Our experiences make us who we are today. What we have lived through has shaped and molded us, transformed us, and taught us valuable lessons. There was probably a time during your active addiction that you kept a lot inside of you. You probably had many secrets, did not tell people what you were going through, or what exactly you were doing. Then you went to treatment and worked through your struggles. You probably started to open up during treatment, express yourself, and tell your unique story. Now that you are in recovery and leading a life of sobriety, you may find that it is again a little bit hard or scary to tell your story. You may worry about people judging you, not understanding your journey, or not understanding how far you have come. Stigma is a very real thing that many of us face every single day. Even with this fear, however, sharing your story is so very important. There are so many benefits of your story being told, both for you and for others. Here are a few reasons that you should express yourself and share your story to get you motivated.
Self Healing
Telling your story is a way to work on healing. You may go to treatment and work on your mental health, but there is something about telling your story to a group of people that is very healing. Feeling proud enough to say how far you have come is powerful. It may feel intimidating, scary, and overwhelming at first. You never know how others will react to your story. However, learn to do this for yourself. You are working on healing yourself, reaching within, and seeing that you are capable of stepping outside of your comfort zone because of all the hard work you have done. It probably was not always fun; you had days when you did not think you would make it through, and you spent plenty of time feeling uncomfortable. But you made it. Telling others will help you to fully realize your progress and accomplishments for yourself.
Helping Others
You telling your story to other people has the ability to really help them. You may not have had fun the entire journey, and it was probably hard and stressful on some days. You may have even wanted to quit and go back to your old life a few times. However, you did not do that. You stuck it out and did the hard work. You are now reaping the benefits of what it looks like to stick with the journey and not turn back when the process gets tough. When you tell others your story, it is important to tell the whole story, not only the good parts.
By you telling the truth, it could lead someone into deciding to seek treatment. Showing others that you are not perfect, you have faults, and you have struggled just like them is powerful. It shows others that through it all they can overcome their struggles just like you did. In a society fueled by social media, false perfection, and extremely high standards, it is important to show the entire picture. Be the person that you needed the day you realized you had a problem. Be the person you needed that first day of treatment, and the last day of treatment. Because of what you went through you have a real ability to help people, which is such an amazing gift.
Brag About It
Oftentimes we find that we are reserved about telling our story because we do not want to appear as if we are bragging. We know there are so many people struggling, and it may feel as if we are being mean by telling others about our success. It may feel as if we are being insensitive to other people. Or it may feel as if we will hurt someone’s feelings or progress if they see us succeed.
What you need to remember is that it is okay to brag about your success. You have worked so hard and you should feel so proud about every step you have taken. Your journey was not perfect, smooth, or easy. Being proud of every stumble or turn in your progress is important. You also need to remember that your story is helping those in need. Your story may reach someone on the verge of relapse, and maybe because of you they fight their temptation and do not give in. Your success, your struggles, and your truth may be exactly what someone, somewhere, needs to hear.
Sharing your story is an important part of your recovery process. It will help you continue to heal and move forward. Remembering how far we have come is a powerful tool in motivating ourselves to keep working hard and making progress. Sharing our story also has the ability to help others. Our story may reach someone in need or someone who needs to see that it is possible to work through struggles and come out successfully. It is not always an easy path, but it is so worth it. Sometimes we find that we struggle with telling our story, or being comfortable with our progress. Every day we need to continue to better ourselves, and sometimes we find we still need some help in our journey. The Guest House is here for anyone needing that extra support. Whether you are just beginning your journey, or are well into your recovery, we would love to hear from you. Call us today to learn more about our treatment options at (855) 483-7800.