When we make a list of people we harmed, there is one person we may not think to include: ourselves.
We abandoned things we cared about. We ignored our health. We traded values for temporary relief. We stayed in places we didn’t belong and accepted things we once swore we never would. We spoke to ourselves in ways we would never speak to another person.
This doesn’t mean Step Eight becomes an exercise in self-pity. It means honesty can include recognizing that we were caught in the wreckage too.
Recovery gives us an opportunity to begin treating ourselves differently. We can become dependable to ourselves. We can keep small promises. We can stop deliberately putting ourselves in situations that destroy our peace. We can learn that self-respect isn’t selfishness. Sometimes it is simply another part of living differently.
What is one way I can stop repeating the harm I once did to myself?
