Working to heal from our addictions entails repairing our damaged relationship to self and transforming the self-image we’ve created out of self-hate and self-rejection. We see ourselves as bad people, as ugly, worthless and shameful. We feel inadequate and inferior to other people. We don’t see ourselves for who we truly are. We don’t focus on our strengths, our gifts and our blessings. Instead, we mentally and emotionally formulate a self-image that is self-hating and self-punishing. As long as we’re hurting ourselves in this way, we’re setting ourselves up for continued pain and toxicity, pushing us to our addictions as a means of escaping our cruel self-treatment. How can we heal our self-image to reflect the truth of who we are?
The majority of our thoughts are being governed by our subconscious mind, where all of our emotions, fears and memories are stored. To start thinking of ourselves in a new and more positive light, we have to reprogram our subconscious mind to be more self-loving. Start to take more notice of your thoughts and monitor your self-talk. How are you speaking about yourself? Chances are you think and speak about yourself in self-disparaging ways. Consciously choose words that are kind and loving. Transform how you speak about yourself, and you will begin to manifest a more positive self-image.
Instead of dwelling in the negative, name-calling ourselves and shaming ourselves as addicts, for example, we can choose to say more uplifting things like “I am healing. I am changing, growing and transforming. I am evolving into my highest self. My challenges are my gateway to healing. My struggles are my strength.” Can you feel how much more encouraging and positive these words are? These statements reflect hope and optimism. The more we can infuse our self-talk with positivity and show faith in ourselves, the more we can conquer our fears that we aren’t good enough.
Much of our pained self-image comes from the toxicity in our lives, the unhealthy relationships and patterns we’ve fallen into. We believe the lies our abusers tell us that we’re unworthy. We feel ashamed of and embarrassed about our bad habits and think they are reflections of our inadequacy. Consciously start to separate yourself from toxic people, as well as your toxic habits and patterns, both behavioral patterns and thought patterns. Make your serenity and happiness your ultimate priority. Distance yourself from unhealthy relationships that bring you down. Work to create healthier habits for yourself that bolster your self-love rather than making you feel worse about yourself. Creating a healthy self-image takes work, time and practice, but it is a crucial part of our overall healing and recovery.
Being in recovery ourselves, we understand how important it is to learn to love yourself. The community at Riverside Recovery knows addiction and recovery firsthand, and we’re here to help. Call (800) 871-5440 today.