These “nine essential truths” by Laura McKowen, from her book, Push Off from Here: 9 Essential Truths to Get You Through Sobriety (and Everything Else), apply to far more than addiction. (And as Dr Gabor Maté puts it, addiction is when there’s “short-term relief or pleasure and therefore craving; long-term suffering for oneself or others; and an inability to stop”. And yes, that includes addiction to work, external validation, etc.)
1. It is not your fault. 2. It is your responsibility. 3. It is unfair that this is your thing. 4. This is your thing. 5. This will never stop being your thing until you face it. 6. You cannot do it alone. 7. Only you can do it. 8. You are loved. 9. We will never stop reminding you of these things.
Oof. Did that resonate with you too?
Whatever it is that you want to work on, there are many forms of support out there! Coaching, therapy, peer support, guided self-help . . . not to mention there are also many types of coaching, therapy, etc.
And as someone with extensive experience in complex-trauma recovery, training in peer support, coaching and therapy*, and now a life filled with joy and meaning, I’m always happy to chat about different types of support, what might be helpful in what context, and more importantly, how to get more of what you want. I’m just a message away.
*I’m a final-year trainee. 😊