Good Feelings

[MajestyJo]

Monday, January 13, 2014

You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go

Good Feelings

When we talk about feelings in recovery, we often focus on the troublesome trio - pain, fear, and anger. But there are other feelings available in the emotional realm - happiness, joy, peace, contentment, love, closeness, and excitement.

It's okay to let ourselves feel pleasurable feelings too.

We don't have to worry when we experience good feelings; we don't have to scare ourselves out of them; we don't have to sabotage our happiness. We do that, sometimes, to get to the more familiar, less joyous terrain.

It's okay to feel good. We don't have to analyze, judge, or justify. We don't have to bring ourselves down, or let others bring us down, by injecting negativity.

We can let ourselves feel good.

Today, I will remind myself that it is my right to feel as good as I can. I can have many moments of feeling good; I can find a balanced place of feeling content, peaceful, and good.

This reminds me of a story that happened early in recovery. I know it was under a year of sobriety. A long-timer came into the room and walked around the circle shaking hands and saying, "Good Mornng." He shook my hand and said, "No need to say good morning to you, you always have a good morning." I felt guilty for feeling good, figured I was doing something wrong.

When I looked at where I had been, I was happy to be where I was in sobriety. Had just moved into my first apartment from the YWCA. I had to borrow a mattress, pots and pans, dishes, etc. in a small bachelor apartment with a two burner stove (a glorified hot plate. I kept blowing fuses and often had to light a candle until I could contact the landlord, and for the most part, I didn't blow my own fuse. I was just so happy to be there.