Once you’re willing, you can surrender to recovery. I like to think of surrender more as a feeling that you begin to carry into all of your daily activities, rather than a place you get to just once.
Surrendering to recovery means saying, “I don’t know it all. Maybe someone else might have a better idea. After all, what I’ve been doing until now has gotten me here, which isn’t such a great place to be.”
You may surrender to a belief or idea, to a person helping you, to treatment, to a food plan, to a healthy movement routine. There are so many things to surrender to that it’s very likely to happen in layers, not all at once.
The opposite of surrendering is staying stuck. Being stuck is a really normal part of the recovery journey, and it holds opportunities as well as challenges. When you’re stuck, start paying close attention to what helps get you unstuck.
Many people notice that changing their environment helps a lot. Even if it doesn’t seem at all related, clearing clutter from a closet or drawer can release energy in other parts of your life.
Perhaps there is clutter to clear in your relationships as well. I describe this as “trimming the branches of the tree” of relationships or patterns that no longer serve you. It doesn’t have to mean cutting someone out of your life, it could mean changing how, where or when you interact with that person.
What about your schedule, and how you spend your time? Is it time for a new job, or maybe just shifting or cutting back your hours? Do you want to add or let go of a volunteer commitment?
When you place your attention on where you might be stuck, it’s amazing what you may all of a sudden feel willing to change and voilà! You’re no longer stuck.
Sometimes stuckness sets in from over-thinking what to do next. In those moments, take a break from whatever you’re trying to figure out. Go for a walk, listen to music, head to a yoga class, or spend time with someone who nurtures you.
It’s amazing how things start to get moving and work themselves out, as soon as we surrender and loosen our grip on them.
Recommended reading:
Language of Letting Go by Melodie Beattie
Letting Go Now, Embracing Detachment by Karen Casey
Forgiving & Moving On by Tian Dayton, Ph.D.
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