Healthy Choices

When we were little, our parents made all of our decisions for us. We just assumed they were the right ones. Unfortunately, the largest percent of parents do not make healthy choices. They, no doubt, did not have healthy choices made for them as this appears to be a generational problem. In the beginning, it all seemed simple. Feed us, change our pants, make sure we have a warm, safe place to sleep in. Most parents are excited about a new baby. They’re so cute. It’s easy to take care of them. Then we begin growing older and we may still be cute but it’s no longer easy to take care of us. Now we discover we have a mouth and we use it with a vengeance. Once we get our legs working, we can run away from parents who want to spank us; we hide in a closet, under the bed, into the back yard. We’ve become somewhat adventurous and independent. As the years go by we realize we don’t get to make our own choices. Mom and Dad made them for us. But they weren’t always healthy ones.

If we come from a dysfunctional home, and most of us do, we have no clue how to make healthy choices. We make friends with other kids who have very bad habits, some of which we pick up. If we’ve been started on a strong spiritual path, one that’s healthy, we have a chance. We know that stealing isn’t allowed no matter how much our new friend tries to get us to join in the fun of thievery. Using drugs should be a definite no-no. Sexual practices are a bit fuzzy. No one taught us the wrong and right of that. We may even, by the time we’re in our early teens, have been sexually abused. So here we are, probably with no spiritual guidance, a fair amount of abuse already happening in our lives and no guidance to learn from. It’s vital, if you want a healthy life, that we make healthy choices mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, socially and financially.

Exactly what is a healthy choice? It requires the usage of common sense mostly, which I always maintain isn’t very common. Use your head; listen to your gut. Are your friends mature? Do they make wise choices? Are they supportive of your goals? If not, get friends who are. Are your goals reachable for you? Are you working towards them? If you were abused as a child, are you in a recovery program? Are you addicted to anything or anyone? If so, get into a 12 step program and work a rigorous and honest one. There is a 12 step program for every ailment. Find them on the Internet; locate them from your operator. Are you taking care of your body? Eating healthy? Getting 8 hours a night of sleep? Use your head. You know what you need to do to make healthy choices.

How can you tell if you need to get into recovery? As I said in the front of my book REPAIR Your Life:

If you are happy

and your life is working well,

you don’t need this book.

If the partner you are with

treats you with care and respect,

and your world is peopled with those

who make healthy choices,

you don’t need this book.

If you have no

dark and painful shadows

from your childhood

lurking in the corners of your mind,

you don’t need this book.

Get started! A happy life is waiting for you.


 

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