Hello friends! Today’s ‘Ask’..
How do I stay positive when the negative pull is so strong?
I have to be honest, I am struggling with this as we speak. It is so easy to get caught up in the victim, why me, self-pity party. Our addictions thrive off of that. Our thinking becomes skewed, self-centered, selfish, ego-centric when living in the negative. We become angry, resentful, judgmental and end up beating ourselves up. Why do we do this? Well, we have a disease. And, we are creatures of habit and pattern. Most of the messages that lie within us today were sent to us in our childhood. This becomes part of our subconscious, and about 95% of the time we are living in our subconscious. So we are working against a lot to get to that 5% level of consciousness. But, it is possible to regain consciousness. To connect with our true and authentic self that innately is positive. That self that embodies hope, patience, compassion, and love infinitely. The negativity sucks this out of us.
For me, it is important during these times to take a step back. Reflect on my current status and the amount of spiritual, emotional, mental growth that has evolved during my time in recovery. And begin discerning between my diseased mind and my healthy mind/heart. When I do this, I slow down the thought process. I allow for my higher power to enter and guide me towards doing the next best thing. Which is admitting powerlessness. Surrendering and asking for help. My disease wants me dead. Wants me stuck in negativity. I do not though. And when I am being pulled toward the negative, I have to remember all the times I was able to escape that pull. All the strength I innately have inside of me. I am deserving of everything and more. That helps me. Connecting with others helps me. Releasing the destructive thoughts helps me. I am not alone. And never have to be again. When I remember this, an attitude of gratitude takes over and a mental shift towards the positive occurs as well. It truly is a miracle.
How do you stay positive in recovery? What do you do when the negative energy comes in? Let us know and join the movement!
Sending love,
Lauren
Ask4Recovery 
Great read Lauren, thank you!! Getting clean is much easier than staying clean and life on life’s terms can be a beyotch. Staying positive on the “no so good days”, can be difficult for sure. What helps me the most is to reach out to another struggling addict. Most often I feel better afterwards and my problems don’t seem so magnified, Chances are they are having a worse day than me. There is no joy when I focus on self. It’s easy to be grateful when all is going well, but it’s the problems that make me dig in, figure out who I am, and what I’m responsible to give back.
Thank you! Reaching out to another addict really is like a magic cure! I still have to remind myself to do that! The problems are real learning opportunities as well! xo L