The slip is real
Slips happen. They happen all the time.
My latest one is dealing with my cell phone.
It started as a one time thing, and now I find myself engaging back into old habits. Its funny, as I write this, I find myself trying to claw for excuses. I keep centering myself back on this because there are none. I have to come to grips with the fact I am dependent on my phone as a hiding mechanism, and it’s a black hole when I need to work.
That urge to hit Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat is solid. I use those products often because I am learning how to understand them, but I know there is a difference between learning and hiding, and I get nervous because I notice I am hiding.
The good thing though, is with a relapse, we get the opportunity to find our humanity, and the chance to rebuild. If we are lucky, we even get a dash of empathy when we realize how quick addiction happens, and how ubiquitous it is.
Addiction is everywhere, but so is empathy
It’s really easy to judge. Empathy is much harder. It requires us to go outside of ourselves to understand that we all make mistakes, including us. It takes much more energy.
But, the good news is by exercising it, you end up much happier along with the by-product of understanding people more, which makes your interactions more pleasant. It also works with your own issues. When you slip, you can forgive yourself.
It is the key to getting over anything.
Don’t beat yourself up, its a process
With my cell phone usage, I recognize how easy it is to allow myself to get back into old routines. Change is an active process, and one that requires much more vigilance than going with the flow. You will slip.
I also recognize that I am a human being, and things happen. Mistakes get made, but how we deal with them ultimately make us better. So, the next time someone is falling, help them up, because you help yourself too.
From the desk of Adam Thomas 