When we’re struggling with addiction, we can be so consumed by the challenges of our everyday lives, the logistics of just making it through the day, the tough issues, circumstances and relationships we find ourselves struggling with, that we don’t make time for our spiritual development. We neglect the health of our spirits in much the same way we neglect our mental, emotional and physical health. We don’t commit time to spiritual practice or self-care. Our depression and anxiety are spiritual health issues just as much as they are mental and emotional health issues, because our spirit resides in everything we do, think and feel. We often don’t realize that there is an important correlation between our declining health, our addictions, and our lack of spiritual development. When we’re ready to do the work to heal from addiction, we’ll want to add spiritual development to our recovery program because therein lies our inner strength, our courage, and our power to heal ourselves.
Recovering from addiction goes beyond learning how to abstain from our drug of choice and withstand the temptation to use. It’s also about working to love ourselves, learning how to be good to ourselves, and regaining our sense of self-worth. When our spiritual health is impaired, we struggle with feelings of self-hatred, self-rejection and insecurity. We feel inadequate and inferior to other people. We think we’re unworthy, largely because of the traumatic experiences we have yet to heal from. We feel ashamed of ourselves and disappointed in ourselves. We’re self-blaming and self-deprecating. We feel lost, out of alignment, unstable and empty. We don’t feel grounded, secure, or at peace within ourselves.
We often tend to forget that we are spiritual beings of light and love, and that we are complete, whole and perfectly worthy just as we are. We might want to develop ourselves, grow, learn and expand, but we don’t have to fix anything about ourselves in order to be worthy. We are totally worthy, special and beautiful in our imperfection. Our spirit is our connection to our inner selves and a reflection of our higher power. Many of us believe that as human beings we are manifestations of the creative higher power we can’t see but which we feel is guiding, protecting and nurturing us at all times. This higher power loves us just as we are. The more we work on our spiritual development, the more we can put self-love back at the center of everything we do, and the more we can successfully heal from our addictions and mental illnesses.
The caring, compassionate staff of The Guest House is here to support you as you start your journey to recovery and healing. Call 855-483-7800 today for more information.