The Language of Letting Go, Jan. 12
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The Language of Letting Go, Jan. 12
JANUARY 12
You are reading from the book "The Language of Letting Go."
Finding Balance
The goal of recovery is balance--that precious middle ground.
Many of us have gone from one extreme to another: years of taking care of everyone but ourselves, followed by a time of refusing to focus on anyone's needs but our own.
We may have spent years refusing to identify, feel, and deal with our feelings, followed by a period of absolute obsession with every trace of emotional energy that passes through our body.
We may succumb to powerlessness, helplessness, and victimization, then we swing to the other extreme by aggressively wielding power over those around us.
We can learn to give to others while taking responsibility for ourselves. We can learn to take care of our feelings, as well as our physical, mental, and spiritual needs. We can nurture the quiet confidence of owning our power as equals in our relationships with others.
The goal of recovery is balance, but sometimes we get there by going to extremes.
Today, I will be gentle with myself, understanding that sometimes to reach the middle ground of balance, I need to explore the peaks and valleys. Sometimes, the only way I can extricate myself from a valley is to jump high enough to land on a peak, and then slowly ease myself down.
©1990, Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.
You are reading from the book "The Language of Letting Go."
Finding Balance
The goal of recovery is balance--that precious middle ground.
Many of us have gone from one extreme to another: years of taking care of everyone but ourselves, followed by a time of refusing to focus on anyone's needs but our own.
We may have spent years refusing to identify, feel, and deal with our feelings, followed by a period of absolute obsession with every trace of emotional energy that passes through our body.
We may succumb to powerlessness, helplessness, and victimization, then we swing to the other extreme by aggressively wielding power over those around us.
We can learn to give to others while taking responsibility for ourselves. We can learn to take care of our feelings, as well as our physical, mental, and spiritual needs. We can nurture the quiet confidence of owning our power as equals in our relationships with others.
The goal of recovery is balance, but sometimes we get there by going to extremes.
Today, I will be gentle with myself, understanding that sometimes to reach the middle ground of balance, I need to explore the peaks and valleys. Sometimes, the only way I can extricate myself from a valley is to jump high enough to land on a peak, and then slowly ease myself down.
©1990, Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Midwest
Posts: 11,481
This is definitely a challenge I face. I do swing between extremes. Sometimes I've got my "cactus skin" on, all prickly, don't touch me, don't ask me for anything, just keep away! I can't or don't spare a thought for anyone else, it seems.
Then other times I find myself back in the deep dark heart of "codie swamp", taking on responsibilities that were never mine, getting angry b/c I've allowed others to walk over me, all that good stuff....
Those moments when the pendulum swings exactly over the middle ground are wonderful but all too rare. I'm hoping this is like riding a bike, and I can learn not to totter and fall to either side eventually, or at least that I can get up more quickly when I do fall.
Then other times I find myself back in the deep dark heart of "codie swamp", taking on responsibilities that were never mine, getting angry b/c I've allowed others to walk over me, all that good stuff....
Those moments when the pendulum swings exactly over the middle ground are wonderful but all too rare. I'm hoping this is like riding a bike, and I can learn not to totter and fall to either side eventually, or at least that I can get up more quickly when I do fall.
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