Recovery Enthusiast/ Recovery for Women

    I was misinformed by the misinformed. Like many of us, I grew up with family and friends information that they had passed down to me that was not correct. They didn't do it because they were mean or insensitive. They did it because they were loving and caring and wanted the best for me. But the fact of the matter is that its incorrect information. So much of the self-talk that I've had for years went like this; if I say I'm pretty or intelligent, I'm conceited. If I beat myself up for my mistakes or, just in general, get on my butt, I will be more motivated to do things. If I beat myself up for being lazy or beat myself up for procrastinating or for the mistakes that I made, if I didn't do it right the first time or the 100th time, beating myself up would motivate me to do better. And I don't know about you, but that hasn't worked for me too well.  I know the clients that I work with it hasn't worked for them either.  One of the reasons they soug

 Each moment of my life matters to me. Life is composed of a string of moments, and I am determined to make the most of each moment of my life. The first step to maximizing my experience of living is to be mindful.  Mindfulness allows me to experience each moment fully.   When I am lacking mindfulness, I am missing out on my life. My life can become grueling, overwhelming, and lack purpose. When I pay attention to the moment in front of me, I am fully living my life. My life has meaning, is manageable, and fulfilling.   I avoid spending too much time thinking about the past. The past is less relevant than the present. Thinking about the past most often leads to feelings of regret, anxiety, and depression. Regret is an enemy of my enjoyment of the present. Anxiety and depression steal my happiness. These negative feelings can bring about a relapse if I am not mindful and nip it in the bud.   I avoid worrying about the future. Worrying about what might happen next also makes li