Learning From our Mistakes
Mistakes, though sometimes painful, are an unavoidable part of life. We make mistakes at every stage of our lives, regardless of how much we might try to avoid them. We are human, and part of the human experience is making mistakes. Learning to glean the lessons from our mistakes is an important part of recovering from addiction and mental health issues.
Sometimes we tend to get stuck in the details of our mistakes. We replay what happened over and over again in our minds, we beat ourselves up and continue to judge ourselves long after the mistake has been made. We dwell on the embarrassment and shame we feel. We forget that mistakes are normal and natural, and we hold ourselves to impossibly high standards of perfection.
It is natural to have remorse for our mistakes and wrongdoings, and to genuinely feel bad about them, to want to make amends and redeem yourself. Sometimes, though, we can’t shake the feelings of self-hatred and unworthiness, and we can’t forgive ourselves. This can cause us to totally miss the lessons we could have learned from those mistakes, lessons that might help us avoid those same mistakes in the future, lessons we could share with others to help them along their way.
Life lessons are embedded in everything we do. Spiritual tests are everywhere. Mistakes are a sign of growth and can often cause very rapid growth, because we’re forced to look at things in new ways, address new things, and take on new challenges, often in a relatively short period of time. This rapid growth can lead to tremendous growing pains, especially when our mistakes involve hurting, or being hurt by, others.
It can really hurt to grow and change, especially when we were already unhappy with our starting point, i.e. depressed or struggling with addiction. If we can focus as much as possible on the possibilities for growth, rather than on the embarrassing details of the mistakes themselves, we stand to gain life-changing wisdom that we can use to help ourselves and others. If we can continue to grow, and to grow in self-love, we can get to a place of inner peace, look back at our mistakes and feel they were a necessary part of our evolution.
Self-reflection is so important to recovery, and the community at Enlightened Solutions has years of experience supporting people in their recovery process. Call (833) 801-LIVE.
