Create Connections
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. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Discuss: Share with the group something we did last week to work on a problem we have. Write your thoughts.
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CREATE CONNECTIONS
Think: How is my life different because people have helped me?
Discuss: Can you share a story of how you or someone you know life was changed for the better because others cared? What did you learn from that story? Write your thoughts.
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Read: Some of us feel we don't have anything to give back. Every one of us talents and gifts that can help our families, friends and community. Christian scriptures teach, "Love each other, just as I have loved you." (John) and "When you did it to the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me." (Matthew)
Plan to Help Activity
Step 1: Think of an individual, family or organization who needs your help. ___________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 2: List the skills and ideas you could offer them. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 3: Make a plan to help. For example, you could:
--Volunteer to clean up a park, church, or school.
--Visit an elderly person who may be lonely or someone with poor health.
--Help someone who needs extra support, like a single mother.
--Help someone who needs extra support, like a single mother.
--Help a child or teenager who needs support or mentoring.
--Other ideas ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Commit: This week I will
___Work on a plan to help and serve someone.
___ Share what I am learning with my community, family and friends.
Be Honest & True
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
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: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Discuss: Share what you learned when you listened better last week. Write down your thoughts.
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BE HONEST AND TRUE
Think: Remember a time when you chose to be honest, even though it was hard.
Discuss: Can you share a story of how you or someone you know learned the value of honesty? What did you learn from that story? Write your thoughts.
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Activity: Am I Honest Activity
Step 1: On your own, read the list below and give yourselves a number (1 to 4) to see how you could do more to be honest and true. Put a number (1 to 4) next to each line to say how often you do each action. 1 = never, 2 = sometimes, 3 = often, 4 = always
____I keep all of my promises.
____I speak and write the truth.
____I tell the truth, even if I made the wrong choice.
____I give back what I borrow and don't take things that aren't mine.
____I am faithful to my spouse with what I say and do.
____I don't cheat, even if I think no one will know or find out later.
____If I find something that's not mine, I give it back.
____I always pay back money I borrow.
Step 2: Circle the items where you gave yourself a 1 or 2.
Step 3: Write down what you could do to move that item from a 1 to a 2 or a 2 to a 3.
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Discuss: What did you learn from the activity about ways you could be more honest? Write down your thoughts.
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Read: Being honest means doing what is right, even if the consequences are hard. We show our honesty in our words, choices, and thoughts. Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving. Dishonesty, even small lies, cheating, or taking advantage of someone hurts them and us. Christian scripture teaches that we should, "Do to others as you would have them do to you." (Luke) Being honest and true helps us become our best self.
Commit: This week I will:
__ Work on becoming more honest by focusing on one area in the Am I Honest Activity.
___Share what I am learning with my community, family and friends.
Don’t Give Up
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. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Discuss: Share what you learned when you tried to be more honest last week. Write down your thoughts.
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DON’T GIVE UP
Think: When have you been determined and stayed with something, even if it was hard and you wanted to quit?
Read: Life doesn't usually go as we planned so we need to be courageous and determined. Jewish and Christian scripture teaches, "Be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded." (Chronicles) Being determined takes faith but it's always worth it.
Discuss: Can you share a story of how you or someone you know who wanted to give up but kept going? What helped keep you going? What did you learn from that story? Write down your thoughts.
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Positive Reinforcement through Affirmation Activity
Step 1: Make groups of 2-3 people.
Step 2: Have one person say something positive about themselves to their partners, like “I am confident and strong,” or “I care about others,” or “I have a good life.”
Step 3: Have the other two people in the group respond by saying something positive they have noticed about the person. For example, "I have seen that you really care about other people."
Step 4: This person can repeat the compliment they were given. For example, "I do really care about others."
Step 5: Now switch places and repeat the activity with the other two people in your group.
Discuss: What did you learn about positive reinforcement from this activity?
