If there is one thing most people going to treatment for an addiction or mental health disorder have in common it’s a shared trait of low self-esteem. Guilt, shame, and long standing personal beliefs have created core perceptions about the self which are less than pretty. Thinking ugly things about ourselves leads us to believing ugly things about ourselves and seeing ugly things about ourselves. Consequently, we live with a lot of self-hatred, self-loathing, self-repudiation- and every other negative emotions we could put toward ourselves. Our low self-esteem causes us to act in ways which are not conducive toward our self-esteem, helping us to feel worse and worse about ourselves.
Treatment and recovery is the opportunity to reverse this process. Yes, it’s true. During treatment and recovery, you’re going to learn to love yourself. If only a little bit, you are going to be comfortable looking at your own face in the mirror. You might even be able to say nice things to yourself. You will feel increasingly comfortable with who you are. Who you are includes what you think, how you act, what you feel, and how you look. Whatever you are coming into treatment for, you will learn to love every part of yourself, mind, body, and spirit. Here are some simple reminders to help you get going:
- You’ll stop crawling out of your skin eventually and learn to love the skin you’re in. There’s only one of you, made exactly the way you are made. That makes you a rare and unique find.
- You’re much stronger than you know. If you’re physically weakened right now, your strength will return. If you’re mentally weakened right now, you probably don’t realize just how strong you are. Asking for help and going to treatment isn’t a sign of weakness. It takes a remarkable amount of courage and strength to make a life-changing decision like this.
- You’re changing every single day. When you remove drugs and alcohol or other harmful behaviors from your daily life, change happens. In addition to the natural changes taking place, you’re working hard to create other changes as well. Change is noticeable. You’re making great changes in your life. Who you are today is not who you will be in three weeks.
Healing mind, body, and spirit. That is our promise at Avalon By The Sea. Providing primary treatment for mental health disorders as well as substance use disorders sets us apart. Find serenity within the comforts of our beautiful seaside estate on the iconic coast of Malibu, California. For a confidential assessment and more information, call us today at 1 888-958-7511.
