Learning to Feel Our Feelings in Recovery

This is the video I made after recording an emotionally vulnerable video of myself experiencing a lot of anger & sadness. In it, I talk about how for so many years of my life, I never felt my feelings. I would try to fix them, stop them or push them down. In recovery, I have learned to feel my feelings. Sometimes they feel like a wave, and I have to trust that I am safe to feel my feelings and that my Higher Power will bring me safely back to shore. Feelings won’t kill me. Feelings aren’t facts. They are there to teach me how to connect with myself and to help guide and direct me to my truth.

One of my truths is that all my life, I never really felt like I fit in. This is a common story of people that struggle with addiction. Today, I know who I am and I know what I need. What I needed to learn about, is how to protect my energy. I was currently experiencing a high level of burnout and exhaustion. I needed was a strong connection with my Higher Power and myself to see my next steps. As long as I am connected to God, I am safe.

How I recovered from my exhaustion was to have compassion for myself, to go slow and treat myself like a sick friend. To love and care for myself. Which is no small thing because I grew up in “neglect by circumstance” which means I knew my parents loved me, but they didn’t have the emotional capacity to meet my needs. A part of my recovery is to acknowledge my needs as important and take responsibility for taking care of myself in a loving way.

If I don’t care for myself, I am abandoning myself. And that is when I feel the most alone. What I’ve learned is that I can maintain my sobriety within my struggles with mental health. I can ride the wave of my emotions safely to shore as long as I stay close to my Higher Power.

I hope you enjoy this video of me talking about learning to feel our feelings in recovery. I am very grateful for everyone that engages and encourages me in sharing my education & experience by commenting, liking & subscribing to my YouTube channel. Your encouragement means a lot to me. I am very grateful for your support! Frances Stone CCAC #addiction #recovery #suppot #therapy