Addiction is sometimes considered to be an illness of disconnection with the remedy therefore being one of connection. When struggling with addiction, we tend to disconnect in various ways. We become disconnected from our inner selves by treating ourselves with self-hatred and judgment. We disconnect from other people when we isolate ourselves, when we choose our drugs of choice over our loved ones, and when we allow our addictions to corrupt our relationships. We disconnect from our higher power when we stop making time for the health of our spirits, when we don’t work on spiritual development or give energy to spiritual practice. When we feel disconnected, we often don’t have a name or a label for it. We don’t consciously understand why we feel so lost, so out of alignment, so afraid, and so sad. We don’t know why we feel increasingly depressed, anxious, restless, uneasy and panicked. We don’t know why our addictions have worsened and why our dependence on our drug of choice has intensified. We’re constantly trying to escape the pain of our disconnection without realizing that we can’t escape it, we have to heal it by going inward and working to reconnect first with ourselves and our spirits and then with the people in our lives and the world around us.
Reconnecting with ourselves means practicing being still and quiet within ourselves, without all the usual distractions we rely on for relief from our difficult thoughts and feelings. This means shutting off the television sometimes. It means taking time away from the relationships that consume and exhaust us. It entails separating ourselves from toxicity and negativity. It means giving ourselves much needed solitude and time for energetic renewal and rejuvenation. We can’t connect with ourselves when we’re constantly being pulled in different, conflicting directions, when we’re dealing with tumultuous relationships, when we’ve made so little time for self-care and spiritual practice that we feel completely drained and depleted. We have to be able to replenish our internal resources of self-love, self-nurturing and self-acceptance. We have to be able to feel at peace within ourselves.
Once we’ve reconnected with ourselves, only then can we have healthy relationships with other people. When we’re at war with ourselves and embroiled in constant internal conflict and turmoil, we’ll always feel a disconnect from the people in our lives. We won’t be able to experience relationships built on respect, understanding and connection. The more we reconnect with ourselves, our spirits and our loved ones in ways that nurture us and that add to our growth, the more we empower ourselves to heal from our addictions and mental health issues.
Are you ready to take the first step on your journey to recovery? Call The Guest House today! 855-483-7800.