One Day At A Time

When I find myself becoming overwhelmed, I look to the tools that I have acquired through Al-Anon to help me gain perspective.  I may find a daily reading that fits my situation or revisit a slogan - maybe read through the 12 steps.

I look for something to ground me. To remind me that everything is going to be alright - that my Higher Power will only give me what I can handle.

This way of thinking was introduced to me during the beginning of my recovery.

photo credit: zentolos

Without this mindset, it is easy for me to get too far ahead of myself - to worry about the “what ifs” and “what next” that may never come. My spirit filled with the waste of energy and drain that coexists with worrying.

I still slip into these patterns from time to time but the difference today, compared to then, is that I can now recognize I am slipping back into bad behaviors and proactively change how I am looking at my situation.

Sometimes it helps to take things just one day at a time. To take a break from any thoughts of the future and only focus on the here and now.

For me, sometimes it is taking it an hour at a time, a minute at a time or a check to see how I am doing this very moment.

Without slowing things down and focusing on the here and now - I become scattered, irritable, and useless to myself and my family.

Right now I am in a good place - everything right this very moment is fine. As I continue to check in with myself, the minutes become hours, the hours become days.

I challenge myself to see how long I can continue to put this principle to work.

“Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorry; it only saps today of its strength.” - A.J. Cronin

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As I will leave each post; If you, or someone you know, loves an alcoholic or addict, I would encourage you to find a local Al-Anon 12 step meeting to attend. This is your first step towards healing.

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Today’s reading is from November 10, page 315 of Courage to Change - One Day at a Time in Al-Anon II. You can find this book under the “Literature” tab.

To read yesterday’s post, you would think that I had read ahead a little bit. Today’s reading is about taking it one day at a time. Before joining Al-anon, I use to worry. I use to worry a lot. It was difficult to put my situation into perspective because I was living in the future. What if? What if my wife doesn’t stop drinking? What if I come home one day and she is dead? What if she gets in a wreck and kills someone else? With those types of thoughts it was hard to get out of bed. Hard to take care of my children or concentrate at work.

Al-Anon helps to ground me. Helps to remind me to take it one day at a time. If I don’t feel like I can get through one day at a time, maybe it is one hour or one minute at a time.

Ask yourself, right this minute, are you okay? Sometimes that is all it takes to help you get through one of those days.

As I will leave each post - If you, or someone you know, loves an alcoholic or addict, I would encourage you to find a local Al-Anon meeting to attend. This is your first step towards healing.

You can find information on Al-Anon and Alcoholics Anonymous under the “Resources” tab.