Sometimes as we’re recovering, we feel ashamed and embarrassed about where we are in our journey. We feel down on ourselves. We feel disappointed that we haven’t made as much progress in our recovery as we would have liked. We feel like we’re so far from our goal of sobriety that we might as well give up trying. We feel defeated and disheartened. We wonder if it will even be possible for us to get clean. We feel as though our suffering has been in vain. We struggle with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and other mental health challenges. We feel like a burden on the people we love, and we feel as though we’ve let everyone down. As we’re struggling with all of these difficult thoughts and feelings, we can try to shift our perspective – our recovery can actually be an example for other people, and an inspiration to them, to pursue their own recovery for themselves. Seeing us prioritize our recovery, regardless of where we are in the process, can help motivate other people to also work towards their own healing.
We have a tendency to strive for perfection and to hold incredibly high expectations for ourselves. When we falter, we tend to think less of ourselves. Instead of beating ourselves up for where we are in our recovery journey, we could choose to see that even just being in recovery is an accomplishment in and of itself. We could see our experience as having a purpose – to help other people and to be an inspiration to them. Our life experience, even the most difficult and depressing elements of it, can be a source of inspiration and encouragement for other people.
We learn from the people around us, by hearing their stories, by receiving their guidance and wisdom, and by sharing our own stories. We can think of our recovery as being an exchange of motivation and encouragement. We can think of our recovery not just as our own personal experience but as a collective one, where we can help and support one another as we work towards our goals.
The community of Riverside Recovery has personal experience with addiction and the feelings of hopelessness and disconnection that come with it. We’re here to help you reclaim the life you love. Call (800) 871-5440 today.