'Just Do the Next Right Thing’: How Changes in Perspective Helped This Woman Battle Her Addictions
It’s OK to say “Today, I’m not fine.” (Photo: Getty Images)
When I heard about Glennon Melton, I knew I had to bring her on my podcast. What I didn’t know is that I’d be connecting with someone in such a powerful way. Her courage to be so open hearted from a scary past gives me hope that others can overcome challenges in a similar way.
She writes about her “brutiful” life (brutal and beautiful) at Momastery.com. Writing helps her healing process and recovery from bulimia, alcoholism, and numbing out that began when she was just 8 years old.
Today she is a wife, mother, blogger, New York Times best-selling author and TEDx speaker, not to mention an incredible human being. Her story is too involved and amazing to summarize (you can listen to the whole thing here), but one of the points she made in our conversation really hit home for me.
Glennon said that for her, the reason she began binging and purging at such an early age (which led to drug and alcohol use shortly after) was because she didn’t know what to do with all of the feelings she was experiencing.
Now in adulthood, Glennon has identified that she is a sensitive person, which simply means that she feels things more acutely than most. When she felt overwhelmed (which didn’t take much, considering what a crazy world we live in), it led to her engaging in destructive behavior — drugs and alcohol, in particular — to numb her feelings.
This tragic scenario happens far more often than most people realize. Because of a societal expectation to “be fine” all the time and not ask for help, the cycle can go unchecked for a long time, she says.
As Glennon pulled out of a downward spiral of addiction in her 20s (after discovering she was pregnant), she had to learn to change her thinking processes:
Instead of making herself tougher, she learned to be herself.
Instead of numbing, she shared.
Instead of hiding, she showed up.
Instead of despair, she hoped.
Instead of self-loathing, she practiced self-love.
She discovered that it’s OK to say, “Today, I’m not fine.” That’s part of being human. Her go-to mantra in this process became, “Just do the next right thing.”
If you are a sensitive person who struggles with overwhelm or addiction, follow Glennon’s example and give yourself permission to reach out and connect with others by showing your real self. As many baby steps as it may take, it’s the way for you to be fully, imperfectly, beautifully human.
Listen below for more:
Find more on my conversation with Glennon here.
ABOUT LEWIS HOWES: Lewis is a pro-athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur who hosts the top-ranked podcast The School of Greatness. He interviews the best and brightest minds in health, entrepreneurship, relationships and lifestyle. Follow Lewis on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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