comes to assessing ourselves and our lives, we often tend to see things through a filter of negativity. We beat ourselves up for procrastinating. We judge and criticize ourselves for our bad habits. We compound our challenges when we focus on how ashamed we feel. When we put ourselves down, we aren’t helping ourselves do better, we’re actually chipping away at our resolve and determination.

To create better habits, let’s start by encouraging ourselves instead. “I am strong enough to do what’s best for myself. I have the power to change my habits. I can do anything I set my heart and mind to.”

What are some habits we can start to implement that would help us prioritize our mental and emotional wellbeing? We can start setting intentions around those things- getting enough sleep, making time to meditate, eating healthy foods, exercising. Joining a support group or starting therapy. Journaling, being creative, doing things we enjoy.

We can create habits around choosing patience when we are stressed or frustrated, forgiveness when we are angry, compassion when we are in conflict. Habits we can try are:

-Taking deep breaths when we feel our thoughts starting to race or our hearts beating faster.

-Meditating on forgiveness, using affirmations like “I choose to forgive. I choose to be at peace.”

-Meditating on compassion,“I see your hurt. I see your humanity.”

We can consciously look at our habits- how we respond to life’s daily challenges, how we react to other people, what directions we allow our thoughts and feelings to go in. Then we can intentionally begin to create habits for ourselves that feel better and serve us more.

Treatment at Enlightened Recovery includes working with wellness and nutrition, life skills and recovery planning. Call (833) 801-LIVE.

Gratitude as a Remedy for Anger

Anger is a part of the human experience, and those of us with addictions and mental health issues often find ourselves having tumultuous relationships, stressful conflicts, and other tough interpersonal issues.

When someone angers us, we have a tendency to react with aggression and hostility. We yell, we scream, we punch holes in walls, we break things, we abuse each other.

Some of us shut down and respond to our anger with silence, detachment, distance and/or isolation. We cut people off. We stop talking to them altogether. We end lifelong relationships and never speak to family and friends again.

We often hurt the people we love the most. We consciously or unconsciously trigger each other’s sensitivities and pain. We carry grudges. We are most impacted by the hurts brought on by our loved ones, because it is with them we feel the strongest connection. Anyone can anger us, but when our close family and friends hurt us, it often affects us in deeper, more personal, more impactful ways.

One way to manage our anger is to intentionally switch our focus to gratitude. Our loved ones often give us a lot to be grateful for. They have supported and cared for us, helped us. They gave us life. We could put our energy towards focusing on all the things we’re grateful for about them. This can help a lot, especially in moments of heightened pain and anger. To do this, we are essentially meditating and praying on gratitude.

“I am grateful to you. I am grateful for all the ways you’ve loved me and helped me. I love you.”

This process doesn’t mean we forget how they’ve wronged us. It doesn’t mean we condone their behavior, or that we let them off the hook. It doesn’t replace the work of resolving the conflict, which can be some of the most difficult work we’ll ever do in our lives- it hurts!

For many of us, the people we’re most angry with hurt and abused us to the point where we can’t find much to be grateful to them for. We can focus our gratitude on how strong and resilient we are. We’ve endured so much and are still here. We haven’t given up. “I am grateful to be the person I am.”

Gratitude is like a soothing remedy. It helps us to relieve some of the pain as we heal our wounds. We can find a lot of comfort in choosing to focus on gratitude. We can even find gratitude in the situation. “What can I learn from this? What wisdom will this bring me?” We can choose to see our pain as a blessing. The lessons it brings can be huge transformational gifts in our lives.

Our healing and recovery benefit greatly from working with our emotions holistically. The community at Enlightened Recovery can help you process your difficult emotions, relationships and experiences. Call (833) 801-LIVE.

Prayer for Healing

Prayer can be a helpful healing tool, whether or not we consider ourselves to be religious people. We can pray to any higher power, and what we call that higher power matters much less than how we can connect to it. If we believe our higher power created us, then we are a manifestation of it. That power is within us. We have the power to heal ourselves, to create the lives we want for ourselves. Accessing our inner higher power allows us to do that, and prayer is a helpful way to connect to it.

Prayer is not something that is limited to people who attend church. Anyone can pray, and you can pray to whatever higher entity brings you comfort. You can pray to your inner self, which has all the strength and wisdom of your higher power.

Prayer can take any form as long as it resonates with us. We sometimes think of praying as asking for what we want, but prayer can also be communicating with our higher power. We can release our pent-up emotions and we can share our distressing thoughts, knowing our higher power already knows all of it. We can ask for guidance, we can ask for strength. We can ask to be lifted through our struggles. We can pray for forgiveness when we’re struggling with shame and anger, we can pray for healing when we’re in pain.

This process can bring us enormous peace. It can help us feel calmed, soothed, comforted and nurtured. It can make us feel rejuvenated in our faith and purpose. We’re reminded we’re never alone. We are being supported, protected and guided. When we pray, we allow ourselves to surrender- to a power bigger than us, to the idea that we’re not operating our lives alone. We don’t have to feel isolated in our pain.

Prayer is something we can also do with our loved ones. We can pray together and allow it to bring us together. We can strengthen our connections with each other and our higher power. Many families make prayer a regular practice, before meals, before bedtime, during difficult challenges.

Prayer, like meditation, allows us to connect to our inner voice, our higher power and higher consciousness. When we are open to it, we can receive signs, messages and tangible guidance that we can interpret to help us along our way. We aren’t alone in our healing.

Enlightened Recovery is here to help. Call (833) 801-LIVE.