Deep Breath, and Pause, Exhale, Deep Breath and Pause, Exhale, Deep Breath, Pause,….Exhale
My name is Laurie and I am a grateful recovering Alcoholic.
Today is the first day of a new year. Today is also the first day of the rest of your life.
Today I woke up sober, and happy, looking forward to the challenges, opportunities, joys that today will bring.
I have been tossing back and forth between acceptance and first step, but New Years Resolutions keep popping into my brain….SO… this seems particularly important when so many of us are making New Years Resolutions wanting our lives to be different.
My life certainly is different from the three pots of coffee hangovers I had on a daily basis. I was so out of balance and didn’t know how to care for myself when I came in the rooms. My sponsor has taught me that I have 5 areas to work with. Physical, Emotional, Social, Spiritual and Intellectual. That I need to put something in each account, each day.
I have found that if I am telling myself musts or that it’s work- I make things so much harder on myself. So I try to find things I enjoy, for example:
- Physical – yoga, horseback riding, any type of physical exercise, sex
- Emotional – I try to have a least one conversation a day when I am fully paying attention to the person and my feelings.
- Social – I go to work, and a meeting 3 to 4 times a week, If I am home, I make an effort to call and talk to someone, just because I care.
- Spiritual- For me, I pray, Meditate, but my horses are also a spiritual outlet, as sex can be too.
- Intellectual- That’s’ Grow, and Meetings and YouTube and another group of Like minded Individuals that I have started attending meetings with. My brain is much happier stimulated. I am seldom bored.
This topic does tie in with ” our lives were unmanageable….. “were” being a past tense for many of us. There are so many tools to care of each of our five areas, I thought it might be interesting to hear how you care for each of these aspects of self, and any New Years Resolutions you may have, and how you are kind to yourself while learning to balance life.
Of course if there is anything you feel the need to share, please do… we are here to listen.
Happy New Years Ladies, May all your dreams come true. – Laurie 2-99