Where Do Your Thoughts Take You?
How often do you pay attention to your thoughts? Have you ever sat back and taken a close look at how your thoughts influence the way you feel, and behave? Have you recognized how you tend to think about your life situations; are you positive or negative about them? Thoughts are a very powerful thing, and influence your life in unimaginable ways. Change the Way You Think about Thinking
Say, for instance, you lose your job. This could be devastating, and a lot of us will assume the victim role, just looking at the negative aspects of the situation. Thoughts like “Now I will have no way to pay my bills” or “How am I going to survive?” These thoughts may have some validity, but if you begin with negative thinking, those assumptions can snowball into something bigger, which may result in the feeling of giving up. In recovery, this could easily translate into relapse.
- “Maybe that person who cut me off is a new driver, and still learning.”
- “Maybe that person who was rude to me is having a tough day.”
- “Maybe that person got bad news today, and didn’t mean to take it out on me.”
What Can I Learn When I Examine my Thoughts?
Practicing New Thinking is Like any Skill
Just like most things in recovery, it is a process, and will take time and effort.
A skill is a skill, no matter how or where you apply it. If you can start with the small things in your life, such as practicing empathy, or looking at each situation as a learning experience, you’re then working on that skill. Once you have developed and practiced that skill, it will be easier to quickly choose these new thoughts, actions, or feelings in other situations, or when something major happens in your life that is out of your control.
Recovery is ongoing, and during your journey you will always need to challenge yourself, expand your comfort zone, and be open-minded. If you are able to do that, you will begin to experience the magic that is recovery.
I have been in the recovery field for over seven years, I find a great deal of purpose by helping others, and I have great passion for recovery. I work as a Recovery Coach with Brad McLeod Recovery, and do my best to support people struggling with addiction over the internet.
Aaron Lebold
Christine Campbell
Craig Stratton
Donnie Huffman
marilynldavis
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