The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
Hi MIP family! Iamhere has asked if I would post the daily in her stead. I am honored to do so.
Letting Go of Fear
"Picture yourself swimming - floating - peacefully down a gentle stream. All you need to do is breathe, relax, and go with the flow.
Suddenly, you become conscience of your situation. Frightened, overwhelmed with "what if's" your body tenses. You begin to thrash around, frantically looking for something to grab onto. You panic so hard you start to go under. Then you remember - you're working too hard at this. You don't need to panic. All you need to do is breathe, relax, and go with the flow. You won't drown.
Panic is our great enemy. We don't need to become desperate. If overwhelming problems appear in our life, we need to stop struggling. We can tread water for a bit, until our equilibrium returns. Then we can go back to floating peacefully down the gentle stream. It is our stream. It is a safe stream. Our course has been chartered. All is well.
Today I will relax, breathe, and go with the flow."
That was me before I embraced Al-Anon. Feeling like I was constantly treading water, overwhelmed with the "what if's" in my brain! I am sad to say that I made many decisions from a "Panic Mode." It was hard for me to learn how to breathe, relax, and go with the flow. I am using the tool of "Practicing the Pause" that Iamhere has in her tagline. I am training myself to "Breathe," like Rose mentions she does frequently when faced with a tough decision or situation. This reading reminds me of the idea that "You do not need to make a decision today. You can "tread water" and trust that more will be revealed.
This reading reminds me of how much I loved to float in the water... it began in the bathtub as a child, then graduated to any large body of water after I learned to swim. I once clocked myself at 1.5 hrs. of uninterrupted floating in my in-law's pool! I don't think I'll ever forget the feeling of being utterly disconnected from the chaos that was my life at that time - I honestly did not want to stop!
It's predicted to rain all day here... I am glad!
__________________
"The wolf that thrives, is the one you feed." - Cherokee legend
"Hello, sun in my face. Hello you who made the morning and spread it over the fields... Watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness." Mary Oliver
Hey PosiesandPuppies. Thank you for this great post
LOVE. Language of letting go. And I so relate to the being in water, flailing and thinking I am this close to drowning until I learned through TONS of practice To stop and breath. Tread water. Float. Wait. Answers dont come to a racing mind. Only a quiet one.
I so relate to your posts and this one is no exception
In most situations , I have time to reflect. Rarely do I have to act right now. In the old days it was knee jerk reaction and loads of anger at yet another threat. Now I dont feel so helpless when crap happens. Annoyed?? Yea lots of times but after stopping and deep breathing, I can sort the unwanted events out better. I used to feel like I was cursed or something. Now I just see that crap happens to everyone. Im learning non-resistance works the best
I just love the imagery in thrashing around to the point of almost drowning, and simply relaxing and going with the flow. A great reminder for me today.
__________________
Skorpi
If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present. - Lao Tzu
Thanks P&P and for all above shares. I've led a very anxious life and at times cannot cope well. My alanon tool box certainly helps and I am able to recover much faster. If I let myself use my program, life is much calmer and better. Progress not perfection, Lyne
Rose - I so love what you said... "Answers don't come to a racing mind... only a quiet one."
It is so true... it seems that our mountains we face cannot be scaled until we learn to 'listen to that small voice inside us' that gives us healthy guidance!
Thank you all for your ESH today!
__________________
"The wolf that thrives, is the one you feed." - Cherokee legend
"Hello, sun in my face. Hello you who made the morning and spread it over the fields... Watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness." Mary Oliver
I love the imagery in this too. What book is it from because I don't recall ever reading it before. That thrashing around bit is so familiar to me. it's a good reminder of trying to control the uncontrollable. That was me before program much more frequently than after the program. I still find myself tending to thrash around from time to time but I'm better at recognizing it and slowly letting myself go with the flow.
Thanks again!
It is from The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie. It is a Hazelden Meditation Series book. It is divided into the months and dates of the year, so you can read one each day if you want! I do love it.
__________________
"The wolf that thrives, is the one you feed." - Cherokee legend
"Hello, sun in my face. Hello you who made the morning and spread it over the fields... Watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness." Mary Oliver
