Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.
John Lubbock
We are in the heart of July.
A very good place to be.
Barbeques, flip flops and plunges in cold, clear water on hot days are gifts of a summer well- earned after a very long winter.
And these gifts provide a gateway to what the heart of summer is all about – rest and refresh.
For families on weariness overload from the chronic illness of substance use disorder finding some rest and refreshment are critically important.
Think of season of summer as a trusted doctor writing a prescription for a life-saving medication with unlimited refills.
Doctor’s Rx: Get some rest! Refresh your spirit! Have some fun!
The problem is that when our lives are hammered by a family system addiction crisis we think otherwise.
The life-threatening circumstances are so demanding, it is hard to imagine stepping back for even the smallest amount of time.
And that doesn’t even include all of life’s other demands – the needs of other family members, jobs, community commitments, bills to pay and getting routine chores done.
We feel we are in an addiction-driven warzone and there is no plan for retreat. In our efforts to win the war, we believe we must advance, advance, advance deeper into the battle.
When my teenage son was in struggling with an escalating dependance on alcohol and opioids, I learned that was a losing strategy.
After years of seeking solutions and living with the overwhelming sadness that nothing was working, I drove my body, mind and spirit into the ground.
I wound up in a hospital for several days with a painful infection and exhaustion.
And here’s the craziness of it all. Even as the doctor was admitting to the hospital after a long night in the ER, I was insisting that I needed to get home because my family needed me!
That hospital stay was a turning point for me. It forced me to understand the important of self-care and times of refreshment in this ongoing challenge.
That’s why these days of summer are so important for us and for our families.
All around is messaging to kick back and enjoy these beautiful days. It is vitally important to avoid burn out as we meet the challenges of this family systems disease.
Don’t let summer pass you by.
Rest in summers embrace.
You deserve it!
What holds you back from seeking necessary rest for yourself?
How can you make a commitment to seek some rest and refreshment?
Please share here. We can all be inspired by our collective experience, strength and hope.
Recent Comments