Struggling with addiction and mental health issues can make us question everything about ourselves – who we are, what our purpose is, what our place in this world is. When we don’t feel connected to ourselves, when we don’t know who we are, our self-doubt, insecurity and misguidedness can contribute to our addictions. Our lack of inner understanding and our addictive behaviors can become intertwined and can compound each other. Together they form toxic, recurring cycles of self-sabotage, self-destructiveness and, at the root of all of it, self-hate. We feel down on ourselves for not being further along in our careers. We compare ourselves to the people we think are happier and more successful than we are. We’re filled with sadness when we think we don’t measure up.

Our insecurity, our lack of groundedness, and our competitiveness bring us down and keep us focused on the wrong things. Our energy is directed outward, to the people we think we’re in competition with, to the addictive behaviors, substances and relationships we think will make us feel better about ourselves. We seek validation in external sources, from other people, from what people think of us, from how we are perceived. We lose track of finding our unique purpose and claiming our place in the world. We feel lost and unfulfilled, unsatisfied and disappointed in ourselves. We feel ashamed of ourselves. We lose any progress we might have made in finding our direction. We feel aimless and totally off track. We might start one job or hobby after another, only to quit each one shortly thereafter. We stay in jobs and relationships that make us miserable. We keep ourselves small.

Questioning our place in the world is a normal part of growing and developing into the people we’re meant to become. It’s natural to be confused and overwhelmed. Being lost doesn’t mean we’re hopeless, it means we’re in the perfect place to realign with our path. Sometimes we resist and reject our confusion. We think being confused is more evidence that we aren’t good enough. We think we should have figured everything out by now, and we feel bad about ourselves when we haven’t. We think we’re behind where we should be in our lives. We strive for perfection rather than growth, learning and progress.

Let yourself question. Let yourself explore. Questioning and exploring are how we learn. The more you reflect on yourself and your life and keep an open mind through the whole process, the more you’ll open yourself up to receiving divine guidance. You’ll be more connected to your intuition. You’ll find your path. You’ll become aligned. Enjoy the questioning process rather than panicking about it. Realize that it’s a normal part of the process of becoming who we’re meant to be.

Bayview Recovery can be the nurturing, supportive environment you need to provide you with a strong foundation for recovery. Call 888-570-7154 today for more information.