Often, as the New Year rolls around, the practice of creating recovery resolutions offers a time to think about what to leave behind as you seek change in the coming year or seek to reaffirm your recovery resolutions. This year it’s time for a reset. To honor the year we just had, let’s do things a little differently.
Of course, we’re all exceedingly glad that 2021 is finally here, that we can leave the stress and frustration from 2020 behind, but let’s not forget that there were plenty of lessons learned this past year and plenty of growth that came out of the stress and frustration. Let’s consider both what you want to leave behind, as well as the positive of what we learned about ourselves, the recovery process, and the world around us that we could bring into the new year.
Recovery Resolutions: Growing in Courage, Grace and Perseverance
All the circumstances we have endured this year prove our ability to cultivate the character traits of courage, grace and perseverance. Even if you are skeptical, you have used all three qualities to make it through the year, to continue on no matter where you are in your recovery. Embrace these strengths as a source of motivation and inspiration as you walk into a new season.
Courage in Addiction Recovery
There is no doubt about it, to have made it through 2020, you have to be strong. It is courageous to continue to press on in the face of the unknown, and it is brave of you to adjust and admit when things aren’t working. There was no road map for this year or the specific challenges we’ve faced, yet we made it.
Bring focus to understanding your strengths by reflecting on the following questions:
- What did I learn?
- How did I find I was able to adjust?
- For what am I proud of myself?
- What went right?
- What gave me the strength to get out of bed?
- What gave me the courage to face each new day?
Draw on your understanding of the years you have lived beyond even the one most recently in our rear-view mirror. These years have forged the resilient person you are.
As you reflect on your strength to persevere in the face of many challenges, you can understand how we need the tough times to grow. Remember how this year has shaped you, and feel grateful for the growth that took place.
Grace in Recovery
New years often come with thoughts about regret and self-defeat for the things we didn’t achieve. Our thoughts gravitate to the “should haves” or “could haves” in life.
However, if there was one takeaway from the year that’s passed, it is to be kind and gentle with ourselves and apply it to what is within our ability to accomplish and what is not. In the new year, continue with this attitude of grace toward yourself. As you consider what you would have, could have, or should have done, challenge that perspective by reflecting on what you did.
You lived through one of the most challenging years (understatement of the century) in recent history.
Grace means taking into account how you pivoted almost every facet of life to adjust for a national and global health crisis. It is ok that the “would haves” and “could haves” didn’t happen. Remember that even in inaction, you still did much more for the sake of others and yourself.
To bring a practice of grace into this new year, take time to consider what you did and what you experienced truthfully. If that perspective is hard to take, bring a trusted friend or loved one into the conversation. Talk about how to give grace to yourselves where grace is most certainly and thoroughly due.
Perseverance
A shared quality cultivated this year that will largely benefit you in years to come is perseverance. You have displayed inspiring perseverance to be where you are today in your recovery process, reading this article with a mind for self-improvement and growth. You have persevered through seismic shifts in how you care for and consider your physical, mental-emotional social, and spiritual health.
Acknowledge and be honest with yourself about the ways you have persevered this year. Take that capacity for tenacious resilience into this next year. As you consider the areas of life you’d like to tackle or improve, pair your “wants” for 2021 with the “hows” of 2020.
Your courage, grace and perseverance have brought you through a seemingly impossible year. They are tried and true companions to bring with you into the next. Be gentle and extend a courageous, gracious hand of perseverance to yourself this new year.
If you’re ready for the first or the next step in your recovery journey, please reach out to us today at 844 875 5609 to get started.