Ann

You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go

Recognizing Choices

We have choices, more choices than we let ourselves see.

We may feel trapped in our relationships, our jobs, our life. We may feel locked into behaviors such as caretaking or controlling.

Feeling trapped is a symptom of codependency. When we hear ourselves say, I have to take care of this person . . . I have to say yes . . . I have to try to control that person . . . I have to behave this way, think this way, feel this way . . . we can know we are choosing not to see choices.

That sense of being trapped is an illusion. We are not controlled by circumstances, our past, the expectations of others, or our unhealthy expectations for ourselves. We can choose what feels right for us, without guilt. We have options.

Recovery is not about behaving perfectly or according to anyone else's rules. More than anything else, recovery is about knowing we have choices and giving ourselves the freedom to choose.

Today, I will open my thinking and myself to the choices available to me. I will make choices that are good for me.

From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie ©1990, Hazelden Foundation.

Ann

I remember how hard it was to recognize that I had choices, especially when I felt so trapped by my circumstance.

The best choice I ever made was to stop living in the problem and start living in the solution by finding a meeting, a sponsor and learning to work 12 beautiful steps that literally saved my life.

Hugs