Daily Motivation, Inspiration, & Affirmation
GrokRockStar
Posts: 2,938 Member
I've been posting this on the other OA forum and became motivated to share it here with all of you!
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One Day At A Time
December 11
REAL LIVING
“A life lived in fear is a life half-lived.” -Tara Morice as Fran From Baz Luhrmann’s film Strictly Ballroom
"When I first saw this movie in 1993, it spoke volumes to my life and to my recovery. I had spent my life afraid, afraid of everything and everybody. If I crossed you, I feared your wrath. If I disappointed you, I dreaded the loss of your love. If things were going well, I wondered, often aloud, when the other shoe was going to drop. I had nowhere to go, no one to trust, nothing I could believe in, because I knew it would be taken away from me. The only safe haven I had was in the food, but I was afraid of the consequences. The biggest thing that kept me in my disease was the fear of what might be on the other side.
The bravest thing I ever did was walk through the doors of my first program meeting. I had been shamed into it by a therapist, but once I got there I sensed that my fears would be vanquished. I saw people who had been there, done that, and designed the t-shirt of fear that I was wearing. They showed me, through the Steps and Traditions, that there was more to life.
The program of recovery has taught me that a life of fear indeed is a life half-lived. Living in fear, I only succeeded in quashing the joy, the adventure, the zest for life that was naturally planted in me. It also eliminated the biggest fear … that of a Higher Power. It has given me faith, the diametric opposite of fear. Faith shined its light on the darkness of my life, and allowed me to live a fuller existence that cannot be taken from me, save for retreat into fearful despair. I am so immensely grateful for what I have been given: life, instead of mere existence.
One Day at a Time …
Faith in a Power greater than myself is a powerful antidote to a fearful, half-lived life. I pray to keep the light of faith shining brightly in my life.
Mark"2 -
False Evidence Appearing Real (FEAR) has been a hot button topic in my life, and will likely always will be. And although I know recognize how fear has held me back, it's still a work in progress for me. I really love this share because it resonates with me so well, especially when walking into my first OA meeting. I too had a therapist recommend the OA program because of my compulsions with food. So it may be some residual fear when experiencing something out of my comfort zone, but I do get through it, and could've only done so because of the 12 steps.
I'm Felicia, a grateful, compulsive overeater!3 -
Thanks for sharing!1
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Food For Thought
December 15th
We Are Sick
"Until we realize fully that we are sick, we do not begin to recover. As long as we feel that all we need is a good diet and some willpower, we do not understand the nature of our disease. We would have been able to stop eating compulsively long ago if the answer had been willpower and diet.
When we examine the history of our obesity in the light of the OA program, we see that we are in the grip of an incurable illness, which gets progressively worse, never better. Once we accept the fact that there is no cure for our disease, we can begin to develop control. Until we recognize the seriousness of our illness, we do not succeed in controlling it.
By acknowledging that our very life depends on maintaining abstinence and practicing the OA principles, we come to terms with the reality of our situation. We can live satisfying, full, rewarding lives if we do not forget that we are sick and that our recovery will never be complete."
Each day, may I not forget that I am sick.
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What a great reading today! It reminds us that we must never become complacent in our recovery. I sometimes have to check myself when I entertain thoughts of having a taste of a trigger food, especially during the holidays. This time of year is the time that I have to put forth more effort so that my recovery remains in the forefront. I am sick due of the disease of compulsive eating, thinking, and doing! I have veered off of the wagon many times, but by the grace of my HP, I find my way back to sanity. I'm feeling grateful today, because I choose to live a healthy and happy existence, just for today!
I'm Felicia, a grateful, compulsive overeater!0 -
Food For Thought
December 16
Getting Well
"Our recovery is always in process; it is never completed. If we think for a minute that we have conquered our disease and no longer have to consider it that is the time when we are in danger of slipping. Getting well is what we will be doing for the rest of our lives. Fortunately, we have guidelines and a fellowship to support us.
