Believe
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 behavioral health problems but seeing beyond them, recognizing and fostering 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.
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 session.
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: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Discuss: Share who you have identified as Concerned Significant Others (CSOs). Write your thoughts.
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BELIEVE
Think: Do you believe a power greater than yourself can help you with the things that feel impossible in your life? Write your thoughts.
Discuss: Can you share a story of when you or someone you know felt they were being helped by a power greater than yourself? Write what you learned from that story.
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Read: Freedom fighter and first African President of South Africa Nelson Mandela taught, “I am fundamentally an optimist. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.” Sometimes we feel alone but a power greater than ourselves knows us and sees us. Sometimes, we are helped through other people. Sometimes, that power tells us what we need to change or do differently. A higher power listens to our thoughts and prayers and wants us to invite them into our lives.
Hard Things Activity
Read these four steps and write your thoughts and ideas below:
Step 1: Individually, think of something hard you are going through right now.
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Step 2: Now think about something hard you have been through in the past that made you stronger.
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Step 3: What did you learn from that experience? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 4: Look at what you wrote in Step 1. How you can you work with your higher power and others to get the help and strength you need (and have shown in the past) for what you are going through today. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Commit: This week I will
___ Focus on connecting with my higher power.
___ Work on what I wrote in Step 4 in the Hard Things Activity.
___ Share what I am learning with my community, friends and family.