“You desire to know the art of living, my friend? It is contained in one phrase: make use of suffering.” – Henri Frédéric Amiel
Recently I was emailed a question that I thought would be good to share:
So I have a question for you. Can you describe what staying in the moment means to you? And how you did it?
Anonymous
I wish I could say it is/was easy. When the pressure rises and it seems like my head is going to pop or the worst is about to occur I STOP:
Stay Still and Breath.
Take an inventory of what is really happening or could happen.
Orient myself to the FACT that I am ok right here and now and that is all I can control.
Pray!
I guess I have been through so much stuff in my life as a kid, as and addict and in recovery that I know not to panic. I just keep saying to myself, it will work out it always does! Right here and right now I am alive, breathing, reasonably healthy and I am going to be OK!
In the early years of my recovery, I would recite the Serenity Prayer over and over. At night being raised Catholic I would do my version of the Rosary until I fell asleep. If I woke up in the middle of the night I would do it again until I fell asleep. When I woke up in the morning I would say, today is going to be a great day, everything negative I thought yesterday is swinging positive for me today!
The other thing I found helpful is to keep busy! Get involved in work, or if I wasn’t working, I would stay busy, clean my house, car, go to beach, I would hit a meeting, and get on the phone. When I spent time with people I found it was better to focus on them and not me. People love to talk about themselves and there “Stuff”, so I let them. It kept me from being immeshed in my own crap!
Go, Go, Go…
Dan 🙂
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Dear Dan,
I at times just have to stop and pray, let the tears flow and take action
To talk to someone about how I am feeling keeps the pain from turning
Into anger, and we all know where that leads
Best Regards,
William
There nothing like working a tenth step to help someone get past today’s problem
This thought brings us to Step Ten, which suggests we continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along. We vigorously commenced this way of living as we cleaned up the past. We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime. Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code.