Discover this podcast and so much more

Podcasts are free to enjoy without a subscription. We also offer ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more for just $11.99/month.

How to Stop Feeling Crazy

How to Stop Feeling Crazy

FromLove Over Addiction


How to Stop Feeling Crazy

FromLove Over Addiction

ratings:
Length:
15 minutes
Released:
Apr 1, 2018
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

We offer a secret Facebook group for women who have joined one of our programs. It's filled with over 1,000 women from over 132 different countries around the world. The Facebook group is a wonderful tool, and I love popping in there and seeing what you are all talking about and how you are all encouraging each other. But there is something that is disturbing me. And I’m going to be real and honest with you today. I used to do this, too, so there’s no judgment. We are using the word “crazy” so much in the group. And my beef with that is that you guys keep calling yourselves crazy. You keep saying, “I am going crazy. I am driving myself crazy. This is crazy.” Here’s the deal: Addiction tries to make us believe that we’re crazy— that it’s us. It’s our fault. It tries to mess with our head. But that is not true; you are not crazy. There’s nothing about you that’s crazy. You’re the least crazy person in this situation. You’re the rational one. You are the convicted one. You’re the one in the relationship that actually has and knows what’s healthy and what’s not—what’s acceptable and not. You might feel like the situation is crazy when you love somebody struggling with addiction. And the truth is: the situation is nuts. Let’s be honest. It’s not like loving somebody normal who doesn’t suffer from this disease. When somebody comes into a relationship that chooses drugs and alcohol, pornography, gambling, or sex over us all the time, that’s crazy. Please don’t use that word to describe yourself, my friend. You are sane. You are loving. You’re doing your best. Today I was on a run. I'm thinking very seriously about signing up for a marathon. The first 20 seconds of running, I feel like I can conquer the world. I feel like I’ve got this. I put on my music, or I put on a podcast, like this one, and I’m rocking out for about 20 seconds. Thirty to forty seconds into running, I think, “I don’t remember being this tired last time.” And by second 55, I’m like, “I’m going to die. It’s over for me. There’s no point in continuing. I just need to turn this into a walk and surrender the dream.” But it’s been on my dream board to run a marathon, so what I do now is say, “Okay, Michelle, just make it to that really tall tan apartment complex. Just make it there, and then you can stop. It’s okay if you can’t, but just try.” I get to the tan building, and I think, “This is good. You did it. You actually ran.” I feel so proud of myself. So then, I said to myself, “Okay, run to the next building. Don’t stop now.” All these 55 and 60-year-olds were jogging past me. I thought, “Just stick with it. You’ll get there one day.” At first, I was judging myself, but I recognized it, and I said, “No, you ran to this tan building. Give yourself some credit. Now, walk the rest of the way home. That’s good enough for today. Tomorrow is a new day, and maybe you pick a new building. Maybe you pick one farther.” I was reminded that I have to be kind to myself. I have to celebrate the small victories in my life. I deserve to congratulate myself for being courageous enough to even try. Then, I thought of you because I’m always thinking of you. I said to myself, “I wonder if the women in our community need to be lovingly reminded that they are making an effort.” You are running to that building by purchasing the program, logging on, and doing the work. That is something to celebrate. That is something to give yourself credit for. You don’t need to master everything that I’m teaching right away. You don’t need to run your marathon immediately. It’s small, incremental steps and victories that we need to pause and go, “YES, this is one step closer to the goal.” So right now, you're reading this. Right now, you're trying. Can I tell you that is not normal? Most people like to remain stuck because it's comfortable being stuck. It’s easier to look at the people we love and go, “Well, it's really all about them. It’s really all about their recovery, and I don’t need to do anyt
Released:
Apr 1, 2018
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Do you love someone suffering from addiction? You're not powerless over this disease. You don’t need to wait for them to get sober. Join us for encouragement, hope, and some fun (because recovery doesn’t need to be depressing). If you feel exhausted from trying to help, depressed when they've been drinking or using drugs, and worried this roller coaster ride will never end – we can help.