Fear of Change

[justjo]

Today, I don't always like the thought of it, but on the whole, I embrace it in today. I know that when I go through it, things always seem to be better when I get to the other side.

I think I also associate grief with it, and know that as a result of the change I will be going through the grief, and I know that a lot of my grief, is rooted in my past. Much of it is compounded interest and it is not just what is going on in today; it is a learned behavior or pattern either learned prior to recovery or a new thing I chose to do in early recovery and now no longer serves me in today.

When I went to treatment, I was taught five stages. I have read Melody Beattie's Codependent No More and the Language of Letting Go, and there were five stages there. Today when I did a search, they are now saying there are seven.

www.recover-from-grief.com/7-stages-of-grief.html

So when it comes to fear, it is how do I go about changing it into faith. For me, it means prayer, often asking for the willingness to be willing to change. Turning it over to my Higher Power and asking for courage, strength and direction.

I know that He will see me through, and it is for my Higher Good. Because as we all know, if He leads us to it, He will see us through it. Even if it is my choice, He is there. I may have to go through change again, to change it back, but whatever way you look at it, it is change and my God is with me.

What I know is that I don't have to use as a result of it.


www.naworks.org/jft/12-12.html

[caressa]

Have two friends whose mother is in a nursing home. One passed away this week at 92. The other is in a nursing home and this year she will be 91. I was wondering if it is the new scientific age or the fact that people take better care of themselves in today that people are living longer. I was thinking about their grief, the the grief these women went through as their life changed. How many changes they must have gone through and in their day they were not allowed to talk about their feelings and not able to discuss their opinion, often not even allowed to state it. A loss of what was. A loss of what could have been. A loss of the difference between one year and the next.

Image being 92 and looking back at your life at 22. There would be postive and good changes, but change is change, and the body still goes through the grieving process for what was and is no longer.

[majestyjo]

Never realized how much of my life was fear based. It was there in different ways, and lots of times was overcome by bravado and with an defensive attitude, not wanting others to know.

I would not be alive or clean and sober today if I allowed fear to run my life. I think the most difficult part is recognizing it for what it is when it comes creeping in. The biggest difference in today is that in today, I know that my God has my back.

I will never forget the night I did a meditation. It was late at night because I couldn't sleep. I moved from my chair after the meditation, stretched out on my easy boy chair and I felt the hand of my God, touch me from head to toe and I felt the peace flow into my body. When I got up, that fear of putting the wrong food forward was gone. I had been raped four times on my journey to the doors of recovery. It was like my body had been frozen from the waist down. I got what I called my zig to go with my zag.

At another time, a butterfly flew by my 11th floor balcony. I did a meditation and the pain and soreness in my upper body disappeared. Over the years, I would get this card that said, "You will receive a new ability." When it happened, a new awareness would come into my life. A new healing and a letting go of all the pain and hurt that was not only physical but mental, emotional and spiritual.

The biggest challenge is my short term memory because I sometimes misplace Him or forget to take Him with me on my travels and have to go back for Him.

As they say, fear and faith can't occupy the same space. I have heard a lot of people disagree with this. I know I have felt fear, and held on tight and not wanting to let go. The fear of the unknown is my biggest obstacle, I have always wanted to be 'in the know' and often hold onto the old because I don't know what is going to replace it.

In today I prefer "Face everything and recovery" to the old way of "Fear everything and run."

Wrote this in 2011. So glad this is one day at a time program.  Found this on my site Soundness of Mind.