Many people living in one day at a time recovery believe in first hand knowledge. We might have difficulty taking advice from someone who hasn’t lived with our disorders. Sometimes these views are valid. Sometimes these views are absurd. Often ego makes it so that we can have difficulty in trusting direction from others who haven’t lived our experience. Just because we bullshitted a therapist it doesn’t mean a therapist couldn’t adequately help us, and that they failed us. It means we conned ourselves out of a possibility of being helped. Our reality is if we want to live in recovery we have to be responsible. Especially for our own recovery. We need to understand that the so called normal people can give us direction to help us cope with our disorders and to live in one day at a time recovery. Another reality is when we have been in recovery for a while we know when our ego is being an ego and our minds do open up a bit. It’s either a big step step in trust or we are first-handedly experiencing the gift of desperation. We’ll know which it is. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery learn to trust their own judgement. This happens when we trust our recovery. Although we might struggle at times, we know the reality of our lives. What we should know is people without learned experience truthfully have no leg to stand on when they criticize our recovery. Our reality is that they will, and they do, because they don’t know any better. We learn to let it go though difficult as it might be. When we trust our recovery we know we are capable and valuable human beings, and as capable and valuable people we know when we need help. When we trust our recovery we know who we can ask for help. When we trust our recovery we know the reality of our lives and that we will grow in recovery. We also become fairly self-aware. Peace.
Many people who are living in one day at a time recovery write gratitude lists. Often we do this when we are depleted of, or struggling to find joy. Sometimes we do this when adversities are kicking at our doors. We also write gratitude lists when we don’t want to give ourselves, others, or life in general a break. Difficult times happen to all of us. Gratitude lists are important. In truth a gratitude list is a written celebration of life. During struggles we need to search for, write down, see and acknowledge the good things in our lives. Our reality is if we are living in recovery, we have being in recovery to be grateful for. If we are living in recovery our mental health is good. Write that down. Read it and acknowledge it. If you are living in recovery and you are having a difficult time, and you know it’s a difficult time that will end, write it down, read it and acknowledge it. These are all gifts of being in recovery. There are many many other things to be grateful for. Search for them and write them down. Read them and acknowledge them. When we read these gratitude lists when we are doing well we will really see they are a written celebration that life brings us much joy. People living in recovery know this. Peace.
The suicide rate for people living with schizophrenia spectrum disorders is over 20 times higher than that of the general population. If you are a person living with such a condition, suicidal thoughts and preoccupations can be a normal thing for you. You’re not alone. Here is a reality. Some of us have discovered that living in one day at a time recovery has helped. We have also discovered that antipsychotic medication minimalizes the noise. It gives us an opportunity to be well today. The support we receive from others makes life doable. I will share a line of hope with you. We can become responsible productive members of society. That line was for those of us who are searching for hope. Hope is for all. It is the saving grace of the human condition. I am so grateful to have known the mental health advocates that have helped me along the way. I am grateful for those who fight the good fight everyday. When I contemplate on my journey, I am amazed that people have given me a platform on which I can share my experience, strength and hope so that by God’s grace others just might not feel like they’re alone. We need to know this. Life can be, and is good. We can be reasonable and happy people. We can discover joy. Another note is I have contacted another recovering person about helping with writing some blogs, and hopefully they will begin soon. We all need to reach out. This is the reality of one day at a time recovery and personal responsibility. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery are humble and real. If we are not, we have little chance of guarding our minds. Humility and reality are the backbone of recovery. Without them we become wrapped up in the passions, or the obsessions, of egoic imaginings. Whether paranoid, or grandiose, such states of mind make good health hard to find. Most of the time we are neither as great, bad or as persecuted, as we believe ourselves to be. On a personal note medication helped me to understand the importance of guarding our minds. Mental illness and substance abuse ends too many lives. That is why I do these writings. We deserve to know that we are not alone and that there is hope. We need to know we are hard wired for struggle and that life is doable. So very often we find support in places where we had no idea we could find it at. We find support in the rooms where people meet to help us with our addictions, anxieties, and our grief. We find support in faith communities and creative communities. When we do this we are guarding our minds. It’s important. Peace.
