12 Stepping through the Holidays With Recovery Pioneer Karen Casey
Karen Casey has developed 12 different exercises that will assist those in recovery to get through the holidays clean and sober.
San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) November 25, 2008
Recovery pioneer, Karen Casey, has developed a series of 12 exercises to help folks in recovery get through the holidays clean and sober.
1. Make a plan for maintaining balance in your life through the holidays. And be-yond. Take a few minutes every day to sit in silence, praying or meditating or just listen-ing to the stillness of the moment. Make a plan for eating healthier and smaller meals every few hours throughout the day. Make exercise a regular part of your daily regimen. Make a call to at least one other person who shares your spiritual journey every day. Acknowledge with a smile someone who is in line in front of you or the clerk waiting on you at the grocery. Any connection with another human being begins the process of healing that we all deserve.
2. Make a gratitude list. I find that making a gratitude list, at the end of each day, kick-starts the next day too. When I see the very concrete evidence of "the good in my life" on paper in front of me, my expectations are heightened. For instance, how many peo-ple did I have a chance to show support for today? In what way did I show it? What un-expected pleasures were showered on me? Perhaps I received a call from a friend, a bouquet of flowers from a loved one, or a simple smile from a stranger. All are worthy of being on a gratitude list, and treasured as preparation for tomorrow.
3. Make a plan for making the holidays better for some one else, a family perhaps who is struggling. There are dozens of tiny ways to help others in the holiday season. Donating your extra canned goods at the local food bank or neighborhood church is a simple contribution. Baking cookies and distributing them at a nursing home in your area is a way of bringing smiles to many who may feel forgotten. Taking a meal to a lo-cal homeless shelter is an easy way to reach out, too. Making a financial donation might be the easiest for some, and the Salvation Army bell ringers you see around the holi-days make that easily possible. "Adopting" a family through your church and anony-mously shopping for them is a way to touch the lives of many, yours included. There are as many opportunities as you can imagine. Be creative. And be committed.
4. Practice the sacredness of the moment, and then write a very brief reaction to one or two specific experiences you have had. Fully appreciating the sacred "now" takes will-ingness and intentional focus, but the gifts offered are immense. Watching two dogs at play out my study window fills me with joy every day; they have not a care in the world. And hearing the giggles of a small child as she chases after the monarch butterfly who has landed on her sweater takes your breath away, doesn't it? But even more special is seeing the elderly gentleman helping his wife get into the car after an outing at the gro-cery. Their loving glance speaks volumes, and you have been blessed by it. In the mo-ment, all is sacred. What are you seeing? How deep is your appreciation?
5. Reflect on the evidence of your Higher Power's presence, or intervention, so to speak, in your past journey. This will make the next "leg" of it even more exciting. I was saved from suicide, more than once, because my work had not been completed. I understand this completely now. And my higher power provided the words I needed when I was defending my dissertation. I cannot doubt that's how it worked and I am do-ing what I have been called to do right at this very moment as the result of that interven-tion. What evidence exists for you that the God of your understanding has always been present? He has, you know.
6. Make a plan for reaching out to others from the past--to say thank you, perhaps. Or I'm sorry. Or let's get together and catch up. Mending the fences or simply re-connecting is a wonderful way to end one year and begin another. It keeps all parties humble and helpful and leads to our healing. We help others heal too, in the process, because healing doesn't happen in isolation--it requires connection. Ending one year and beginning the next making important connections will enhance the potential for peace in all of our lives.
7. List some examples for doing volunteer work in the coming year. Too many of us say we want to be more involved in helping others but then fail to do it. We don't have to over-extend ourselves. Just reach out a few hours a month. Call the local big brothers and big sisters organization and see what you can do. Contact schools in your neigh-borhood and tutor the children who are struggling to keep up. Even one afternoon a month will make a difference to the child you get to know. Make visits to nursing homes. The "unvisited" need to know they are remembered by someone. Let that someone be you.
8. Share with at least one other person three changes that have occurred in your life. Being ever-conscious of the ways our lives are changing makes us hopeful that "the good" will continue. I no longer live in constant dread that something bad will hap-pen. I am not expecting to be rejected by friends any longer. And I am certain that my life is on a trajectory that's perfect for me and I am connecting with the people who are supposed to be meeting me, too. How has your life changed?
9. Create a "God box" for yourself and make one as a gift for a good friend who seems to be struggling with their life. A God box is a special decorated little box for tucking away our handwritten prayers so we can let go of our worries. It's a wonderful exercise in letting go that has served me well over the years. It's a guarantee that our worries will be handled if we release them to God. The action we take is the key. Try it.
10. List the best choices you made in the last year and imagine how they are going to influence the next year. Perhaps you left a job or took a new one. How might this im-pact the next few months? Maybe you left a relationship that had been hurting you for years. What doors might this open up? Or the creative writing class you always wanted to take that finally got your attention? Dream big. Where can this take you?
11. Begin laying the groundwork for the first goal to be accomplished in 2009. What one thing might you need to change right now for this to become a reality? We all have goals and they need not be gigantic ones. Maybe you want to learn how to play bridge or tennis, or get a book club started in your neighborhood. First, you have to make some decisions. Maybe you want to cut down on desserts to one a week. Decide which day is dessert day. Maybe you want to get involved in a mentorship program so you can have an impact on the life of a young man or woman. Is there some thing you will need to "let go of" to free up time? Or maybe you want to begin writing your memoir for the offspring in your family or just for fun, to see where you have been so you can chart where you might want to go next. Take a few minutes every day to write. Just a few will get the "juices" flowing.
12. List 6 reasons for having hope about the year ahead, based on particular happen-ings or observations from the past year. Remember: Hope can be influenced by the tiny happenings as well as the big experiences. Observing children at play, seeing two strangers helping each other walk down a flight of stairs, or overcoming a conflict we'd been discouraged by are all signs that our world can be a hopeful and loving place. Get-ting a particular job or being relieved of a job we didn't like can free us to believe that the "journey" we are on is intentional--the perfect reason for remaining hopeful. I am constantly filled with hope when I reflect on the intention of my life; all the past turmoil and pain brought me to this peaceful existence. Making a practice of prayer and medita-tion when troubled in any way opens a space for hope to enter in.
ABOUT KAREN CASEY
Karen Casey is the author of 19 books, including the recently released Codependence and the Power of Detachment. Her book Each Day a New Beginning has sold more than 3 million copies and she is a sought-after speaker at recovery and spirituality con-ferences throughout the country. She conducts Change Your Mind workshops, based on her best selling Change Your Mind and Your Life Will Follow.
For other recovery titles, please visit www. conari. com.
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