Our work when healing from addiction goes beyond sobriety and abstinence, although these are important to our recovery. The true objective of our recovery is to be able to cultivate the inner peace, calm and fortitude we need to handle anything life throws at us. We want to be able to stay grounded and centered, secure and stable despite any challenges or obstacles. We want to be able to remain true to who we are and not get thrown off course whenever anything difficult arises. Fostering peace within ourselves extends outward, to the work we do in recovery, to how we live our lives, and to the health of our relationships. Everything in our lives benefits from our learning how to be at peace within ourselves. We become happier, healthier and more whole. We become far better equipped to heal the addictive patterns and mental health issues that have been causing us so much pain for so long.
An important first step is to make the conscious decision that we want to prioritize inner peace for ourselves in all areas of our lives. This means shedding the destructive patterns we’ve grown accustomed to and dependent upon, such as resorting to volatile emotional reactivity, choosing bitterness over forgiveness, and holding contempt in our hearts for people and for the world around us. We want to stop the toxic habits of being impatient with ourselves, with other people and with life in general, of being frustrated when things don’t go as planned, of being disappointed when expectations aren’t met. We want to try to stop being so hard on ourselves, so self-deprecating and belittling of ourselves whenever we make a mistake or don’t live up to our own expectations. We want to stop treating ourselves with unkindness, criticism and harsh judgment. All of these tendencies create internal conflict and turmoil. They make us feel worse about ourselves and chip away at our self-esteem. They impact our ability to be at peace amidst unresolved problems, to relinquish control over the things we have no control over, and to surrender to the flow of life. They impede our ability to follow our intuition and to listen for divine guidance. As we work to stop these habits, we can begin to implement new ones: being calm and patient whenever anything difficult arises, choosing forgiveness when someone has hurt us and choosing to forgive ourselves, being self-loving and self-accepting, and navigating life’s obstacles with faith, optimism and positivity. The more we take steps to cultivate inner peace for ourselves, the healthier our lives become, the more we become sources of positivity to the people around us, and the better able we are to recover from our addictions.
Your new life starts today. Let Riverside Recovery be your support system as you do the work to heal. Call (800) 871-5440 for more information on our addiction recovery treatment programs.