We are not required to think about our disease twenty-four hours a day. We do need to remember it when thoughts of food and eating arise. We also need to remember it when we find ourselves thinking the kind of thoughts or feeling the moods, which led to binges in the past.
Getting well is an adventure. We have moved out of the repetitious rut of past habits and are reaching into the unknown. There are times when we are anxious and fearful that we will not be able to make it. We are not alone. There is a Higher Power that guides us and an organization of friends who sustain us. The process of getting well is a privilege and a gift."
Thank You for the process of getting well.0 -
Hmmm, I never saw my process of getting well as a gift, but after reading this a couple of times, I get it. Through working my program and working the 12 steps of recovery, I've experienced epiphanies and milestones (hence the process) in the steps and forever grateful in my journey thus far. I am humble as I am still experiencing, growing, and evolving.
I'm Felicia, a grateful, compulsive overeater!0 -
Food For Thought
December 18
Concentrating
"Our program requires concentration. It is not something that we may consider casually in odd bits of leftover time. Since abstinence is the most important thing in our lives, we devote our best energies to maintaining it. Many of us find that time spent concentrating on our program at the beginning of the day is most fruitful.
These periods of concentration do not need to be long. It is the quality of our attention that counts. A few minutes in the morning spent in contact with our Higher Power can set the tone for the entire day. We touch base with who we are and where we are going. Concentrating brings results.
Whenever thoughts of food and eating interrupt our activities, we can stop for a moment to concentrate on our program. Abstinence is not always foremost in our minds, but it is always there when we are threatened by a return to old thoughts and cravings. Compulsive overeating was concentration on food; abstinence is concentration on recovery."
I pray that You will direct my concentration.
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Wow, I love this, "abstinence is concentration on recovery!"
Today's reading reminds me of the way it used to be. As soon as I opened my eyes, I recited the serenity prayer, asking my HP for the willingness to adhere to my program for the next 24 hours. It's so easy to become distracted, especially around this time of year. I plan on going back to my old way of prayer and meditation, with more effort, before starting my day, This practice ensures that my concentration is focused in the right place.
I'm Felicia, a grateful, compulsive overeater!0 -
Food For Thought
December 19
Climbing
"Eating compulsively was a downhill skid into despair. Recovering is an uphill climb all the way. It is not easy. The line of least resistance is the habit pattern we have built up over past years. Forming new habits is hard work.
We do not stand still. Either we are climbing up step by step into recovery or we are slipping further down into disease. Each decision we make to abstain from the first compulsive bite takes us another rung up the ladder to health. Each time we refrain from anger, worry, or false pride, we grow emotionally. In every instance where we are able to turn our will over to our Higher Power, we gain spiritual strength.
The climb is what makes life challenging and exciting. To retreat into food is to give up and lose the satisfaction of having reached a higher point in our journey. Realizing that we are and always will be compulsive overeaters makes us aware of our continual need to climb out of illness into recovery."
We are climbing, with Your aid.0 -
Abstaining from the first compulsive bite is what I'm working towards, just for today!
I'm Felicia, a grateful, compulsive overeater!0 -
Food For Thought
December 21
Paradoxes
Our program contains some surprising paradoxes. When we admit that we are powerless, we can receive Power. When we accept what we do not like, it begins to change. As long as we remember we are sick, we can continue to recover.
The key to these paradoxes is our willingness to believe in a Higher Power. By ourselves, we are weak, ineffectual, and sick. When operating in accordance with the will of the Power greater than ourselves, our potential is limitless.
Until we admit defeat, we will not succeed with the OA program. The biggest defeat is the one that is dealt to our illusions of self-reliance and self-sufficiency. As long as we insist on trying to control our lives by ourselves, we will be confused. It is by relinquishing control that we gain strength and are freed from our compulsion and obsession. We save our lives by giving them away.
