Monday, Feb. 3, 2020
Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
When we bring awareness to any difficult situation, we can choose to do things differently so that we don’t react in habitual ways that fit us like a worn-out shoe. They may be familiar, but ultimately they don’t help us get where we want to go.
Recovery teaches us to be mindful of what triggers our strong desire to escape, to grab our addiction of choice and run for the hills. It is not about judging these impulses or making oneself wrong for having them; it is about noticing them as they arise, even playfully naming them. “Oh, there is Ira, impulsive again” or “Here comes escaping Eddie.”
It’s time to just take a deep breath and do our best to stay present, allowing ourselves to feel what we desperately want to avoid. We can become aware of what our body is trying to tell us, where we are holding the tension. Such mindfulness requires that we pause before we act or react.
We need to take a moment to sense what is really happening inside before we change what goes on outside. When we just stop and allow whatever feelings are there to percolate through us, we taste a bit of freedom.
When I want to run is when I most need to stay present and aware.
Hazelden Foundation
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