Recovery- what is it anyway?

We talk about recovery, being in recovery, recovering but what does it really mean?  When most people hear the words "in recovery" we think of substance abuse.  I think most of us picture a person in recovery from using drugs or drinking and this is often very much the case.  However, recovery can mean much more than substance abuse.  To help expand our thinking let me offer you a definition.

re·cov·er·y
noun, plural re·cov·er·ies.

1. The act, process, duration, or an instance of recovering.

2. A return to a normal condition.

3. Something gained or restored in recovering.

 

A return to a normal condition...what is a normal condition anyway?  What we are used to? What was normal for us at one time may very well no longer be normal.  If we are going to use this "a return to a normal condition" then I prefer to change it to "a return to a NEW normal condition".  In the act of recovering from substance abuse, co-dependency, abuse, anxiety, depression, grief or loss we never really go back to who we were in the "before".  We become more, we become better, we become stronger and we are different people with a new "normal".  When we are attempting to create this new normal in the midst of a trauma, a death, a depressive episode, drinking, drugging etc we tend to fight it tooth and nail.  We want what we had back.  Many times even if what we had was really bad we were used to it so we want it back.  The struggle to find you and who you are is a challenge that most of us tend to face after an event that puts us in recovery mode. 

 

Body, mind and spirit- I do not believe that we can be healthy in one area without the others.  We need healthy working bodies to support us in our daily lives.  We need clear and capable minds to create and think at work and play.  If we do not keep our spirit nourished we cease to really exist.  The need to feel a connection, a part of the bigger picture, to live outside our own selves to me is the key to feeding the spirit.  A belief in something greater than us- God, the universe, karma, nature, stars- anything that we see and are awed by and humbled represents to me a belief that gives our spirit the love it needs to support us. 

 

What do you do to tend to all parts of the whole?  How do you care for and take care of your own body, mind and spirit?  I want to discuss this in upcoming posts.  I use many different techniques and they are a constant work in progress.  Breathe work, body work, yoga, reading and learning, writing- just a few. 

Please share how you take care of you.   How do you recover and if you are comfortable sharing what are you in recovery from? 

 

Want to chat?  Comment with your email and I will get in touch with you.  Want to do some work together?  I do online counseling- have the official "technology assisted specialization" from my Board of Examiners that allows me to do that.   Life is short- don't wait if you need help and who doesn't need help. 

 

Live and love (((hugs)))