The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
I've decided I want to start every morning off with 10-15 minutes of Al-Anon related activity. Sort of a daily practice to keep me grounded in the program and get the day off to a positive start. Read from a daily reader and... something! I haven't figured out what the "something" should be yet.
Does anyone here have a daily Al-Anon practice, or want to make any suggestions for one?
I read the courage to change, and then do yoga while trying to focus on some of the reading. Or I do yoga if I need to keep my head quiet, then read the courage to change after. That is my main daily reader. I'm thinking of getting another one as well, but that one hits home with me a lot.
I switch it up daily depending on what I have planned. But I do some or all of the following, I participate in a online gratitude list with some local alanon gals, I read my daily readers, pray and meditate, journal or write gratitude in my little notebook, or I call someone in the program and talk or do a daily reading with them and then we both share ;)
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I needed these behaviors in my past they helped me survive I'm finding new and better ways to not just survive but thrive
I do daily readings and reflections in ODAT, C2C and I am currently working step 5 so I have a reading/reflection or questions from Paths to Recovery as well. Assets and gratitude list and I try to name something I will bring with me into the day.
I love starting the day with this routine, before all my kids are up and it's just me, my coffee and the cat!
Al-Anon specific, no. I am new to MIP , and a real rookie in Al-Anon. I don't have any books yet, but I have a couple I want to order for myself. I received a little Christmas money from my Pop, so this year I plan on using it for JUST ME, yahoo. I downloaded Getting them Sober free from a Nursing CEU site. Right now I have a treadmill that I bought used from a guy at work. I do 20 mins. or 3/4 mile in the morning (Do NOT laugh Nesh you are an exercise maniac). On alternating days I do a yoga 15 min morning stretch video based in Tai Chi (?) that I got for free on UTUBE. The yoga has helped me the most, it quiets my brain, relaxes me, and slows my breathing. I also have a daily ACOA affirmations book that is honestly an antique (rescued it from my Mom's house when she died). I pick a passage that is appropriate for the day I think I am going to have! I tend to learn like a canine does, having to hear something say... about 200 times before I get it...so I will repeat the passage throughout the day until it sticks. I guess I really need an Al-Anon routine too, thanks for the share!
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Nothing has changed but my attitude, everything has changed.
As soon as my eyes open I recite the serenity prayer and the 3rd Step prayer. In this manner I reaffirm my decision to turn my will over to HP each day. I then go to the living room, read my ODAT, Courage to Change and a Spiritual book of my choosing. I receive two telephone calls from sponsees one at 7 30 AM the other at 8 AM. We discuss the daily readings and then I come to MIP.
Readings, prayer, reflection on the day ahead with the use of Step 11, letting things settle, writing out the results of my reflection and taking the paper with me when I'm not sure I'll remember what I trust is God's will for me and for my day and following what is written on the paper as a guide for my day's work. I also turn the results in my HP's hands, trusting that my day was prepared for me in love. Forum magazine is a great thing for me to read as well as a continuation of the readings we find in our books.
Hmmm... thanks... I read your post yesterday... I have been through three Alanon readers over the years... one day at a time, courage to change, and now hope for today...
... I must admit I didn't turn to to my daily readers in the past unless I was in a crisis. This was fairly regular...
its Sunday here in NZ. Light rain... I want to start the new year fresh... create some new habits... ...feeling pleased with myself becos I got to do a Step 9 last night... still ongoing...
...I have problems and issues. Some of this is Alanon related... but they are regular routine issues. I know I will cross that bridge when I come to it!
So taking this time to share is what I hope the stat of my new routine... meeting and making new friends online, and in my day to day world- working in tandem!
I just finally got around to reading Codependent No More by Melody Beattie, and decided this year to read slowly, study, think about, absorb and apply half a page of text a day as a way of being truly conscious about my codependent tendencies every single day. I feel like every sentence in that book pertains to me.
Thank you Atheos for this topic. Merely by being here I have been reminded how far away I have gotten from the routines I used to have every day. So like others, as soon as I open my eyes and my body reminds me, "yup still here" I offer myself to the service of my HP. When I can get around with coffee and dog duty I read, pray I can be of use to others then hop on here for a little mini-meeting. At the end of the day I thank HP for all the good things I have received, inventory my actions and attitudes, ask for forgiveness and fall asleep counting blessings instead of sheep. Thank you all for helping me through the holidays and being there for me in my struggles. One of my favorite reminders as I'm lying there in my bedroom is to recognize my dog and I are sleeping in a 15 person house in a huge part of the world and my pantry shelf would feed a family of 5 for a week. Puts things in perspective for me. Especially when I'm whining cuz I don't have cake.
I read a daily devotional before I even get out of bed, as it comes in my email. It's from a Christian recovery site, so not Al Anon material but very useful for me as a Christian. Then, I usually read the Courage to Change reading for the day and some days I make the time to sit down and write in my gratitude journal (which I'm trying to make a better habit of this year).
One thing I'm focusing on this year is to make sure that when I read, I take it in and not just read to say I did it. Does that make sense? I want to understand what I'm reading so I am planning to put some meditation in my mornings. I have found that I'm a bit lazy on that one, LOL!
As soon as I hit the floor in the morning I say out loud Good morning God what are we doing to day . this just reminds me that I am no longer in charge of my life . I read Odat daily always looking for the solution on the page ( there is always one there ) in early recovery I used to write it down on a piece of paper and put it in a pocket and worked that solution for the day . that's it for me I gotta keep it simple as I can confuse anything if I try to analyze . today I know that alone in my head there is no adult supervision . Louise
Louise