Being wrong can make me feel unworthy, as if it says something about me as a person. We learn early on that being right equals competence, so we cling to that at the cost of curiosity and connection with others. But, being wrong is not a personal failure, it’s a part of learning. Every huge lesson I’ve learned came from being very very wrong. When I allow myself to be wrong, I am open to new information and a more honest relationship with myself and others.

Letting go of the need to be right softens everything. Conversations become less about winning and more about understanding. You can change your mind without betraying yourself. It’s okay to be wrong.

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#PersonalGrowth #SelfAwareness #EmotionalIntelligence #MindsetShift #GrowthOverPerfection

Without rest, identity becomes performance. How true this has rung for me, both in my career and stroke recovery, as I rebuild my identity in this new broken body. I have a tendency to overdo it - my old boss can vouch for me. I pour myself into my podcast, hobbies, and new “brilliant” ideas without pause. Although these all start with purpose and intention, I’m not always acting from purpose.

Some call it being a “workaholic.” I call it crossing the line from identity to performance. It’s where productivity becomes priority rather than purpose. Restraint brings me back to why I’m doing what I’m doing in the first place.

In my stroke recovery, restraint protects my physical well-being, minimizing my chronic pain. Restraint is leaving something in the tank, honoring my limits, and choosing sustainability over intensity. Restraint, for me, is wisdom in action rather than simply awareness, and it’s how I stay well enough to show up again tomorrow.

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#restraint #StrokeRecovery #Disability #ChronicPain #Recovery

Take a walk with me today with Autumn through Lake of the Woods as I discuss what restraint feels like for me.

Restraint has always been hard for me, but after my stroke it became a necessity. My alcoholism felt like a lack of restraint until I learned that it is a disease. Today lack of restraint costs me physical well-being. When I don’t stop in time, or I do more than I should, the pain in my head becomes unbearable. I’m aware of my limits, but awareness alone isn’t enough. What I need is the wisdom to act before I cross the line, not after. Wisdom is choosing to stop while I still feel okay, instead of waiting until I’ve gone too far.

More tomorrow on restraint, but today I wanted to talk through simply what it feels like in both sobriety and in stroke recovery. As always, the topic of restraint can apply to us all. Give it a listen and see if you can relate.

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#StrokeRecovery #LivingWithDisability #ChronicPainLife #RecoveryWisdom #ListeningToMyBody #restraint

Anger was an unexpected emotion after my stroke. It’s a result of fear, loss of control, frustration, exhaustion, and daily pain. Anger is the wrap around the primary emotion at its core. Underneath it is grief, fear, and the uncertainty of living in a body and mind that don’t behave the way they used to.

Anger is a choice, even though it feels very much like I’m a victim when I feel it. Even when I don’t act on it, holding onto it affects my attitude and pulls me away from “sober” thinking. Relief comes faster when I pause, breathe, cry, share, and accept what I can’t change.

Yes, I cry when I’m angry, and I know I’m not unique in that.

And when I feel distant from serenity, I try to remember that I’m the one who moved, not God. Choosing hope is always part of recovery, but man, it’s hard some days.

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#StrokeRecovery #SoberThinking #MentalHealthRecovery #ChronicPain #ChoosingHope

The same tools that keep me sober help me thrive post-stroke despite chronic pain. I heard some meaningful slogans over the past 24 hours that help me:

“Does this thought or action bring me closer to or further away from a drink.” I replace drink with God, pain, relief, or anything that moves me in the right direction.

“When I approach a decision do I walk through the door first or do I hold the door for God and let him enter before me?” Consider whether I am consistently and constantly connected to my higher power in daily life.

“The only thing between me and a drink is God.” Again, I can replace drink with pain because often my pain can be minimized by doing the next right thing, which I innately know when I am staying in the present.

To hear more great one-liners that have inspired me in recovery listen to this episode. 🎧

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#StrokeRecovery #SobrietyJourney #ChronicPainLife #MentalHealthRecovery #OneDayAtATime

I believe and doubt as much as I need to. My living amends to myself is choosing today what makes tomorrow’s me happier and healthier, gently leading the fearful parts of me when they don’t want to show up.

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#RecoveryJourney #EmotionalSobriety #MentalHealthAwareness #LivingAmends #PersonalGrowth

Wandering was how my loneliness showed itself long before I had words for it. I had some shameful memories bubbles today, and I turned them into useful lessons by opening my mouth and hitting “Record”.

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#SobrietyJourney #AddictionRecovery #MentalHealthAwareness #EmotionalSobriety #RecoveryStory

My loneliness was a cunning unwellness I tried to outrun, numb, and distract myself from. But the absence of feeling at home inside myself began to heal when I removed alcohol from my life.

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#SobrietyJourney #AddictionRecovery #HealingFromWithin #MentalHealthAwareness #EmotionalHealing