A life lived of choice is a life of conscious action. A life lived of chance is a life of unconscious creation. — Neale Donald Walsh

Awareness is the core of Recovery. We were lead into our addictions by being unconscious of what is really going on inside of us. Being unconscious or unaware of our real feelings, we just try to mindlessly numb them with alcohol, drugs, porn or sex.

Recovery is about conscious action. Conscious action is Sober Action. When we take the time to get in touch with what is going on inside, we gain control over what we will do on the outside.

Reaching out for a drink, that prescription medication or clicking on that Adult Friend finder site does not come from Conscious Action. Relapse does not happen when you are fully conscious of what is going on within you.

Today, let’s take time to pause and be conscious of our thoughts and feelings. See if it makes you are more conscious of your Actions.

Glorify who you are today, do not condemn who you were yesterday, and dream of who you can be tomorrow.

Very often we become mired by our regrets. We replay our past– what we did, what we didn’t do or what we should have done. These tapes replay themselves endlessly in our minds. On the surface, these thoughts are harmless. In fact, we may even tell ourselves that we actually learn from replaying these tapes. It”s true, reviewing our past can help us learn from our mistakes, but incessantly playing those tapes over and over again in a blaming accusing tone does nothing but actually stop us from moving forward. You may be asking how? Think about it. When we remember our past in blaming and shaming tone, feelings of shame, guilt and even disgust come up. These feelings make us sad, angry and discouraged. We begin to think that we can never change and move forward. These thoughts are what I call “false thoughts” and the problem is that we don’t even recognize that they not just negative but they are roundly false. Look at the last 12 months, review your life, your belief in yourself and the changes you have already made. You have begun a process of change that is monumental!

Reviewing our past is important so we can learn from past mistakes but watch your tone! Are you judging, blaming and Shaming? Then you are moving backward rather than forward.

About Rochna: Rochna Hazra is trained in Marriage and Family Therapy at Virginia Tech. She includes the emotional, psychological, spiritual and family aspects of a person in her work. Originally from India, she combines the Eastern traditions of mindfulness, non-judgment and a holistic approach to healing with the Western approach of realism and solution-focused action.

Rochna uses Cognitive-Behaviorial techniques to help you overcome anxiety and depression.

Rochna is also a Certified Advanced Relapse Prevention Specialist and trained in Sex Addiction and Mindfulness-based Therapy and Relapse Prevention.

Click here to learn more about Addiction treatment & Relapse Prevention and my practice in Leesburg, Virginia