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Motivational Meditation Monday: Keep Calm & Take Care

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“Nourishing yourself in a way that helps you blossom in the direction you want to go is attainable, and you are worth the effort.” ~Deborah Day

Meditation

Sometimes we get so caught up in constantly helping others in recovery that we forget to take care of ourselves. If all we did was give it away, always say “yes” when anyone ever asks us for anything, and never took time for self-care; we would surely get burnt out in our program of recovery. Balance is very important for an addict and alcoholic to have in their lives. It provides structure to an otherwise impulsive and compulsive person. Without self-care, an addict and alcoholic can and will run the risk of a relapse.

Surely many of you have heard the saying in the rooms, “We keep what we have by giving it away.” This statement is the basis of working a self-less program of recovery, which is what addicts and alcoholics are suggested to do if they want to continue to stay clean and sober. On the other hand, if we do not take care of ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually; then we are of no use to ourselves or others. This is where “We can’t give away what we don’t have,” comes into play.  

Many of us early in our recovery noticed that relationships around us were coming unraveled, we found ourselves tired a lot, and noticed our fuse was a little short. We began to see that we were submerged in our program to the point that we had no life outside the rooms. Maybe at this time our egos were playing a bigger role than we would like to admit. Helping others is what we do to stay sober, but we are not the keepers of any 12-step program, we are not life savers. Others do not stay sober because of us; we are merely an outlet to their own recovery and their own personal relationship with a Higher Power.

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own thinking that we forget to have balance. We forget that the program of recovery is about attraction and not promotion. We forget that we came into the program so we could have a life. When we neglect our own self-care, neglect those around us so that we may “help others”, neglect bringing our Higher Power into every situation, we may find ourselves feeling almost as miserable as when we first entered the rooms of recovery. Taking care of yourself and being selfish are two very different statements. If you are finding you are not as happy as you once were, but you are doing everything you can in the rooms, you may want to double check to see if you have balance in your life.

Written By: Recovery Gal 




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