Choose to Change
INTRODUCTION
Recovery is a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential (SAMSHA, July 2019). Recovery is not about getting rid of our behavioral health problems but seeing beyond them, recognizing and fostering our strengths, abilities, interests and dreams. This group has come together because each of us wants to be our “best self”. Sometimes this can be a hard, lonely journey.
As a group we will work together, learn from each other and give each other support. We will combine our faith, courage and ideas to help each other. We will talk a lot about becoming our best self and living a better life in this group. When we say our "best self" we mean getting help from our community, family, friends, and a power greater than ourselves to live a strong, balanced life. When we choose to become our best self, we care for our physical needs, social emotional health and spiritual life while finding ways to expand our knowledge. We are better able to give back and help others. Being our best self doesn't mean we will be able to get and do anything we set our minds to, but we can have a life worth living.
Each session we will combine our faith and trust in the group and a higher power with learning skills that help meet practical needs. All so we can become better. Life worth living groups work best when everyone is actively present; shares their ideas; completes the activities; loves and supports each other; works on their promises during the week, and shares what they learned in the next meeting.
CHECK IN
Gratitude: Taking time every day to be grateful can help our health, relationships, emotions and happiness. Write something you are grateful for this week.
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Discuss: Share what you learned last week about your spending. Write your thoughts. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
CHOOSE TO CHANGE
Think: What are some choices you could make to live with more peace and happiness?
Discuss: Can you share a story of you or someone you know who choose peace and happiness and the difference it made in life? Write what you learned from that story. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Read: Sometimes you may feel like life happens by chance and you forget your choices make a difference. We may also forget that a power greater than ourselves can help us repair choices we have made in the past. With help you can make them right and keep going. Confucius, religious leader, taught “To put the world right... we must first cultivate our personal life, we must first set our heart right”.
Changes & Choices Activity
Becoming our “best self” starts with choices. Some choices will be easier to make than others.
Step 1: Write some of the changes you want in your life on the left side of the table below.
Step 2: Then write the choices you need to make on the right side of the table below.
Changes I want to make in my life Choices I will make
One month of savings Use my budget and make more meals at home
A good job Start the training program I need
Feel healthier Try to eat at least one healthy food option each day
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Read: Viktor Frankl, Holocaust survivor, taught “Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation. To choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, is to choose one’s own way.” Buddha, religious leader, taught “The wind cannot overturn a mountain. Temptation cannot touch the man (woman) who is awake, strong and humble, who masters himself and minds the law”.
Discuss: What choices will we live this week? What do we hope will change in your life? Write down your thoughts.
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Commit: This week I will:
____ Work on making the choices that help me become my best self. The choice I want to focus on this week is: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
____ Share what I am learning with my community, friends and family.