“You were never created to live depressed, defeated, guilty, condemned, ashamed or unworthy. You were created to be victorious.”
– Anonymous
Addiction isn’t a cause. It’s almost always an effect, caused by something deeper. It’s often self-medication of a deeper pain, or insecurity, or fear, or anxiety. Sure, we have to fight the effects, especially when they’re harmful to ourselves and others, but we must even more avidly search for the causes, and bring those to light and healing, or the effects will always hold us in the vicious downward cycle of their unforgiving grasp.
What’s holding you back? What’s pinning you down? There are the big addictions that are all too common in our world, but there are also many small ones. So what are they? And when we find what they are, why are they there? What void are they trying to fill? What are the healthy means to become a more balanced person and fill that void ourselves, with things that are not addictive by nature.
Healthy eating is huge; tons of problems are diet-related. Frequent exercise, also huge. Physical and mental health go hand-in-hand, and when one suffers, the other suffers. Music, art, time in nature, working with our hands, spending time with friends; there are so many ways to build up and reinforce our minds and hearts. Don’t give up; use them.
That’s what I want to do, to break the chains I’ve forged for myself by seeking out and bringing into the light of God’s healing grace the deeper problems that hold me back and block up my happiness and fulfillment. And as always, I encourage you to do the same.