There seems too much to do. How do I catch up?
Addiction can wreak havoc on life, work, family and health. Early recovery can be overwhelming with so many issues to deal with. To undertake too much too fast is a common reaction.

Financial strain encourages overwork. Guilt compels you to try and make up for the past. Other pressing issues can seem more important than the ways of recovery.

“They said that sooner or later -I’d lose what I made more important than my recovery.

I wish I had listened the first time around.”

Far too often, the pressured and hectic ways of addiction are applied to the challenges of life in early recovery. These ways have created problems in the past and are likely to result in further stress and strain. A different approach is required.

How can I possibly cope with all of this?
Acceptance is a first step in dealing with what can seem overwhelming. It took time for you to become unwell. And it may not be until you stop using that you realize just how much of a mess addiction has made of your life.

“So much was left to the side while I was using.

It will take time to deal with the mess that’s been left.”

Recovery and life happen in their own time. Things do not always come together as fast as we might like. A common challenge of recovery is to accept that we are not always running the show. We are not always in charge of what happens when.

Common phrases of recovery include First Things First and One Day at a Time. Don’t try to fix everything at once. Don’t take on more than is comfortable in the state of your health and recovery.

Make a list of the things you need to do today. First, write down what you need to do for your recovery. Then list your other chores and number them as most to least important. Do what you can and check each off the list.

“I call it my God box.

Its really just a shoe box - but I put notes in it - of things I can’t look after today. God has to care for them until I get better. For now, I have to look after my self and to do what I can.

Somehow, it helps to write the stuff down and to put a note in the box. I feel a little less weight each time I do it. My head clears a little and I worry less.

I’ve realized that a lot of the notes just seem to look after themselves. I go through the papers now and then. Some have worked themselves out. Others are past and forgotten.

I worry a lot less since I started using the box. It has taught me a lot about faith.”

Don’t beat up on yourself if everything on the list is not done. Except those things that you need to do for your recovery today, whatever else can go back on the list for tomorrow. If there always seems too much to do, look for ways to simplify your day.

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