Friday, April 3, 2020
Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
What I wanted
Was to be myself again. — Sandra Hochman
When we lose faith in our feelings, we lose faith in ourselves and become outer-directed. We look to the world to tell us what to do and how to feel. We seek approval and love from others so we can prove to ourselves that we’re worthy. Paradoxically, to be outer-directed is to be self-absorbed. Because we feel so unsure of who we are, we cannot let go and be spontaneous, be real.
The task in recovery is to reclaim ourselves by becoming inner-directed. This means looking within for the direction we need. When we’re just learning to trust our feelings, this can be truly agonizing. It means trusting the reality of our needs and our right to express them. Only then can we find the faith in ourselves and in life that we have lacked.
To become inner-directed takes self-acceptance and self-love. It also takes time. But there is no real peace otherwise, for it is the only way to find ourselves.
I can be true to my own feelings. I am my own best teacher because I know what I truly need.
Hazelden Foundation
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