It’s a new day

By Britny Belski

Last month I shared, from the deepest depth of my heart, my recovery and healing journey. I was nervous about how my story of recovery/healing would turn out. It is not glamorous; it’s not the “norm” we are accustom to. It’s not a Hollywood movie, where everything is all glitz and glitter. It’s raw, authentic, imperfection at its finest. I’m embracing every part of it.

I don’t know where you find yourself along the road of your own recovery journey. You might find yourself with a diagnosis and you are not sure what the next steps will be, or you may find yourself in the middle of the race, you’re tired and you feel like you can’t continue on. Let me reassure you that you are one step away from blessings, healings, reconciliations and much more. Sometimes, I feel like we tend to focus on the struggles in life rather than embracing them. I have been there myself.

I remember in my own recovery with my eye condition, the hardest thing for me was when I lost two jobs because of my eyesight. I was devastated; it was as though I were in that falling dream I couldn’t get out of. I kept replaying that moment in my mind over and over again, a sking myself, “Why did this happen? If I could only see like others, I would still have those jobs.”

Here are a few tools I have used to help me cope with my own recovery. This list includes journaling, doing a “HEART check” and listening to music
You may be wondering, “Britny, how does that help with my own recovery?” Well, journaling has become my favorite form of therapy. I love writing all my thoughts and feelings down on paper. For instance, I wrote in my journal the other day about my recent acceptance letter to a University where I plan to continue my education in theology. I wrote down how excited I was and about what to expect for this new season of life I am in.

That brings me to explain about the HEART check. What is a HEART check? The HEART check is a tool that may assist you on how you are doing in your recovery. HEART stands for Hurting, Exhausted, Angry, Resentful and Tense. For example, you would ask yourself these questions: “Am I hurting?” Am I Angry?” “Am I Resentful?” and “Am I Tense?” This has helped me to get back on track and also see where I am hurting. Once I determined what is going on with my emotions, that leads me to music.

Music has been a huge part of my life for as far back as I can remember. I feel like music can change your mood at any moment. For me, there is a song reaching into my soul, and when I hear it I believe I can take on the world. The song,”Giant’s Fall,” is by Francesca Battestella.The chorus of the song speaks to me:

Don’t you be afraid
Of giants in your way
With God you know that anything’s possible
So step into the fight
He’s right there by your side
The stones inside your hand might be too small
But watch the giants fall

Take a moment to enjoy where you are in life and how far you have come from where you were before. You will see the transformation that has been made new.