May I accept the paradoxes that I do not understand.0 -
Today's reading reminds me of my first round of working the steps and my dilemma in choosing a Higher Power. It took me a few month to surrender to something bigger than me and outside of me. The ego had to be let go, my old way of thinking had to be let go. And once I did, I began the truest process of recovery. I experienced happiness and started to appreciate and enjoy life, even though I had the same issues and shortcomings. What a great gift, which I owe to this program and my HP.
I'm Felicia, a grateful, compulsive overeater!0 -
Food For Thought
December 22
Daring
What is it inside our heads that keeps daring us to try once more to prove that we are not compulsive overeaters? What kind of stupidity makes us think that this time we can get away with taking one compulsive bite? In a moment of blind bravado, we can lose months or years of hard won control.
Our ego is our own worst enemy. We forget that once a compulsive overeater, always a compulsive overeater. We tell ourselves that since we have been doing so well for so long, surely we can manage one or two small deviations. We rebel against the program and place ourselves above it. We forget that we have a disease, and we decide to do what we feel like doing, oblivious to the fact that by taking that first compulsive bite we are destroying our sanity and our serenity.
This kind of daring is to be avoided at all costs. The best antidote is the humility, which reminds us of the reality of our illness. We are not like everyone else. We are compulsive overeaters and do not dare to throw away our program.
Save me from the kind of daring that destroys me.0 -
I didn't learn what humility truly meant until I joined OA years ago. I now use it in my daily life and recognize when humbled by my experiences. Being humble has allowed me success in ways that I never thought possible and I am so grateful!0
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Food For Thought
December 25
Confidence
Our biggest problem was the inability to stop eating compulsively and the resultant obesity. This problem is never solved permanently, but it is overcome on a day-to-day basis. As we succeed in abstaining from compulsive overeating, we grow in confidence. Since by working the program we solve our biggest problem every day, we become confident that we can solve other problems as well.
Confidence is trust that our Higher Power and OA will not let us down. Confidence is the knowledge that however tough life gets, we have tools and resources for dealing with it. Confidence believes in ourselves as children of God and people of value. Confidence is the willingness to give what we have, with the faith that our gifts are needed and acceptable.
When we have confidence in our Higher Power and in ourselves, we are willing to try even though we may fail. If we fail, we are willing to try again. Since our will and our lives are turned over to God, as we understand Him, we have confidence that everything eventually works out for good.
You are the source of confidence.
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I'm not feeling very confident today, but I will aim put my abstinence before all things. Planning ahead and having confidence in myself allows me to enjoy my day today with family and friends, focusing on them and not the food. I am feeling blessed today knowing that my HP has my back. Here's to a great, abstinent day!
I'm Felicia, a grateful, compulsive overeater!
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You can do it, Felicia! We're here to support! I'm Nicole, compulsive overeater from MN.
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Thanks for your support, Nicole!0
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Keep It Simple
December 26
To be emotionally committed to somebody is very difficult, but to be alone is impossible. --Stephen Sondheim.
Let's face it, relationships are hard to work! But we are lucky! Recovery is about relationships. We learn how to set limits. We learn how to listen to and talk to others. In Step One, we begin a new relationship with ourselves. In Step Two and Three, we begin a relationship with our Higher Power. In later Steps, we mend our relationships with family and friends. In our relationship with our sponsor, we learn about being friends. And our past relationships with alcohol and other drugs is being replaced by people and our Higher Power.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, thank-you for all the new relationships. Thank-you for teaching me how to feel human again.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll make a list of all the new relationships I have now, due to my sobriety.0 -
I love today's KISS message! Because of this program, I've been able to have meaningful relationships with old friends and new ones. I will admit that the toughest relationship was the one with myself, especially in my first round of working the steps. I carried around a lot of self-doubt and guilt, but with my HP at the wheel, I was able to let those feelings go, where it no longer defined me. I haven't completed today's action (it's getting late), but I will tomorrow.
Wishing everyone peace and serenity.
I'm Felicia, a grateful, compulsive overeater!0 -
Food For Thought
December 29
Working Compulsively
We do not want to turn from compulsive overeating to compulsive working. This, too, is an attempt to escape reality. Compulsive working holds a particular danger for us, since when we allow ourselves to get overtired, we run the risk of breaking our abstinence.
