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 woke up this morning in a bad alanon place. That has been my MO. Waking has been my worst time of the day. When I first came to alanon, my challenge was to get myself out of bed and to a morning meeting to try and get myself out of the swirl of negative thoughts. Always trying to salvage a bit of the day. ugh!
I made a notebook of slogans and alanon stuff durring this time. Which for the most part just sits there now, but this morning I woke up and didn't like the way the black clouds where headed right for my world. I had started a negative list..LOL, I was just thinking when I start a negative list...it usually starts with someone elses name...
I got myself up and looked thru that notebook and found this tucked away for safe keeping. I am going to give it a try.."Just for today" Here's to starting my day over! :)
The most signigicant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education,my bankroll,my successes or failure, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances or position. The attitude I choose keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right there's no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge to great for me. Yet we must admit that we spend more of out time concentrating and fretting over the things that can't be changed than we do giving attention to the one that we can change---our choice of attitude.
I can definitely relate to this. The A generally wakes up in a foul mood and tries to infect me with it. I have worked super hard in the last few months not to take it on. Some of that is helped by the fact I work at night. He is generally only in a foul mood at home. Outside he is sweetness and light personified. In the home he is a monster who stomps around. I have had some luck in being home when he is not and vice versa. I do know I used to have a tremendously hard time to get going in the morning and think this was related to my depression. Since being in al-anon and in therapy this has improved.
Thanks for the wonderful reminder that we have a choice of attitude!!!
I have been up and down up and down all week, mostly down. Today, I made a conscious decision to get up, to work out on the treadmill, to dress nicely, to get up and get going! To not let anyone bring my day down. I deserve to have a nice day, and I have to learn to give it to myself!!!
Thanks Greta............Being an alanon member for so many years, I still tend to forget that I have choices. I and only I can determine what my day ahead will be. Sometimes I find it hard to get back on track when a unpleasant thought starts my day, and I tend to have it stick for hours, tossing it and turning it within my mind. Then the "what ifs " arise, and once again I tend to get lost in something I have no control over, and let it eat and eat at me. Turning things around to make my day pleasant sometimes is as easy as calling a friend, going for a walk, going shopping, just getting out so I dont sit at home and wallow in self pity. Get busy! Thanks for the reminder to me that I have choices.
