If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, PLEASE call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Some of the most important work we do in recovery is not with the intention of helping ourselves but instead of serving others. An unforeseen positive effect of our service to help others, however, is that we’re actually benefiting ourselves as well, increasing our feelings of self-worth and augmenting our healing. Being of service in recovery provides us with the opportunity to find fulfillment after years of feeling unfulfilled, empty and lacking in purpose and motivation. In our recovery, we feel clearer on who we are, stronger within ourselves, and more aligned with the truth of who we are than ever before. We feel more connected to ourselves and other people than we have in years. This incredible progress makes us feel more at peace, more confident, and more affirmed than we may have ever felt. We often feel naturally inclined to share that transformation with other people so that they too can benefit from it. We want to uplift other people. We want to inspire, motivate and help them, especially as they’re struggling with their own addictions.
Being of service shows us just how far we’ve come. We see other people going through the exact same things we’ve experienced. Whether we’re volunteering with an organization, group or school, taking on a leadership role in our support groups, or becoming a more active in our communities, the societal issues we see are universal. Many of us have faced seemingly insurmountable odds. We’ve experienced poverty, homelessness, and hunger. We’ve survived abuse, community violence, and domestic violence. We’ve struggled with depression, suicidal thoughts, and other mental health issues. We’ve hit rock bottom. We’ve been as low as we can possibly get, and we’ve bounced back. We see our own struggles in the stories of the people we serve. We see our pain in the faces of the people we’re helping. We see our commonalities, and the universal ties that bind us as survivors. These experiences remind us how strong we are, how fragile and yet how powerful our spirit is. We’re reaffirmed in our commitment to our sobriety, because we see the alternative – destruction, pain and suffering, and we know we can never let ourselves go back there. Serving others is a humbling experience. We’re reminded just how much pain we caused ourselves and others. We remember that we are not immune to suffering.
Helping others gives us the sense of purpose we’ve been longing for, for as long as we can remember. Many of us have always wanted to be of service but couldn’t help others until we first helped ourselves, until we were on solid ground. We couldn’t possibly be there for other people if we were still floundering, unbalanced, ungrounded, and uncentered. When we’re not aligned with our true selves, we can feel like we’re all over the place and out of control, with our difficult thoughts and emotions controlling us and fueling our destructive patterns. We felt inundated with feelings of deep sadness, fear and shame. We were not in a healthy enough place to be good to ourselves, let alone others. We might have harbored dreams of serving. Perhaps we always wanted to teach, or work with children in some other capacity. Perhaps we saw ourselves traveling and helping people abroad. Maybe we’ve always felt committed to environmental or social justice causes. Our compassion, along with our frustration with all of the injustice we see in the world around us, drive us to want to serve. We feel motivated to make a difference. We feel like we can’t just accept things as they are, we have to be a part of the solution. We simply weren’t in a place yet where we were capable of that. And now we are.
When we serve others, we give them the gifts of connection and support. We show them light and love where they might have been alone, in darkness. We include those that have been shunned, bringing them out of the shadows of their own self-isolation. We accept and validate them where they might have been judged and rejected by the other people in their lives and by society. We show them that we understand their pain, and that we’re there for them. They no longer have to feel alone. They no longer have to feel ashamed of themselves or feel like they have to keep their struggles a secret. They have safe places, and new friends, with whom they can share their stories of pain and hope. They can feel nurtured. They can feel empowered. They can see firsthand that they too can recover, find happiness, and make their dreams come true. We show them through our own recovery that sobriety is possible, that goals are achievable when we work towards them and believe in ourselves. We show them the power of having faith in ourselves, of shedding our self-destructiveness, and of working to transform ourselves from the inside out.
Being of service reminds us of our value. We have something powerful to offer the world. We have something considerable to share. We feel more confident and more at peace with ourselves. We feel worthy. We feel good about ourselves. We feel fulfilled as we serve. We feel ourselves aligning with our purpose and life’s mission. We see ourselves living up to the vision we’ve held for ourselves. We help others, and in doing so, we also help ourselves, and it’s a wonderful, beautiful thing all around.
The Guest House Ocala provides unparalleled, premier-quality treatment to those who suffer from self-defeating behaviors brought on by trauma and its underlying issues. We are uniquely equipped to help our guests heal from trauma-induced substance abuse, process addiction, anxiety or depression in a safe, comfortable and confidential setting. Call 855-483-7800 today for more information.