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I add NEW blog posts every week! Topics range from personal stories, current events, and new perspectives! I do not wish to share opinions; I only hope to share my thoughts with those who need it.
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“One thing is for sure, this journey is messy. But when we can take a step back we will see that this whole time we have been painting a much larger picture. In some areas, there are bright colors that represent the periods filled with light, splotches of grey that felt numb and lifeless, in other sections we will find the darkness we lived through. But when we see it all together, we can recognize that each color shows the range in which we feel and go through life.”
5 years ago, today, I found myself in Jail Cell #11. My ‘roommate’ appeared to be a regular and very aware of the fact that I was terrified. Despite shame being a feeling I was familiar with; this was a level of shame that I had not yet experienced. Up until that humbling realization that I had put myself in jail, I had been pretty convinced that I was invincible; that I could get away with anything I set my mind to. Getting arrested was a pivotal moment in my life. It was through this time of desperation that I was able to make a step in the right direction.
Despite this incident being the motivation I needed to quit my addiction to amphetamines, the big question I was left with, was why did it always take desperation for me to want better for myself? Surely, there was another way to go about how I live my life.
In this post, I talk about the two motivating factors we all tend to lean on when it comes to making a change in our lives: Inspiration & Desperation. I beg the question of, why does desperation seem to be the most popular choice, and why is it that we wait until we are at our worst to want better? I am only speaking from experience here, but I guarantee all of us have an example of when we were inspired, and when we felt desperate. Since my arrest five years ago, I have slowly but surely begun learning how to choose inspiration over desperation. Isn’t it beautiful that we always have a choice?
Thank you for reading. I appreciate you.
The word ‘alone’ gets a bad reputation because a lot of people tend to associate being alone with being lonely; that is simply not the case. Being alone is a choice; being lonely is a feeling. A feeling that we have the ability to change on our own!
It has been a full year since I made the decision to move away from home, and in that time, the term ‘alone’ has taken on a much different, and very important meaning in my life.
In this post, I share with you what I have learned thus far since choosing to be alone. When we are able to make decisions for ourselves, lead a life that fulfills us, and are able to find reasons to enjoy our own company, we quickly find out that being alone is quite the opposite of being lonely. In fact, choosing to stand alone just may be exactly what you need to figure out exactly who you are.
Thank you for reading. I appreciate you.
My Mental Illness never fails to remind me that it has a key role in the way I live my everyday life. I still struggle with the fact that each day has its own set of challenges, but that is only because I still struggle to let go of what I cannot control. Having to accept that my mental health will always require a certain level of work has been challenging, because let’s be honest, mental illness can be exhausting.
In this post, I share TEN lessons my mental illness is still having to teach me about myself, or better yet, lessons I am still having to accept about my journey. We are all going to face our own set of challenges in life, and for a portion of the world, mental illness will be one of those battles. We cannot deny what we must face about ourselves, and the 10 lessons I talk about are just some of the truths I can no longer run from.
Thank you for reading. I appreciate you.
My life has always revolved around having certain ‘habits’, but it was not until my recovery that I started to learn (and accept) which habits were good for me, and which were bad; most of them being the latter. Because of this, I have spent the past couple years discovering which habits I could incorporate into my daily routine to make me a better person. What I have found thus far has been incredibly beneficial, not only in my recovery but just as a human being in general.
In this post, I share with you 5 daily habits that keep me on the right track, and I go over what each habit has done for my life since making it an everyday priority. We are all going to face tougher days in life, but it can be the daily habits we choose for ourselves that keep us afloat when the going gets tough. These may not all work for you, but I think all are worth giving a shot!
Thank you for reading. I appreciate you.
It was not until this year that I truly paid any attention to International Women’s Day. I know what you are probably thinking, ‘How could a woman not pay attention to a day that is dedicated to the achievement of being a Woman?’ Well, for one, it was not until recently that I even granted myself the permission to own, and accept the accomplishment of what I feel it means to be a ‘Woman’. So, when International Women’s Day came around this time of year, it gave me an opportunity to really think about the word ‘Woman’ and what it means to me, as well as what it has meant to me in the past.
In this post, I try to piece together the many moments in my life that I have felt like a Woman, but also, the many moments where I am taken back, and able to feel like that scared little girl I have once been. This post is not about ‘Feminism’ or however YOU choose to define that word. This post is simply just my perspective of being a female, a girl, and most recently, a Woman. A title that I fought off for quite some time, but am finally starting to see the beauty in what it actually means to appreciate it.