Grace
At times you’re so grateful you can’t even cry
But inside fall the tears ever frightened and shy
For a child is born and they’re born to be free
For so gentle is grace and you finally see
For you’re kissed by the silence of innocent morns
The dew drops are dancing new beginnings are born
Imperfect perfection yet you’re hampered by fears
Of confusion and doubt but this grace is sincere
But at times you’re so grateful you can’t even cry
But inside fall the tears ever frightened and shy
For a child is born and they’re born to be free
For so gentle is grace and you finally see
The moment is magic when grace takes our hand
And we know we belong but we can’t understand
For we’ve wasted and tasted and hastened to live
Self-centered self-serving but it’s grace that forgives
At times you’re so grateful you can’t even cry
But inside fall the tears ever frightened and shy
For a child is born and they’re born to be free
For so gentle is grace and you finally see
And you think of the moment and the prodigal sons
The daughters the wives and the husbands that run
The sinners last dinners and thieves on the cross
The Buddha the pain and the times we have lost
When we feel we are nothing we know grace disagrees
It embraces with love helps us off of our knees
And at times you’re so grateful you can’t even cry
We’ve a moment of peace and we drop our disguise
And we know that we live as the prodigal sons
The daughters the wives and the husbands that run
The sinners last dinners and thieves on the cross
The Buddha the pain and the times we have lost
Those of us living in one day at a time recovery practice the skill of deep thought. Some call it contemplation. We understand that it has both advantages and disadvantages. This is the reality of introspection. Some say we are to empty our minds and seek the awareness of the present moment. Some say when we can find the silence (which does happen from time to time) we will find peace. Often when we become aware of our inner-workings difficulties can occur for us. When this happens most of us seek guidance because when we become self-aware usually there is pain and disappointment that comes with it. If we don’t seek guidance we can become stuck and painfully self-absorbed. When we understand this we choose to turn the disadvantages of introspection into the advantage of belonging. When we know that we belong the healing begins. Introspection has brought us to a point where we unload, actualize, and let go of our baggage. In doing so we understand the gift of the present moment and the reality of the present day. We become aware of our egoic imaginings but we accept we are children of the universe and that we are no less than the trees or the stars. We become people living our lives one day at a time who are no better or no worse than any other human being. In all reality we understand we can live happy, joyous and free lives. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery learn how to live with irritating stress that is frustrating. We call this exasperating stress. Sounds smothering doesn’t it? This is the kind of stress that leaves us crying in the bathroom during our fifteen minute break at work just so we can try and hold it together so we can get a paycheck at the end of the week. Exasperating stress is stress that continues and continues. It happens when we have to choose between heating our homes or having food to eat. It happens after we put the kids to bed and we scream into our dish towel because we just can’t take it anymore. Just thinking about it makes me want to weep. It’s the cause of “stress leave” and hospitalizations. When this is happening others need to understand that we’ve done “the suck it up princess” thing long enough and we need to get a break. Government, work-places, and people, many people, are starting to understand this. We don’t have to punch walls because we just can’t take it anymore. We don’t have to blow up at our significant others creating turmoil and fear in our homes. The way we live with exasperating stress is we reach out for help (often professional help). When we do so we realize we are not alone and we find new hope and new breath. Very often we will find support in places that we would have never imagined it would be. People who lived with, or live with exasperating stress, often meet in groups that help us to live with anxiety. Some of us meet over decaf or at the gym. Some of us walk together. We also meet in faith gatherings or at 12 step meetings. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery know we are all together as akin. Although it is a spiritual and emotional togetherness many of us take this togetherness one step farther. Our physical beings meet in a physical togetherness, and for this we are truly grateful. Many of us believe this is important because we are witnessing first hand the togetherness of each other. Some call it skin on skin (the fist-pumps, the handshakes and the hugs). After all, our disorders have affected us physically, emotionally and spiritually. Some of us do not, or cannot meet in such ways so we choose to join and become akin in on-line gatherings. This is a good way for our energies to meet. Togetherness is a gift which brings with it the gift of gratitude. We don’t have to be alone. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery suffer in life. We know others do also. We just want to say to others – “We know it’s hard. You’re not alone.” It’s part of being human just like aging, and illness are a part of the journey. Our reality is we need to acknowledge it, and then find out if there is something we can do to change it. People have been trying to stop suffering, illness and aging since the beginning of time. The pain we feel, we have to learn to transform it into a part of the process, as we forgive, and accept it as such, in order that we do not transmit it to others. People will suffer enough without us transmitting our pain onto them. Our reality is only the acknowledgement and acceptance of living grace can show us how to stop transmitting our pain. This shows us we are worthy of love and belonging, and in doing so we grow enough that we can accept the imperfection of the human condition. We begin to understand unconditional love, and we accept what we cannot change. When we transmit unconditional love we are saying to others – “We know it’s hard. You’re not alone.” Here is reality. The human condition is a wonderful endeavor regardless of our suffering. “We know it’s hard. You’re not alone.” Peace.