Freeing ourselves from chaos through spiritual principles
“If we have our own ‘why’ in life, we shall get along with almost any ‘how’.”
-Friedrich Nietzsche
The path to freedom from one’s struggles hardly ever presents as the obvious way, especially when overshadowed by fear and suffering. COVID-19 has caused widespread confusion, making this path seem clouded and worrisome. Let us clear the path for ourselves a bit.
Spiritual principles are the path laid out for experiencing our lives free of unnecessary suffering, with strength and resilience to experience the pain and fear that must be walked through as a part of life. At RCA we utilize the 12 Step Model of addiction treatment to help patients work through the chaos they are experiencing internally to find the strength necessary to rise and overcome their hardships.
While the 12 Step Model helps those suffering from addiction find the peace and power to recover, this model of treatment and the principles behind it can be indispensable and applicable to any problem. Utilizing the principles can reduce stress and encourage wellbeing to flourish, even in the times of panic and anxiety that we face currently.
The main principles underneath each of the 12 steps:
- Acceptance
- Hope
- Faith
- Courage
- Honesty
- Willingness
- Humility
- Responsibility
- Love
- Discipline
- Awareness/Growth
- Service
These principles, along with a practice of pausing and reflecting on them, can give us the ability to cope with whatever we may go through. The Serenity Prayer is a common theme in many recovery circles, as a way to pause and allow oneself to come back to the moment and the peace that is alight inside of them, whether they may initially see it at that moment or not.
It typically presents as this:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
Let’s formulate a version of this to pause with and express (or even just to read) when feeling helpless through our process of coping with the world’s current conditions:
God (or Higher Power, Universe, True Self, Love, etc.),
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, such as Nature running its course.
Grant me the courage to change the things I can, such as living by spiritual principles and taking care of my health, though it may seem difficult.
And grant me the wisdom to know the difference, to see that I can only control my actions, and that Love will guide me through any experience I may encounter.
After we express or read this, take time to pause and reflect on one principle we can focus on living in today, to keep life simple and peaceful.
“I will focus on acceptance today”, or “I will focus on honesty today.”
Remember your purpose in this life.
It is not to suffer endlessly and to be at the mercy of life’s happenings. It is to be free, to live in Love rather than fear, and to know that this experience is possible and available to you wherever and whenever regardless of what clouds your path. It is within you, always. Take time to find it, and as the beginning quote said, you shall endure almost any “how.”
– Written by Amber D– Written by Peter Krespan, Recovery Educator
