The recovery process can be a difficult one, as we’re trying to take everything we’ve learned and apply it conscientiously to our lives so that we can be happier, healthier, and more fulfilled. This is a daunting process, and it can be intimidating, overwhelming and emotional for us. We’re literally beginning a new chapter in our lives and turning our lives around, starting fresh, and putting the pain of the past behind us.
One of the biggest challenges we experience when beginning this new part of our lives is pushing ourselves out of the comfort zone we’ve grown accustomed to. Even though our addictive patterns brought us a lot of difficulty and turmoil, they were what we were most familiar with, and so we grew comfortable with them. Looking to the unknown future can fill us with uncertainty, worry and self-doubt. Stepping into this next part of our life means summoning the courage to start over, to push ourselves forward, to motivate and energize ourselves to do better. We make the conscious decision that we’ll no longer stay stuck in complacence. We won’t continue to give up on ourselves. We’ll work to believe in ourselves more and have more faith in ourselves.
Another challenge is our tendency to dwell on the mistakes of the past and to cling to shame. When we start a new phase in our lives, we’ll only be able to truly move forward when we’ve forgiven ourselves and released our shame. This doesn’t mean we’ll be able to forget everything that’s happened in the past. Actually, we don’t want to forget – we want to learn from our past and let our mistakes inform our healthier choices as we move forward. We’ll want to use everything we’ve been through to help us develop new patterns, create new lifestyles and form new habits and routines, ones that serve us rather than keep us trapped in cycles of self-destructiveness.
One of the challenges we find hardest when starting over is leaving toxic, unhealthy relationships behind. We realize that some of the people we were on this journey with are not meant to continue on with us. We can choose to view them with forgiveness and detachment, letting them go so that we can find true happiness, and so that they too can go forth and heal themselves. When we’re beginning this new chapter of our lives, we have the opportunity to form new, healthier, more fulfilling and rewarding friendships and relationships. We’re able to connect with people who have similar goals, who are prioritizing their recovery, people with whom we can form healthy bonds that make us feel happy, safe and nurtured.
At The Guest House Ocala, we have personal recovery experience and over 12 years in the recovery industry. We have helped countless people recover, and we’re here to help you too. Call 855-483-7800 today for more information.