Energy of Healing
Oftentimes when we’ve relapsed, we have a very hard time forgiving ourselves and moving forward. Rather than learning from our experiences, we beat ourselves up and are overly judgmental and critical with ourselves. True recovery means transforming our relationship with ourselves, and that includes changing how we respond to the things we’re not proud of. If we are being punitive, self-condemning and unforgiving with ourselves, we can’t heal our relationship with ourselves. We aren’t embodying the energy of self-love and self-acceptance, and we aren’t vibrating at the energetic frequency necessary for healing. It’s so important that we practice forgiving ourselves, for the mistakes we’ve made, for the times we’ve relapsed, and for the lessons we’ve learned the hard way along our path to recovery.
Compounding Our Own Pain
Whenever we can’t forgive ourselves, we’re usually inundating ourselves with shame, remorse, disappointment, and regret. While these emotions are totally understandable, and while we don’t want to block ourselves from feeling any of our emotions, including the difficult ones, we do want to work on moving through them rather than forcing ourselves to stay stuck in them. When we dwell on our difficult feelings, when we continue to flog ourselves for our mistakes, when we don’t readily give ourselves compassion and understanding, we exacerbate our pain and make it that much harder to heal from. We want to be understanding and patient with ourselves when we mess up. We want to remind ourselves that we’re human and bound to make mistakes, we’re addicts struggling with severe illnesses, and we’re on a lifelong journey of recovery that won’t be completed overnight.
Cultivating Patience
When we’re impatient with ourselves, we chip away at our already fragile sense of willpower and resilience. We make it that much harder to be able to summon our inner strength to withstand being tempted or triggered again down the line. We make ourselves want to relapse and escape our pain because we’re being so punitive and harsh with ourselves. On the other hand, when we’re patient with ourselves, we feel strengthened and empowered to make healthier choices for ourselves. We feel like we’re working with our inner selves, not against them. We’re connected to ourselves, mind, body and spirit, and all of our parts are working together toward the same goal of sobriety, rather than self-sabotaging. We’re able to show ourselves just how strong we actually are, and we’re affirming and lifting ourselves up in the process.
Practicing Self-Acceptance and Forgiveness
We might feel as though relapse is unforgivable. We’ve worked this hard only to fail, and we’re so disappointed in ourselves that we don’t feel forgiveness is possible. It is in these dark times, when we feel least deserving of love, that we want to give ourselves even more love, not less. We want to counter the negative self-talk and judgments we’re inflicting upon ourselves. We want to actively, consciously practice being accepting and forgiving of every aspect of ourselves, including our difficult mistakes, including our experiences with relapse.
At The Guest House Ocala, you will be treated with dignity, respect, and compassion.
Call 855-483-7800 today for more information on our treatment programs.
theguesthouseocala.com
3230 Northeast 55th Avenue Silver Springs, FL 34488