Articles and Essays Introduction

The following items in the section are anecdotes, book excerpts, or shared writings on the subject of recovery. You may save a simple PDF of any item by clicking on the PDF button on the top right of each article page.

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Anti-"Awfulizing" PDF Print E-mail
So how awful IS awful?

How terrible is TERRIBLE?

It is helpful to put events into perspective, To ACTIVELY and FORCEFULLY
expand our focus to see life realistically.

We often say something is "awful" and get a feeling like it is more than 100% Awful.
But how can that be?

We say we "Can't Stand It!!!".... But yet we do.

So lets take these facts and begin to MANAGE our thoughts and perspectives
and as a result DIRECTLY MANAGE our feelings and behaviors as well!

We are not saying to "sugar-coat"...or even to minimize. There is real distress and discomfort in this world. Recognition of this Real Distress is important.

What we are saying is, while recognizing the real distress in situations, to Also, AT THE SAME TIME, recognize very clearly and very factually, where it lies in the spectrum of distress,
and that we can stand it.

Here is the tool ------- To REALize reality

Make a scale starting at 0 and going to 100



100 ___________
 90  ___________
 80  ___________
 70  ___________
 60  __________
 50  ___________
 40  ___________
 30  ___________
 20  ___________
 10  ___________
  0   ___________



1 ) First rate you existing situation


2) Secondly, ask yourself,


" How Terrible is It?
" Could it get worse?
" It is really as frequent as it feels ?
" How long will it really last?
" CAN I STAND THIS?


3) Now for a bit of perspective ...


" Is it as bad as a hurricane or earthquake?


" Or say as a famine or war ?



4) and Finally for antidote ...
" Is there nothing occurring at this same time that is good?
" Is there nothing I can do to make something good happen?
?????


It is in these simple and factual ways that we Realistically Manage and develop a reality based perspective on life.