What is Meditation?
Meditation, like the Alanon recovery program is what you make of it.
You have the power to define what it means to you and how you go about it.
For some, it is quiet time in the morning before the day begins.
For others it is taking a walk and connecting with nature.
For me, it is an inner conversation with my Higher Power.
It's the time I carve out of my day to focus on myself and unload my worries.
This connection allows me to think clearly and turn over my will.
This has not always come easy for me.
When my wife was actively drinking, the last thing I thought about was taking care of myself.
All of my focus was on her drinking and the impact her alcoholism was having on my family.
It didn't even dawn on me to take care of myself.
As a result, I grew tired, moody, raw.
My children, who were missing their mother, barely had a dad.
I was completely disconnected.
When I first started attending my Alanon recovery group, the intent was to figure out how to get my alcoholic the help I felt she desperately needed.
I couldn't see it was me that needed help! One of the first things I learned in Alanon was the Serenity Prayer.
It never fails to amaze me how these simple words help to ground me.
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change.
The courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
" I found myself repeating this phrase over and over.
When I woke up in the morning, it greated me.
When I drove to work, it comforted me.
When I walked through the front door at night, I had something to focus on other than whether or not my wife had been drinking.
I had stumbled onto my form of meditation.
A way of clearing my mind from all of the swirling thoughts that would make me anxious, that were weighing me down.
I was finding peace.
I was finding serenity.
My approach to living with my alcoholic began to evolve.
I was able to accept that I could not change whether or not my wife was drinking.
What I could change was myself and I chose to get healthy again.
When I found myself in situations where I wasn't sure what my actions should be, I prayed for the wisdom to know the difference.
Instead of interjecting myself into situations haphazardly, I took a step back, I thought through whether or not it was my battle and I found acceptance.
You have the power to define what it means to you and how you go about it.
For some, it is quiet time in the morning before the day begins.
For others it is taking a walk and connecting with nature.
For me, it is an inner conversation with my Higher Power.
It's the time I carve out of my day to focus on myself and unload my worries.
This connection allows me to think clearly and turn over my will.
This has not always come easy for me.
When my wife was actively drinking, the last thing I thought about was taking care of myself.
All of my focus was on her drinking and the impact her alcoholism was having on my family.
It didn't even dawn on me to take care of myself.
As a result, I grew tired, moody, raw.
My children, who were missing their mother, barely had a dad.
I was completely disconnected.
When I first started attending my Alanon recovery group, the intent was to figure out how to get my alcoholic the help I felt she desperately needed.
I couldn't see it was me that needed help! One of the first things I learned in Alanon was the Serenity Prayer.
It never fails to amaze me how these simple words help to ground me.
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change.
The courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
" I found myself repeating this phrase over and over.
When I woke up in the morning, it greated me.
When I drove to work, it comforted me.
When I walked through the front door at night, I had something to focus on other than whether or not my wife had been drinking.
I had stumbled onto my form of meditation.
A way of clearing my mind from all of the swirling thoughts that would make me anxious, that were weighing me down.
I was finding peace.
I was finding serenity.
My approach to living with my alcoholic began to evolve.
I was able to accept that I could not change whether or not my wife was drinking.
What I could change was myself and I chose to get healthy again.
When I found myself in situations where I wasn't sure what my actions should be, I prayed for the wisdom to know the difference.
Instead of interjecting myself into situations haphazardly, I took a step back, I thought through whether or not it was my battle and I found acceptance.
Source...