Thank you for reading. I appreciate you.
If you have ever found yourself in a toxic relationship, then you know the daily battle of what it takes to recover from a period of destructive behavior. Whether done unto us or self-inflicted, the way we treat ourselves when involved with toxic people is what can leave us with the most damage. It is often times easier for the abused to put the blame on themselves for how they are being treated, and by justifying the behavior of the toxic person, we are silently granting them permission to keep treating us in a toxic manner. You are allowed to change this. In fact, YOU are allowed to leave ANYTHING toxic!
In this post, I hope to restore the fact to everyone that we have always had control over our choices. When we can take a step back, and reevaluate how it is we are being treated, we can get honest with ourselves and recognize if we are giving much more than we are receiving. You do NOT have to settle for anyone who happens to cross your path, especially if that person is toxic to you in any way. It is important for all of us to remember that we are allowed to leave ANYTHING toxic!
Thank you for reading. I appreciate you!
When it comes to taking chances or pursuing something that is important to us, it can be easy to fall victim to negative self-talk, and engage in thoughts that are not beneficial to you in any way. It is amazing how many times I have been able to justify a habit of mine just so I can remain comfortable and in control of where I am at in my life. When we find something that works for us ‘just enough’ it is important that we are not allowing certain opportunities to pass us by.
In this post, I talk about ‘Opportunity’ and what it really means to pay attention to the path you are meant to travel in your life. I like to believe that the world is always showing us where to go next; whether or not we listen is up to us. I felt that it was important for me to share what I have learned from attempting to answer all opportunities that are thrown my way.
Thank you for reading. I appreciate you.
Now that February is here, I wanted to start off strong with a ‘love’ post, since that tends to be the common theme this month, with Valentine’s Day right around the corner. This can stir up a mixture of emotions within people depending on their current relationship status, or situation. Regardless of if you are currently in a relationship, boycotting them, or wanting to be in one, the message within this post is for anyone!
In this post, I talk about ‘love’ and the injustice we are doing ourselves by looking for it in all the wrong places, settling for it because we think we need someone, or hoping for it because we believe it will fill a void. I talk about the differences between loneliness and being alone, and hopefully, you will leave this article with the important message of self-love, and why we should ever only focus on that kind of love in the first place.
Thank you for reading. I appreciate you!
It’s Day 6 of the New Year, and if I had set any ‘resolutions’ I probably would have cheated on them already. If you read my post from last week, you already know how I feel about the pressure of ‘resolutions’ and the ‘change’ that most believe is required of them due to the changing of the year. But that is not what today's post is about.
In this post, I entertain the idea of us using a different way to describe ‘change’ since it usually gets a bad rep for being something that people never actually do. The word ‘change’ does not have to sound as scary as it may seem, because all we are really doing when we attempt to change, is improve something for the better. So, this year, maybe instead of calling it ‘change’, we should call it ‘improvement’, because isn’t that all we should be after anyways?
Thank you for reading. I appreciate you.
We are always expected to have a list of goals that we want to accomplish in the New Year, and it is easy to feel pressure to be more prepared than most of us are ever truly feeling. So, instead of getting stressed about all the things we may need to change in our life, let’s allow ourselves the permission to be excited about this New Year, and the potential of a ‘New You!’
In this post, I try to avoid the word ‘resolutions’ and I do my best to focus on what a New Year could mean for a New You! As cliché as it may be to believe in the magic of new beginnings, there is a reason for why there is a magic there in the first place. Who really knows what the New Year could bring, but only you have the choice to make this Year a new one for YOU! Celebrate that!
Thank you for reading! I appreciate you!
If you have been following my journey at all, you already know that I like to cover the topic of addiction, recovery, and overall well-being. Although my writing dates back from before my ‘Rock Bottom’, Healing Hopefuls was created while I was learning the ropes of recovery, and coming to terms with what lead to my ‘Rock Bottom’ in the first place.
In this post, I wanted to talk about what that term really means, and for those of you that deal with addiction currently, are in active recovery, or know a loved one who suffers, this is for YOU. It’s important to realize that to get better, and remain in recovery, we do NOT have to hit ‘Rock Bottom’ to finally decide to do so. I never claim for it to be easy, but we also do NOT have to wait until it is our only option.
Thank you for reading. I appreciate you.
I know I am not alone in this feeling of needing to know who, what, when, where, & why. Who I want to be, what I want to do, when I need to achieve it by, where I am meant to end up, and why I am even doing it all in the first place. I am constantly feeling this overwhelming need to know the answers to these kinds of questions, and you know what I have learned? Having all the answers is not what life is about.
