The SEA's Program
SEA's 12 Step Guide
Step 3
Content:
Step 3: We made a decision
to develop a spiritual life in which our wills and lives would be open to the
healing graces of our Higher Power.
Spiritual life
On
your road to recovery from low self-esteem, you need to free yourself of the
burdens of problems and issues which you have no control over and cannot
change. You also need to free yourself of the `"guilt'' and `"fears''
which encourage you to return to the `"old you.'' The people in your
current life may be hurting because you are changing and no longer fixing,
rescuing, or enabling them. To remain on the road to recovery you need to
maintain a hope and faith that the future will be better than the past. Why
else would you continue to exert the effort to change? To accomplish this you
need to develop a spiritual centeredness in faith, hope, and love. Use the Tools
for Personal Growth, Spirituality,
Tools for Handling Loss, Death,
and Letting Go to assist you in determining
a spiritual life which will assist your recovery process. Tools
for Handling Control Issues is also a text filled with spiritual
truths about letting go of the unchangeables and uncontrollables to your
Higher Power.
1.
Give some examples of what your spiritual life was like in the past.
2. Give some reasons why your spiritual life has failed you in the
past in your quest for sanity and increased healthy self-esteem.
3.
What changes need to be made in order for your spiritual life to grow in:
4.
What are some reasons why you are resistant to embrace the concept of a
spiritual life as a tool in recovery from low self-esteem?
5.
What problems over which you have no control and
thus no possibility of changing currently burden you?
6.
Which people do you feel "guilty'' about
"hurting'' as a result of your desire to no longer fix, rescue, or enable
them?
7.
What are some obstacles which make it hard for
you to believe that the future will be better and that your healing and growth
will be realized in the future?
8. Given the "things you cannot change,'' the "people you
cannot take further responsibility for'' and the "obstacles keeping you
from envisioning an optimistic future,'' what can you do to "let go'' of
these so that you can retain focus on your personal recovery?
9.
What do you need to do to ensure that "letting
go'' is a natural part of your life and an integrated component of your
spiritual life?
In
recovering from low self-esteem, you can become weak and disbelieving in your
own ability to heal within yourself. You might become dependent on others to
lead and affirm you. Through "letting go'' of the uncontrollables to your
Higher Power and by use of positive self-affirmation, you can function as a
partner with your Higher Power. This creates a climate for yourself in which
you recognize your possibilities and develop a "can do'' attitude about
life. This can lead to a healing of your spirit, soul, and mind resulting in
enhanced self-esteem and personal functioning.
1.
Give examples of how you have lost belief in
your ability to overcome your problems.
2.
Give examples of how you have transferred your
dependency on others to assist you to feel better about yourself and to give
you direction as to what to do with your life.
3.
Give examples of what you can do to develop a
"partnership'' with your Higher Power to help heal yourself.
4.
Give examples of what a "can do'' attitude
would look like in your life.
5.
Give examples of what your Higher Power can
provide you in order to heal your:
Restate
Step 3 by outlining your spiritual life plan to enlist your Higher Power as your
partner in helping you to heal and grow in self-esteem.
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