Yesterday was Mardi Gras and today is Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday. What a huge setup this is for people with addiction issues. Mardi Gras falls the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. This marks the close of the Carnival season. In France Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday and comes from the practice of using all the fats in the home before Lent in preparation for the fasting days and nights before Easter. Of course, Valentine’s Day like Christmas should be a Hallmark card experience or there is something wrong with us.

These holidays are triggering. One holds up perfect romantic love and the other overindulgence. In a life that looks for the outside world to tell us what to think and feel we end up empty behind a mask. The rule is to never know your truth and defer to anyone else who probably knows better than little old you. We become the rat on the wheel running as fast as we can trying to please the world but never respecting ourselves. We feel unsafe because our inner critics are on a loudspeaker mocking our every move. These are challenging times, but this moment in history gives us the opportunity to pause and take back our power.

The answer to the myths and lies of society is self-acceptance. Acts and thoughts of self-love transmute the years of power loss. Some of us may have had good experiences with church or school but somewhere along the way women have heard no matter what you think or feel that can’t be true. The result of perfectionism is always the same we can never play.

Many of the houses that we grew up in were empty and filled with fear. The thinking and self-criticism that we internalized keeps us constantly on empty begging the world to take care of us. We were not taught by our mothers or our communities to fill our own cup so we attempt to get that from everywhere but ourselves.

Joy is the center of all recovery. So, on this holiday let’s enjoy and get “high” without killing ourselves. This year is the celebration of personal power. We can discern, set boundaries, and ask ourselves “Am I comfortable with this?” and if I’m not say no.

If you are obsessed with food, your weight or drugs and alcohol we are here to help. Give yourself the greatest Valentine’s gift of all permission to love yourself.

Call 626-514-0031 for a free consultation call.