Topic Tuesday: Recovery

“I’m Enough.” (By: Mackenzie Fox)

One of the best lessons I learned in therapy was how to ‘sit’ in unpleasant emotions. That sometimes the best way to navigate something is to go straight through it. I’ve had to remind myself of that recently, as I go through some fairly large life transitions. I think as someone in recovery, these big transitions can be tricky. It’s when you need to be armed with your best self care techniques to make sure that you are ok.

I’ve faced some challenges in just that, in remembering that I’m going to be ‘ok’. Even if I’m not ‘great’ or ‘good’, I’m surviving and some days that’s the best that I can do. We, as a population, have an unhealthy obsession with ‘happiness’. Not that we don’t all deserve happiness, because of course we do, but I think we are obsessed with the idea of constantly being happy. And you guys, it’s totally ok to not always be happy! To not have ‘happiness’ as your end goal for that day. In recovery, some days it’s enough to have your goal be “survive”. Those are the days that you need your self-care techniques but those techniques don’t have an end goal of ‘happy’. Most of the time they are to remind ourselves that I’m enough. I’m enough. I’m enough just like this. Today, I’m enough regardless of how the day went. I’m enough.

About the Author

Mackenzie is a Nashville native currently pursuing her Masters of mental health counseling from Trevecca Nazarene University. She has special interest in LGBT groups and body image issues & eating disorders. Full time she works in multifamily property management as an assistant property manager. She spends her free time weightlifting, yoga and spending time with friends and family.