Many of us have a very hard time admitting our mistakes, especially the most shameful, regretful mistakes we’ve made due to our struggles with addiction. We’re embarrassed to admit the things we’ve done. It hurts to think of the pain we’ve caused people. We feel ashamed of ourselves and disappointed in ourselves. Learning to finally admit our mistakes is a way to free ourselves from the constant patterns of self-deprecation we fall into when we’re ashamed of ourselves. It’s a way of expressing ourselves and our remorse. It’s a way of releasing the pain we’ve been carrying for so long.
Often the reason why it’s so difficult to admit our mistakes and wrongdoings is because we’re still holding onto our pride and allowing it to drive our behaviors and the choices we make. Our pride tells us to shut down, to stop ourselves when we want to ask for forgiveness and make amends. It stifles our emotions, our truth, and our voice. Our pride makes us fear being judged by other people. We’re afraid of being rejected by them, shunned, criticized and looked down upon. We’ve already felt the sting of being belittled, degraded and demeaned. Our pride is our defense mechanism against more pain. It’s how we think we’re protecting ourselves. Pride creates blocks within us, however. It keeps us from communicating, expressing and releasing our emotions. It keeps us locked in cycles of silencing ourselves and stifling our feelings. Pride is a destructive emotion, and it’s also a wasteful one. It causes us to waste the connections we have with other people, as well as the chance we have to reconnect with them. It wastes opportunities for learning, growth and expansion. It causes us to hate and reject ourselves and our mistakes rather than openly examining them and learning from them.
When we learn to swallow our pride and have humility, we stand to learn so much not only from our painful experiences but also from the people we’ve hurt, people we might have separated ourselves from altogether out of pride. Humility might feel uncomfortable at first, and definitely scary, but what comes from humility is a closer, deeper connection with ourselves. We reacquaint ourselves with our truth. We’re able to look at ourselves and our lives with more honesty, clarity and openness, sometimes for the first time. And then we’re able to heal. Admitting our mistakes can function like a gateway. It can open our hearts to self-forgiveness and self-exploration, so that we can move forward and learn the self-love and self-acceptance we need to stop making the same mistakes.
The Guest House is a welcoming and supportive recovery home where you will be met with open arms, wherever where you are on your journey, without judgment or expectation. Call 855-483-7800 today for more information.