Wisdom Of The Rooms - 2021

[bluidkiti]

April 5

Quote of the Week

"R&R stands for rest and relaxation, not rehearse and rehash!"

If only my mind would leave me alone, I often think. I have what I call a digging mind. Like a dog at the beach, it digs and digs and digs in a problem, a worry, or in some other imagined potential problem area or scenario, often without my approval or even awareness. It loves to uncover negative thoughts, feelings, and fears, and then rehearse ugly scenarios or rehash old problems. In the past, the only way of quieting my mind was to drink.

My digging mind is not only relentless, but it is consistently negative as well. When I got sober, I rarely found it digging in a positive or hopeful place. During early recovery, it wasn’t dwelling on how great my life would turn out, or how all the damage I had done would get straightened out. Instead, I learned that I was driven by a hundred forms of self-centered fear, and I watched as it searched and dug away at the beaches of disappointment, past regrets, and failure.

Thank God I was given tools to rein in my mind, and things to do that kept me focused on the positive aspects of recovery. I learned to take my mind off myself by helping others. I started dealing with my resentments of the past by doing inventories and looking at my part. And I found relief by clearing away the wreckage of my past and making amends. Today, I know how to give myself a break, and when my mind starts digging I direct it to uncover God’s will for me. Today, I’ve learned how to truly rest and relax.