Day 282 of 365 - The Way Out Is In
In a previous post, I discussed the concept of cravings. Today's post will explore a bit further strategies for consideration when we wake up to the reality that our behaviors are harming more than helping us, when we are seeking healing. Inspiration comes from a couple of presentations I listened to online.
It seems that I circle in my writing around issues of body, mind and spirit. I suppose that's because they are all interconnected and all of them relate to our experience of health and vitality. We all have habits which keep us from being our best selves, usually in a form of overdoing, in anything really. When that habit is what is guiding our day, it's time to consider recovery. Each of us has our own kind of wake up call.
One way to approach recovery from a dysfunctional pattern, is to look at the story we have created to justify our behavior. The story we tell or believe can either set us on a healing path, or keep us in our escape mode behavior patterns. Many people with addictive or codependent behaviors become very frustrated once they start to wake up. This is because they start to be aware of a potential they have not lived up to, along with what has brought them to this point.
Whatever kind of trauma, pain or suffering we may have experienced in our past, we are just trying to quiet the noise inside with our outside actions. We are looking for a way to feel good about ourselves and to find where we belong. Ironically, using substances or codependent behaviors develops a pattern of looking outside ourselves for answers and relief. But, the path to recovery is inward.
With the guidance of a mentor, self-awareness practices can help us to regain a sense of our original self, before those behaviors took hold. Body awareness practices, like breathing techniques, can inform us of ways that we have always been conscious and had a sense of knowing about ourselves. They can also show us how we can influence how we feel, via something we do internally, like being able to change our heart rate, breathing and to calm our nervous system. We need to feel that we have a sense of authority over our well-being in the present moment.
When we can connect more to ourselves internally, we can focus on the authentic self that was there before we created our story of suffering. This authority reminds us too that we can be in the driver's seat, using our faculties of intuition and inspiration combined with intention and action to move forward. When you feel the feedback from a physical practice, then you know you have the ability to use internal supports to help in recovery.
It's hard at first because we are trying to move away from familiar, entrenched patterns to create new ones. Initially, it may not seem possible that we can develop a sense of being in harmony in body, mind and spirit. What lead us to those familiar negative patterns can be our teacher. We can create a new story that supports using our abilities and talents in a more positive way. We can give our power away to substances, any kind of addictive behavior, or other people, or we can take responsibility for our own consciousness and actions. Feelings of resistance that come up can show us where to look within.
Reflecting on what we want to change at a heart, soul and spirit level can help us to move beyond the blaming and judging ego and to take healing action to support our health and vitality. It starts from within. Don't be afraid to go there.
It seems that I circle in my writing around issues of body, mind and spirit. I suppose that's because they are all interconnected and all of them relate to our experience of health and vitality. We all have habits which keep us from being our best selves, usually in a form of overdoing, in anything really. When that habit is what is guiding our day, it's time to consider recovery. Each of us has our own kind of wake up call.
One way to approach recovery from a dysfunctional pattern, is to look at the story we have created to justify our behavior. The story we tell or believe can either set us on a healing path, or keep us in our escape mode behavior patterns. Many people with addictive or codependent behaviors become very frustrated once they start to wake up. This is because they start to be aware of a potential they have not lived up to, along with what has brought them to this point.
Whatever kind of trauma, pain or suffering we may have experienced in our past, we are just trying to quiet the noise inside with our outside actions. We are looking for a way to feel good about ourselves and to find where we belong. Ironically, using substances or codependent behaviors develops a pattern of looking outside ourselves for answers and relief. But, the path to recovery is inward.
With the guidance of a mentor, self-awareness practices can help us to regain a sense of our original self, before those behaviors took hold. Body awareness practices, like breathing techniques, can inform us of ways that we have always been conscious and had a sense of knowing about ourselves. They can also show us how we can influence how we feel, via something we do internally, like being able to change our heart rate, breathing and to calm our nervous system. We need to feel that we have a sense of authority over our well-being in the present moment.
When we can connect more to ourselves internally, we can focus on the authentic self that was there before we created our story of suffering. This authority reminds us too that we can be in the driver's seat, using our faculties of intuition and inspiration combined with intention and action to move forward. When you feel the feedback from a physical practice, then you know you have the ability to use internal supports to help in recovery.
It's hard at first because we are trying to move away from familiar, entrenched patterns to create new ones. Initially, it may not seem possible that we can develop a sense of being in harmony in body, mind and spirit. What lead us to those familiar negative patterns can be our teacher. We can create a new story that supports using our abilities and talents in a more positive way. We can give our power away to substances, any kind of addictive behavior, or other people, or we can take responsibility for our own consciousness and actions. Feelings of resistance that come up can show us where to look within.
Reflecting on what we want to change at a heart, soul and spirit level can help us to move beyond the blaming and judging ego and to take healing action to support our health and vitality. It starts from within. Don't be afraid to go there.
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