Thought: Don’t reach out for peace and contentment. Reach in.
Addictions UK uses Twitter to share inspirational Thoughts every day. This article is based on one of them. Follow us at @addictionsuk.
It’s hard to imagine that in the whirlpool of your own life there is a spring of strength at the centre. The busy-ness and pressures of everyday existence swirl around us like an ugly mist. It’s natural to try to penetrate the turmoil and try to get out and away and find place of calm somewhere else.
But remember the hurricane. The only stillness is in the eye of the storm. If you try to get out and ahead of it, it will soon catch up with you again. Try to stay still while it rushes on and you will be surrounded by the devastation the tempest has left behind.
The path of peace may be best followed by finding stillness at the centre of your life and remaining there, tracking with it as it moves along.
It is challenging to find that still place at the centre of self because it is surrounded by the worst of the storm. The journey inwards may be difficult, even painful. And once there you cannot stay still – you must anticipate where the winds around your life are taking you and plan and strive to remain at the centre.
For those addicted to drugs or alcohol or something else, the challenge is especially hard.
But just as a hurricane eventually blows itself out, so the turmoil of a chaotic life will settle down, especially if you remain at the heart of it, facing and dealing with the difficulties and working hard to expand the circle of calm at the core.
The Thought “Don’t reach out for peace and contentment. Reach in.” is meant to make us focus. Of course, in reality, there are sources of peace and contentment around and outside to which we can and should reach out. Seizing every opportunity to build strengthening relationships with your friends and your families. Also, think about what the word “recreation” really means!
But the truth remains that it is only when you turn to your innermost self to discover and develop the strengths that are there that you can truly change who you are and enjoy being a better person.
Please contact us now if you need help with recovery from any addiction and especially if you are seeking home-based treatment.
