We’re in a state right now where 40% of our population is obese, more people die from drug overdoses than H.I.V., car crashes or gun violence are at their peaks, suicides have increased by 3.7%, and we continue to consume more than ever at a rate of $14 trillion a year. We spend a lot of time, heartache and dollars on trying to fill holes that can’t be filled with stuff.
I work at a local addiction recovery facility and we often say that the drink or the drug is a symptom of the disease of addiction because the disease always centers in the mind. Removing the drink or drug is not enough and it will never be enough because we all need positive coping skills, positive relationships, spirituality and most of all purpose. Whether it’s a drink, a drug, food, online shopping, a new car, status, you name it; we are addicted to something that causes us pain.
We’re ambivalent about it because those things bring us joy and we need all those things in small amounts. The problem is that we rely on those things to make us happy and no matter how much we consume we will never be truly happy because we need them more often or in bigger doses. It’s cliché I know, but true happiness does come from within, it’s just that most people don’t know how to tap into it or frankly don’t want to embark on the long hard path to get there. I’m lucky because I am surround by folks who are doing this hard work every day and I’m inspired to do self-work because if they can do it, I can do it.
There are multiple pathways to inner happiness, so I encourage everyone in this New Year to find yours. Unsubscribe from all those store emails, call a friend you’ve lost contact with, take up gardening, commit to eating two extra vegetables a day, try yoga….do anything, even if it’s one thing to start on your path toward happiness. It takes a lot of small steps, it’s long and it’s hard but it’s worth it. You’re worth it!
Heather Gibson
Director of Program Services
The Healing Place
I work at a local addiction recovery facility and we often say that the drink or the drug is a symptom of the disease of addiction because the disease always centers in the mind. Removing the drink or drug is not enough and it will never be enough because we all need positive coping skills, positive relationships, spirituality and most of all purpose. Whether it’s a drink, a drug, food, online shopping, a new car, status, you name it; we are addicted to something that causes us pain.
We’re ambivalent about it because those things bring us joy and we need all those things in small amounts. The problem is that we rely on those things to make us happy and no matter how much we consume we will never be truly happy because we need them more often or in bigger doses. It’s cliché I know, but true happiness does come from within, it’s just that most people don’t know how to tap into it or frankly don’t want to embark on the long hard path to get there. I’m lucky because I am surround by folks who are doing this hard work every day and I’m inspired to do self-work because if they can do it, I can do it.
There are multiple pathways to inner happiness, so I encourage everyone in this New Year to find yours. Unsubscribe from all those store emails, call a friend you’ve lost contact with, take up gardening, commit to eating two extra vegetables a day, try yoga….do anything, even if it’s one thing to start on your path toward happiness. It takes a lot of small steps, it’s long and it’s hard but it’s worth it. You’re worth it!
Heather Gibson
Director of Program Services
The Healing Place
RSS Feed