Part of the addiction recovery process is making the commitment to getting to know ourselves better, learning more, and to cultivating a stronger connection with ourselves. We often tend to neglect our inner selves, especially the difficult thoughts and emotions we want to avoid facing. We can feel as though we don’t know who we truly are, what our purpose in life is, or how to go about healing from our addictions. Our addictive patterns have thrived on our inability to look at ourselves instead of facing the parts of ourselves we’re ashamed of and uncomfortable with. We use our drugs of choice instead of doing the work to get closer to ourselves. What is the process of self-discovery?
Becoming Comfortable With Ourselves
Self-discovery is the process of learning more about ourselves, including the parts of ourselves we might normally want to reject. When we commit to self-discovery, we take a journey toward being truly comfortable with ourselves. We learn to accept the parts of ourselves we normally would want to resist, reject, and avoid. We unearth the emotions we’ve been suppressing. We face the things we’ve been afraid to confront. Self-discovery is making the commitment to heal the fractured, damaged, estranged relationship with the inner selves we’ve had for so long.
Expressing Ourselves
How do we undertake a self-discovery journey? We can use healing tools like journaling and creative self-expression to get to know ourselves better. There are no set rules or protocols to follow when we’re expressing ourselves creatively, through writing, art, dance, or music, for example. There are no right or wrong answers for how we should go about it. The purpose is to get to know ourselves and to heal our relationship with the self. There’s no one way to do this important work. Let yourself think freely, and just express yourself. You might be surprised with what emerges. You might cry. You might feel scared. You might feel overwhelmed and confused. Not only is this okay, but it’s also totally normal. We’re facing emotions that have been buried and ignored for quite some time, and when they resurface, we can feel some pain and discomfort along with them.
Being Open and Honest With Ourselves
The most important thing to remember when we’re embarking on the journey of self-discovery is to be open and honest with ourselves. We want to learn to love and accept ourselves just as we are, in all our imperfection, so being closed off, secretive, or dishonest with ourselves won’t serve us in the healing process. Be brave as you face your inner demons. Courageously confront your fears. Open your heart to the parts of yourself you’ve been afraid of and ashamed of. On the other side of the self-discovery process, which is, of course, an ongoing journey and the beginning of deep self-love that makes true recovery possible.
The Guest House is a welcoming and supportive recovery home where you will be met with open arms, wherever you are on your journey, without judgment or expectation.
Call 855-823-5463 today for more information.