When you first start attending recovery meetings, you might notice all kinds of strange sayings plastered all over the walls. They’re short and memorable, but not always considered sweet.
In fact, many folks say they absolutely hated all those recovery sayings when they first got sober. But once they start working a recovery program, they begin to not only appreciate them, but also incorporate them into their daily lives.
In other words, the recovery sayings work. And their usefulness extends to everyone, whether you’re in recovery or not. Here come five of my all-time favorites that have both irked me and helped me again and again.
One Day at a Time (ODAAT)
As one of the most common and useful slogans, ODAAT reminds us to keep the focus on what’s in front of us at the moment – and not the zillions of other things that may await us down the line.
- Best used for: Long-term goals or plans that freak us out. Like staying sober for the rest of our lives – Egads! Or sticking with a diet until the END OF THE MONTH?! Don’t worry about doing it for the rest of your life, or even the end of the month (or week). Just focus on doing it one day at a time.
How Important Is It?
Love this one. It’s a BIG reminder to pick our battles wisely. If we battled everything that ruffled our feathers, we’d never have any time left to play with the dogs.
- Best used for: Truly trivial situations that get us all riled up, like when your hubby leaves his dirty socks in the middle of the floor.
Don’t Take Yourself so Seriously
This beautiful recovery slogan reminds us we’re human and we’re going to make mistakes or do something silly at least once every 2.5 months. So what? It’s not the end of the world. In fact, all the other humans out there are likely so worried about their own silly behaviors that they didn’t even notice yours.
- Best used for: Times when you think you acted like an idiot and are now lying awake at night replaying the idiotic moment in your mind. Forget it and get some sleep.
This Too Shall Pass
Just typing this one makes the hackles on the back of my neck stand up. But despite its ability to make us cringe, this slogan can come to the rescue when we’re feeling particularly awful. The feeling will not last forever. Sometimes people use it in jest when others are feeling especially joyful. Maybe that’s why my hackles stand up when I hear it.
- Best used for: Serious bouts of depression, grief, sleeplessness or all those other icky things that feel like they will NEVER go away.
Easy Does It
Ahhhhh. This recovery slogan is a fine reminder to chill out. Let go. And breathe. Crazy how often we can forget to breathe when we’re all wound up by this, that, or the other thing. “Easy does it” is a companion slogan to “How important is it?” Put the two together and your moment of intense frustration can dissolve into an almost peaceful sense of “Whatever.”
- Best used for: Driving in Tucson traffic.
If you think recovery slogans are good for folks not in recovery, you should see what the 12 Steps can do. Check it out in my online course: 12 Steps for Everyone, or get a copy of my 12 Steps for Everyone workbook. Enjoy!
I help courageous souls who want more out of life than sleep-work-sleep get their dazzle back so they rock their world.
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