The context of the “it” doesn’t really matter. If you’re going through something difficult in life that is making everything feel like a painful challenge, whether it be a mental health disorder, an addiction, or processing trauma, it can feel like it will never end. Right now, there’s very little hope on the horizon for you. So accustomed to pain as you have become it has gotten difficult to believe that life could be any different. The thought scares you. In fact, it terrifies you. What if it doesn’t get any better? What if you go to treatment, change your entire life, work hard, feel feelings you don’t want to, shed tears, show emotions, talk about the past and do everything you’ve been running away from doing for so long…and it doesn’t work?
“It works if you’re work it,” it is often said in recovery, “so work it because you’re worth it.” A small part they often lead out is that the “work” is “worth it”, too. It is going to get better. If you’re reading this right now, you’re already on your way to making it better. The first step in overcoming any problem is admitting that there is a problem. Denial is a powerful tool. Melody Beattie describes denial as a protective shield, a “shock absorber for the soul” which helps keep us from realities we aren’t prepared to cope with yet. Investigating the ending of things means you’re beginning to recognize that what you are going through might be finite, at least your suffering might be. Ongoing in recovery, there will be rough days. There will be tough days. Some days will make it feel as though hardly anything has changed. Yet, even still, you will notice, that in just the smallest degree- it’s a little bit better. Maybe it’s the way you handle a bad day, how you reflect on a difficult moment, or how you stand up for yourself when you need to. One of the promises in The Big Books Of Alcoholics Anonymous states that you will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle you. Whatever it is you are going through now which is causing you so much pain is baffling.
Commit to treatment, commit to recovery, and you will see that the changes commence immediately. However quickly or slowly, they will come and things will get better, if you continue to do the work. Are you ready?
If you’re ready to make changes in your life and heal from pain, call Avalon Malibu for a confidential assessment and information about our residential treatment programs for mental health and substance use disorders. 1 888-958-7511.
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