A Healing Journey for Successful Women Breaking Free from Perfectionism and Addictions!
Arguably the most challenging step in recovery is taking that initial leap of faith to begin a healing journey for successful women.
Perhaps you’ve kept your drinking hidden, struggling with addiction in secrecy. Or maybe you’ve been through treatment or counseling before, leaving your family angry and at their wits’ end, upset that nothing seems to be “working.”
Are you scared of what family and friends might think when you start
devoting time and energy to healing and making serious life changes?
Do you fear exposing your secrets to your loved ones, dreading their
disappointment, and the exposure of the things you’ve kept locked behind
closed doors?
Remember, fear only gains strength and power from the privacy screens you put up to hide your addictions. Like garlic and crosses to a vampire, exposure, truth, and connection to family and friends are the great destroyers of addictions.
Involving family in your recovery can be a frightening yet transformative experience.
At first, you may feel threatened or believe that you’ll never speak to them again, as if you are at war with them. But here’s the thing about family and your recovery: you need them.
Most successful women have family members who desperately want their loved ones to get better.
The path of least resistance is always the best one when it comes to recovery.
What this means is that you must let go of your ego and YOUR way (ask yourself, has your way been working for you?), say yes to the unknown, and stop resisting.
If you’re embarking on a new recovery and healing journey, commit to doing what’s asked of you instead of making excuses for why you can’t or why you think it won’t work. Remember, it WILL work if you want it to.
As you begin working towards recovery, your family will also experience transformation. They will become more hopeful and optimistic, witnessing the positive changes in you. Gradually, you will mend your family relationships as you embark on the path of healing yourself.
Oftentimes, family members need their own coaching and therapy to support the betterment of the entire unit. Not only can it help them understand the process of healing and recovery you are going through, but it can also address their own needs for healing. I encourage anyone, including successful women, to seek help and support moving forward.
In my own personal experience, I went through turbulent times with confused, supportive, and hurting family members. Initially, they were scared for me, and their fear turned into anger when my recovery didn’t happen overnight.
Desperate scare-tactic attempts to make me better were made, but none of them worked. Throughout this journey, they attended my treatment family counseling sessions, and eventually, my father even attended Al-Anon.
Over time, my truth and sincerity in my recovery spoke volumes, and my frustrated family became my greatest ally. They always were, but once they trusted that I was on the right path, they were able to channel their support in a productive and mutually beneficial way.
While I acknowledge that my family-in-recovery story is not the same for everyone, I firmly believe that “family” can extend to mean friends and anyone close to you. Successful women need support from those who love them.
Allow your loved ones to be angry with you and to love you unconditionally. Together, you will embark on a healing journey that will bring you all closer and foster collective healing.
Remember, the power of family and support is vital in the recovery and healing process for highly functioning women, empowering them to break free from the chains of perfectionism and addiction.