Working compulsively includes the fear that what we do will not be good enough. It is when we are unsure of our self worth that we have to continually prove how much we can accomplish. Compulsive work is also a way to avoid meaningful relationships with family and friends. If we fear intimacy and exposure, we sometimes try to hide behind a facade of busyness.
When God controls our will and our lives, we work according to His direction. We have the faith that what we do will be acceptable and enough. Believing that God cares for us, we do not rely only on our own abilities. Working for a Higher Power means that we work with serenity and confidence, knowing that He directs and sustains our efforts.
Teach me how to work productively for You.0 -
I don't think I work compulsively and try to keep any potential compulsions in check. I have been able to accomplish this only through working the 12 steps and with my HP. I don't have much to share on this topic, but in the past I was able to relate, although, I cannot relate currently.
I'm Felicia, a grateful, compulsive overeater!0 -
Oooohhh; I’m just seeing these, Felicia. Thanks for your service here.
I’m always ready to hear more OA wisdom, and grateful for the experience, strength, and hope of others on this path.
I’m Jill, a recovering compulsive overeater.0 -
SenchaJill wrote: »Oooohhh; I’m just seeing these, Felicia. Thanks for your service here.
I’m always ready to hear more OA wisdom, and grateful for the experience, strength, and hope of others on this path.
I’m Jill, a recovering compulsive overeater.
Glad to be of service in any capacity that I can be!0 -
A Day At A Time
January 3
Reflection For The Day
My addiction is three-fold in that it affects me physically, mentally and spiritually. As a chemically-dependent person, I was totally out of touch not only with myself, but with reality. Day after miserable day, like a caged animal on a treadmill, I repeated my self-destructive pattern of living. Have I begun to break away from my old ideas? Just for today, can I adjust myself to what is, rather than try to adjust everything to my own desires?
Today I Pray
I pray that I may not be caught up again in the downward, destructive spiral which removed me from myself and from the realities of the world around me. I pray that I may adjust to people and situations as they are instead of always trying, unsuccessfully and with endless frustration, to bend them to my own desires.
Today I Will Remember
I can only change myself.0 -
Yes, the vicious cycle of insanity. It took willingness to get me off of the insanity wheel and to truly let go and let my HP take care of the things that were not in my control. I now take comfort in knowing that I don't have to have all of the answers and I don't have to live in my old ways. Change that has allowed me to better focus on my recovery (and sanity) keeps me in a place of abstinence.
I'm Felicia, a grateful compulsive overeater!0 -
This reminds me of my phrase to myself:
Addiction is addiction is addiction;
Recovery is recovery is recovery.
I repeated this to myself over and over, praying for a way to become “food sober.”
I was in recovery in another program, and I just couldn’t find a way to find abstinence.
And, finally, as a gift from outside myself, I found recovery with my eating.
I know I can only change myself, and I pray for the willingness to continue working this program.
I’m Jill, a recovering compulsive overeater.2 -
That's awesome Jill, thanks for sharing!0
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Food For Thought
January 4
Three Meals a Day
For most of us, abstinence from compulsive overeating means three measured meals a day with nothing in between. Before we joined OA we often ate one enormous meal, all day long. Through this program, we find the discipline to eat according to our needs rather than our self-destructive cravings.
Unless a doctor has told us differently, we do not need more than three meals a day. As we practice this pattern, we retrain our overgrown appetites and learn to function in the real world. We can eat with our families instead of secretly snacking and bingeing.
We plan our three meals for the day, write them down, and report them to our food sponsor. Then, instead of nibbling here and there and thinking about food all day, we can forget about eating except when it is time for a planned, measured meal. As we acquire disciplined eating habits, we find that other areas of our lives become more ordered and productive. Freed from the bondage of self-will and impulse, we are guided by the sure hand of our Higher Power.
I am grateful for the order and sanity OA has brought into my life.0
