Creating Recovery

Ever want to run away?

Find a deserted island and move in?

Over there is looking pretty good. Yeah.

For some of us, running is a way of life. We seem to need to be perpetually in motion. On the go. Taking in as much as we can stand and then some. Verging on burnout, we long to escape, to be anywhere but here. We imagine ourselves in different settings, perhaps with different people.

Imagining happier circumstances is not a bad thing. It signals a need for change, and reveals a tendency to be solution-oriented. You know that there has to be something better than this. There is. But it’s not necessarily always over there. What you need might be closer than you think.

Turn your focus inward for a moment, and ask yourself what you are really trying to be free of. What do you hunger for? What would make a difference in how you are feeling? What one thing could you do right now to make a positive change?

If you can channel your willingness to imagine yourself happier into making small, manageable adjustments, where you are will begin to look better. How you see and do things can change. Believe it. Act on it. You have the power. You just might find that, not only are you exactly where you need to be, you are where you want to be.

My imagination puts the wind in my sails, but I am at the helm of this ship, and I’m right on course.

Paradise is in the eye of the beholder.

Do you long to be shorter, taller, thinner, heavier; your hair to be straight or curvy; your skin darker or lighter? Do you wish you had more of her money, social life, career; his home, talents, adventures?

It’s one thing to be inspired towards desired change. And quite another to obsess.

The message we absorb and send out, when we place too much emphasis on the treasures of others, is that our own gifts have little or no value. Our energies might better be spent exploring our personal landscapes and building our selves up.

Take stock of your treasures and honour them. Celebrate them. Believe it or not, someone is wishing they were theirs.

There is more to me than meets the eye. I am worth the effort it takes to learn to love myself just as I am, and to make the most of what I’ve got.

When the artist is alive in any person, whatever his kind of work may be, he becomes an inventive, searching, daring, self-expressive creature.

~Robert Henri

Get out your brushes. It’s time for a walk on the wild side.

Think of yourself as an artist, and your life as a masterpiece in progress. Each day you add to it, bringing the life you dream of into view. Today it needs a bold stroke of color, something to catch your eye and draw you into the picture. You are, after all, the key subject in your painting. And you are vibrant. Passionate. Alive!

So, risk a little color. Push your personal boundaries a smidge and dare one thing that will make your vision of the future a reality.

Do it today.

Put worry away and reach for what you want. Make that call. Write that note. Go where you must to express, in some way, the thing that burns deep inside. If things don’t turn out quite as you’d like, remind yourself that it’s not a permanent move, just a walk on the wild side.

I am bold, passionate, alive! Today I’m pulling color from my wild side and adding it to my masterpiece. It would not be true, not quite me, without it.

There is sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power…

~Washington Irving

An ocean of emotion, and not one tear.

When was the last time you felt intensely angry, sad, afraid, or overjoyed?

How many tears did you shed? Any at all?

The mere thought of expressing our deepest feelings is enough to shut some of us down. We’ve been taught to put on a brave front. Don’t cry. To hold our emotions in check. That’s not nice. To be in control. If I start, I’ll never stop.

While it is important to be reasonable, it’s also important not to pretend you don’t feel. You are an emotional being, biologically designed to express yourself. When you withhold, stuff, block—you deny yourself opportunities to release intense feelings. This can be harmful not only to your emotional health but to your body.

Let those tears flow. If privacy is a prime concern, go to a place where you can be alone. If the feelings have subsided by the time you get there (which can happen if you’re well-practiced in blocking), try prompting them with music, scents, or images that remind you of the experience. Then give yourself permission to let go.

I honor all my feelings. They are fluid. Their intensity is temporary. And, for my own good, they must be acknowledged and released.

One of the most exciting discoveries we can make is the realization that we are not alone.

When we first encounter people who share experiences similar to ours, we go through a mixture of mental and emotional states. Disbelief. Relief. Joy! Here, at last, are those who understand where we’ve been because they’ve been there too. We have found our people. We have arrived.

The journey, however, has really only begun. And the weather is not always favorable.

During the long, darker days you may feel fragile, brittle, vulnerable. At times, it seems as though you’re standing still, going nowhere. Know that this is simply part of the process. Remember that you’re in good company. The stalwart souls travelling with you are your earthly kin and your angels. Although they cannot make the journey for you, they will inspire, guide and nurture you. Gather them in for comfort and support. Before long you will realize that you are not only surviving, you are thriving.

I have much to gain and to give in the company of my peers. Together we are accomplishing more than I ever dared believe possible.