“The more fully we admit that only God can restore us to sanity, the more we will seek His help as the solution to our problems and difficulties.” Emotions Anonymous
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, according to Alcoholics Anonymous. I find myself turning to old coping mechanisms developed in childhood to numb the intense emotions I couldn’t process then. I am an adult. I can process intense emotions, yet I automatically try and numb myself. It doesn’t work anymore. My numbing mechanism broke. I numb out of habit. Insanity, indeed.
The first step in recovery is honesty. “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free, “ Jesus proclaimed. (John 8:32) By being honest with ourselves about our shortcomings, we start changing. And even when change is good for us, we resist it. We are creatures of habit. We reach for what we have always known, even when it's bad for us.
How do we break free from all we have known? How do we build ourselves up? It starts with a good foundation, I am convinced. A foundation of love, compassion, and understanding. Jesus talked about a wise and foolish builder. The foolish man built his house on the sand, and when storms came, it fell. The wise man built his house on the rock, and it stood despite the storms. “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock,” Jesus said. (Matthew 7:24-27)
Before Jesus told the story of the wise and foolish builders, He talked about not judging others, asking God for what you need, and treating others as you want others to treat you. In other words, Jesus taught them about love, compassion, and understanding. Those three elements are a firm foundation we can rebuild ourselves on. As we receive love from our Creator, we begin to love ourselves. Self-love propels us to let go of all insanity.
I’m just beginning my journey of letting go of insanity. Most of the time, I feel overwhelmed. It’s not necessarily bad. That overwhelming feeling causes me to cry out to God for help. I can’t do this alone. None of us can. Since childhood, we have practiced our coping mechanisms. They are entrenched, and that is why only God can restore us to sanity. However, we can partner with God by doing the hard work of recovery.
Trauma recovery tools
I have recovery tools I use every morning when I wake up. Here is a rundown of what I do:
I begin by practicing tapping, also known as emotional freedom technique, with deep breathing for three minutes.
I then do a short tapping meditation on whatever is relevant. For example, this week, I focus on healing and forgiveness.
I tap and pray for five minutes.
I end with centering prayer, which involves sitting quietly in God’s presence and not getting attached to my thoughts. I observe them and let them go. If I find myself bogged down in the weeds of my thoughts, I think, “peace.” I begin and end centering prayer with this short prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, Come. Ignite within me the living flame of your love.
I know that as I practice my morning mental health routine day after day, I transform. It happens little by little, which is sometimes frustrating. We live in a fast-food society. We want instantaneous healing, but recovery is a process. The picture I chose for this post is one I took a few years ago during winter. The vines lack leaves during winter. My grandfather, a vineyard farmer, said they need sleep to grow. The vines seem dormant, but one day in the spring, green will start springing up on them.
We are like vineyards. We go through winter times when it seems change isn’t happening. During winter, farmers prune vines. As we practice our mental health routines every day, God prunes our souls. We seek change, and as we do, we change. It rarely happens suddenly but bit by glorious bit. If we continue in the recovery process, we will let go of our old coping mechanisms. One spring morning, we will find we no longer need them. Until that day comes, let us love ourselves and each other.
“We need transformation–the hard work of change.” The Twelve Steps For Christians
Resources
If you like The Possible Path, check out my work on Medium. If you are not a Medium member, you can become one here. By using my link, you directly support me.
And don’t forget to subscribe to The Possible Path and share this article if you find it helpful. Drop a comment below and let’s get a conversation going.
You can support me by clicking on the Buy Me a Coffee button below.
One day at a time with Jesus! Yes, in Him we will know the truth and be set free as we submit to Him. I am thankful for this healing journey. Love you, dear Gina VICTORY in Jesus day by day. <3