Let Go and Be Free
Discover tips on self-healing, overcome a dysfunctional childhood and find happiness.
In listening to my morning meditation, Oprah talked about this quote from inspiration speaker Iyanla Vanzant: “There’s no greater battle in life than the battle between the parts of you that want to be healed and the parts of you that are comfortable and content being broken.”
That’s a really difficult thought to process.
Take some time today to praise all the hard work that you have done on your journey. It doesn’t matter if this is your first day or that you’ve worked for decades to be where you are, now is the time to take stock of who you are and to heap praise on yourself for the work that you’ve done.
Too often we look at the future or the past, but we do not take time to be happy with whom we are today.
Trust is a difficult thing to maintain if you grew up in an alcoholic or dysfunctional family. When a loved one is on the road to recovery either from a physical addiction to alcohol or drug, they might have a relapse.
Earlier today I read the news that actor Dax Shepard has relapsed after 16 years of sobriety.
You can do all the work on yourself, go to a therapist, work on living the Twelve Steps, and on being set and sound with your path forward. However, what do you do if your family members continue on their path?
If you have contact with an alcoholic parent, you might need to put down a hard boundary. This might mean that you need to break all contact with them or to be honest and let them know that you are choosing to move forward in your life down a different path.
There will be days when you are tired, feel weak, and your heart will be heavy. Times when you feel that you’re burning the candle at both ends, and you’re trying so hard to keep all the balls up in the air.
When we do not admit to our feelings or take time to recharge, we are putting ourselves at risk. Our bodies can handle short bursts of crisis, but when there is chronic stress, that’s when we start to slump and fall down.
I’ve had a difficult time in growing up with being around people who drink to excess. In college, graduate school, and all through my 20s (and even 30s), I’ve known some people who have chosen to abuse alcohol. I’ve always felt uncomfortable when people drink to excess at a party. I’ve seen fights break out, arguments, and words being said that are regretted the next day.
For some historical perspective, I am writing this in September 2020, early in the morning after the news broke last night that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had passed away due to pancreatic cancer. The news comes at a time when the United States has marked the tragedy of nearly 200,000 deaths due to the coronavirus, and great unrest is taking place throughout the country.
I have a secret that I don’t talk about a lot. I have a mild form of Pectus Excavatum which means that when I was born my chest was sunken in. As a kid, I feared changing in the locker room for gym because I didn’t want the other kids to make fun of me.
