I had a first responder in my office this week who totally inspired me.
In his journey of recovery, heās picked up a new hobby. Itās healthy, active, and encompasses much of his free time when heās not working. He wonders if this new obsession is healthy. Heās been great about being home when his partner is home, but in his down time, heās all over this new passion.
I asked him about his drinking, which had been reaching alarming levels in the past few years. Attending choir practice is a routine form of debriefing where he works.
āFunny you should mention that,ā he responded. āIāve been so busy, I havenāt had time to drink. Iām down to one beer day.ā
āHow about your anxiety?ā I asked.
āBeen too busy to think about it,ā he grinned.
Sounds to me like recovery. Recovery isnāt about not doing things. Itās about replacing unhealthy habits with more positive alternatives. Things that bring us joy.
Thatās one of the reasons we are incorporating leisure pursuits and physical activities as core elements of the Landing Strong programming. We know that development of hobbies and interests is not easy, particularly when life feels overwhelming.
So we do it together. Have a wonderful long weekend and Happy Canada Day!
āMom can we go to Italy?ā my daughter called out to me when she was little. Wondering why she would ask such a thing, I enquired further, āWhy do you want to go to Italy honey?ā
āBecause it would make me happy,” she replied.
āHappy?ā
āYes happy!ā she explained, staring at me like I was missing the obvious.
āBut why Italy?ā I prodded. “Because mom, thatās where they make Nutella, the Nutella Factory is in Italy, and Nutella makes me happy so we should go there.ā
The basic wisdom of her logic touched me. So simple. Going to the people and places that make us happy. Iām not talking about quick gratification… the quick sugar high that comes from eating half a cheesecake in one sitting, or a buzz after too many beers. Iām talking about the pleasure of an evening spent with someone we care about, or doing something that fills us with joy. Mindfully constructing our day so that each contains an element of beauty.
PTSD, anxiety, and depression are all about avoidance. The only problem is, the withdrawal that is associated with protecting ourselves also eliminates new possibilitiesā¦ like visiting the Nutella Factory.
