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Mayer Solomon, LCSW-C
443-326-2645
Beginnings
Ever feel stuck? Like things have reached a point where you are so rooted in ________ (fill in the blank) that the situation can't change?
That's the nice thing about beginnings. We are given so many opportunities to start over. A new year. A new month. A new day. A new minute. These are all opportunities to regain our footing.
If you are like most people, you have tried to make change before and you may have hit a snag. It might interest you to hear, that it is normal for growth to involve setbacks. A great person once compared growth and development to walking up stairs. When you take a step up two things happen. You actually lower your knee, and you also make yourself more susceptible to fall because you are only standing on one foot. To get to the top, you will inherently have to experience some vulnerability and maybe even a step down along the way. It’s important to remind yourself, that despite your setback you are still higher up the staircase than before.
Growth requires small steps and you may not always notice your achievement while you are working through the process. I once heard Doctor Abraham Twerski, who is well know for his work in the addictions field, share a great story. Doctor Twerski was experiencing severe back pain and had to go to the hospital. He was given painkillers, which worked effectively. When it was time to stop taking the pills, he had become used to them and asked the nurse if he could continue them a bit longer. He realized he was taking a liking to the pills and called a former client John (not his real name) who had attended one of Doctor Twerski’s programs for some support. John listens to what is going on and tells Doctor Twerski, "I am with customers right now, I’ll call you back in an hour; in the meantime don’t take any more pills." An hour goes by and John calls back to check on Doctor Twerski. John asks, "did you take any more pills." Doctor Twerski responds "no." John says, "ok great listen, I am in with another customer, I’ll call you back in another hour, can you hold off till then." And so it continued hour by hour until the Doctor had worked through the withdrawal symptoms.
Whatever it may be that you want to improve in your life. Remember: Seize Beginnings. Accept and Work Through Setbacks. Create Supports. Take Small Steps.