The other day, my phone glitched—or at least, I thought that’s what happened. Suddenly Facebook was down. There was some strange message about having a problem and working to resolve it. I stared at this message and read it several times. Then, I logged off and then immediately back on to my Facebook app.
Same message.
My breathing felt heavy. Palms sweaty.
I shook my head in disbelief.
My son looked at me concerned and asked: “Mommy, are you sad?”
“No, just confused, I told him.” Which was mostly true.
And then I did what any logical person would do in my situation: I checked Instagram.
The little circle that indicates my device is thinking kept circling, and I stared at it in a similarly confused fashion until it hit me:
Maybe my prayers have been answered and social media is dead.
Several hours later, I exhaled dejectedly when the alas, social media had like a long-awaited Season 2 Netflix series, came back to life. I felt a little joy (not going to lie) and also a sense of deep sorrow for the time that would no doubt be lost. I’m pretty sure I spend too much time on my computer and phone.
So, what does any of this have to do with recovery?
Well, it struck me as I wondered if the world as I knew it (the one wrapped up in likes and comments and algorithms and advertisements and platforms) was gone: maybe I need to switch things up a bit. Maybe my life and recovery need a reset.
Time to Reset with the Help of My Friends
Maybe I’ve been focusing on all the wrong things (again)—or maybe the right things, just with the wrong mindset.
I’m a part of a women’s Bible study group and it is amazing. I’m one of a couple women under the age of seventy and it’s great. I learn so much from the years of experience and years of walking out faith in sometimes joyful, sometimes grueling consistency. It’s real and it’s gritty and it reminds me of recovery.
Sometimes when I open up to share, words fling themselves out of my mouth that I did not know were lurking so close to the surface. Last week was no different. I shared something like this:
“I am holding on too tightly to things in my life right now.”
And I felt God nudging me to go on:
“And maybe while I’m holding so tight onto something over here, there is something else that I’m missing.”
For me, my own wellness and recovery is something that I need to make sure is on point or on fleek (I’m probably a little late with this phrase), or the rest of it can fall to the wayside. And by "the rest of it" I mean those things that are important to me like my family, my friends, and my faith.
When my own recovery starts getting wobbly, there are a couple things that I’ve learned to do (that you and God have taught me)—and I’d love to share them with you.
7 Ways to Reset My Recovery
Whether you are in recovery, sober curious, or just sick and tired of being sick and tired, this FREE devotional is for you!
Join me and my sweet friend Lindsey Garcia from the Failing Awesomely Podcast as we guide you through 7 days to reset your recovery.
If you’d like to sign-up for this FREE 7-day RECOVERY RESET DEVOTIONAL, click here.
I'd love to hear your #brightstory today! Check out my submission guidelines.
Want to ask me a question? Reach out anytime!
Read more in my In the Rooms Article: The Importance of a Recovery Reset.