In this post, I not only talk about the uneasiness I often feel about not having all the answers, but I share what has helped me the most when figuring out this journey of mine. If anything, this post will be a good reminder that you are not alone in feeling like you must have it all mapped out perfectly. By the end of it, I hope to provide you with some peace of mind because guess what? You do NOT need to have all the answers!
Thank you for reading. I appreciate you.
Megan Lawrence
A good friend of mine asked me recently, “How do you know when to let go of people?” And it truly made me stop and think for a bit. That is a good question, and it has been a thought that I haven’t been able to get off my mind since. What better way to get to the bottom of how I feel about this topic than by writing it out?
In this post, I discuss what I have learned about letting go of people through this recovery process of mine. As I took the time to reflect on my life thus far, I had the intense realization that I am still not that great at letting go, but I am certainly much better than I was in the past. When we can accept that not all connections are meant to last forever, we can move forward with the lives that we were always meant to live.
Thank you for reading. I appreciate you.
This past weekend I traveled to Boston, Massachusetts to explore a new city I am unfamiliar with, and ultimately, take a small break away from my life. The older I get, the more I have begun to appreciate the importance of self-love and doing things that provide you joy. Putting ourselves out there, and adjusting to change is a big part of discovering our independence.
In this post, I talk about my trip to Boston, but also, I talk about the value of doing things for yourself. Sometimes, all we need is a mini break from our lives to remind us that we are living for much more than just an everyday routine. Discovering what works for us will unfold over time, but we must start somewhere, and for me, Boston was just a stop along the way!
Thank you for reading! I appreciate you!
We all need ways to cope with life. Period. Regardless of if you struggle with mental illness, addiction, or are currently in recovery, we could all could use advice when it comes to dealing with the everyday stress of simply being human. Why? Because sometimes being human is not simple at all.
In this post, I share with you the habits I swear by when it comes to staying sane in a crazy world. I incorporate them into my everyday life and they have proven to be beneficial in getting me out of a rut, spiking my serotonin (happy chemicals), and keeping me in recovery!
Thank you for reading. I appreciate you.
Unless you are one of the lucky ones who got it right the first time, you have most likely had to endure the pain that comes from heartbreak. Regardless of where you are in the process of coping with that, I am here to tell you that heartbreak ended up being one of the most cherished, and greatest gifts I could have ever been given. Heartbreak can be felt through all kinds of avenues; not just in the romantic sense.
In this post, I share why the loss of love has been one of the most beneficial life lessons for me, and why I no longer consider heartbreak to be such an ugly experience. Instead, I find it to be a gift, and one that we should embrace, accept, and ultimately, grow from.
Thank you for reading. I appreciate you.
This past week was Mental Illness Awareness Week (October 1st – 7th), and if you have been reading my articles long enough, you know that I would never pass up the opportunity to talk about it. So, when coming up with this week’s title, I decided that it would be best to discuss why we should be talking about it ALL THE TIME; not just on specific days, or weeks that are designated to the topic.
In this post, I go over 10 major reasons why we need to address the elephant in the room, and why we need to be more accepting of the illnesses so many people are affected by on a daily basis. It’s important that we educate ourselves on what we may not understand, and treat all people with kindness because you never know what they are battling.
Thank you for reading. I appreciate you.
There is a lot of debate in the recovery world about this phrase; half of me accepts it, while the other half resents it. Since becoming sober I have shared my story with hundreds of people and there are two things that occur: they either congratulate me on how far I have come or, they instinctively put me in a category that I did not ask to be put in.
In this post, I share how it feels to be constantly ‘labeled’, and I offer a new way to approach those with a past of addiction. At the end of the day, we are all just people, and regardless of if you were an ‘addict’ for a period of your life, you are so much more than that.
Thank you for reading. I appreciate you.
We spend our days looking for ‘signs’ to take the next step, and we tell ourselves that the timing isn’t right, but what we are really doing, is holding ourselves back from pursuing what it is that we really want. We put our goals on hold, and let our dreams expire, and for what? Because we convinced ourselves that we would know when the timing was just right to move forward?
In this post, I talk about why timing will never be perfect, but also, I talk about why the perfect time is always right now. The ‘Perfect Time’ is a lovely idea, but in reality, it is just an excuse we tell ourselves to waste more time. Stop waiting for your life to start; just start it!
Thank you for reading. I appreciate you!
