We limit ourselves and hold ourselves back with all the ways in which we put ourselves down, mentally, verbally and emotionally, all the ways in which we self-harm and abuse ourselves, all the ways in which we allow ourselves to be mistreated. We give away our power, and we stop believing in ourselves. Learning how to be self-empowering when we’ve been self-deprecating and self-destructive for so long is some of the hardest work we’ll do in recovery, but it’s also some of the most important. We can’t move forward in our lives, set intentions for ourselves or implement changes if we don’t feel self-empowered. We can’t recover if we’re not actively helping ourselves to heal. Our healing starts within and then manifests outwardly. When we’re feeling internally as though we’ve given away all our power, we can’t summon the strength and courage necessary to take on our recovery.
We can become more self-empowering by first noticing all the ways in which we’re not being good to ourselves. The relationships we choose to be in, whether romantic or platonic, are a reflection of how empowered we feel within ourselves and in our lives. If we tolerate disrespect or abuse, we’ve given away our power and aren’t being self-empowering. If we’re speaking to ourselves in self-disparaging ways that make us feel worse about ourselves than we already do, we aren’t being self-empowering. If we’re thinking toxic and cruel thoughts about ourselves, we’re not empowering ourselves.
Becoming self-empowering means choosing unconditional self-love and self-acceptance. It means loving ourselves including our flaws and imperfections, not despite them. We empower ourselves when we realize that our perceived weaknesses actually add to our strength when we’re able to learn from them. We empower ourselves when we have acceptance for everything about ourselves, including the difficult things, including the things we were once ashamed of. Self-empowerment means believing in ourselves and our ability to transcend our limitations, no matter how far we might have fallen in the past or how badly we may have failed. It means picking ourselves up again, one more time, and then another, and then another. It means believing there is something to be learned in every obstacle, every relapse, every disappointment. Self-empowerment allows us to see our innate strength, resilience and bravery. It allows us to see the good in ourselves when we’ve been conditioning ourselves for so long to see the bad. As we learn to empower ourselves more and more, we bolster our internal resources for success, and we make our recovery not only a possibility but a reality.
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.