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Read: We can use our minds to change the negative thoughts, ideas and beliefs we have about ourselves or our lives. This will help us see ourselves the way our higher power sees us. When this happens, we start to have the courage we need to become our best self.
Commit: This week I will:
___Work on being determined and staying with the hard things in life.
___ Practice changing my negative thoughts into positive ones.
___ Share what I am learning with my community, family and friends.
Focus on Learning
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. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Discuss: Share with the group what you learned when you changed negative thoughts into positive ones. Write your thoughts.
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FOCUS ON LEARNING
Think: How will learning, education or training give you better opportunities in life?
Read: We live in a world full of learning and education and our higher power invites us to learn all we can. Jewish and Christian scriptures teach, "Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge (Proverbs). We are not left alone to learn all that we need to know. "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking." (James)
Discuss: Can you share a story of how education helped create a life worth living for you or someone you know? What did you learn from that story? Write down your thoughts.
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Discuss: How can we keep learning, even if we aren't in a traditional school setting? Write your thoughts.
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Creating a “Life Plan” Activity
Step 1: You have been given gifts and they help you create a life worth living. During this group you have probably had ideas of what you can become. Take a minute to remember these ideas.
Step 2: On your own, fill in the sentences below. This is the start of a "Life Plan" and will help you know where to go.
Where do I want to be in five years?_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
How does this plan reflect my values? (Values are personal beliefs that motivate your actions.)
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What are the skills, knowledge, or experience I need to accomplish my plan?
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Creating Goals for Your Life Plan Activity
Step 1: With the help of goals, you can create a life worth living. Your goals should be:
· Clear: You need to see if you are making progress.
· Written down: It's a good idea to put them where you can see them every day.
· Shared: You are more likely to make progress if you tell your goals to someone you care about. They can help you.
Step 2: Your goals should also have:
· simple steps to finish them
· a time for when they should be done.
Activity: Creating Goals for Our Life Plan
Step 1: On a sheet of paper, write two or three goals that will help you with your Life’s Plan. You can follow the example below:
GOAL
Find a better job
WHY?
So, I have money for myself and my family.
SIMPLE STEPS TO FINISH THE GOAL
Talk with 3 people each day. Practice interviewing. Believe my Higher Power will help me.
TIME
Every night I will check how I am doing with my goals.
WHO WILL I TALK TO ABOUT MY PROGRESS?
I will share my progress with a family or friend every weekend.
Step 2: Put our goals paper where we can see it every day.
Commit: This week I will:
___ Keep working on my life plan.
___ Focus on creating a Life Plan and setting goals to achieve that plan.
___Share what I am learning with my community, family and friends.
Keep Trying
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: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Discuss: Share what you learned when you focused on creating a Life Plan. Write your thoughts.
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KEEP TRYING
Think: Has my life changed during this group? How?
Read: The Life Worth Living group may have pushed us to try new things, learn new skills, and get to know new people. It may not have always easy or comfortable, but we stayed with the process and are better because of it. We can now use that skill to keep trying and keep believing. Jewish and Christian scriptures teach, "Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua)
Discuss: Can you share a story of how you or someone you know took small steps to change their life? What did you learn from that story? Write down your thoughts.
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Discuss: What has helped you have courage and trust your higher power when life doesn't go the way you planned? Write your thoughts.
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Discuss: How can you see the challenges and difficult things in your life as opportunities to grow and change? Write your thoughts.
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Read: During the group you have worked hard to become your best self. You have learned how to save money, work hard and help others. You have also learned how to use gratitude and meditation/prayer to get ideas and inspiration from your higher power.
Discuss: How can you keep helping one another in the next 12 weeks? Writeyour thoughts.
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Plan for the next 12 weeks Activity
Step 1: What are some changes I want to make in the next 12 weeks?
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Step 2: I will start with:
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Step 3: I will stay with my goal by:
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Step 4: Every week I plan to talk about my progress with:
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Step 5: I will give back to my family, friends or community by:
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