The Daily Llama brings you short, one-word meditations and a corresponding quote for your complete wool-being (#seewhatwedidthere?) for Monday, May 29th – June 2nd, 2023.
MONDAY, MAY 29th
THE DAILY LLAMA WORD OF THE DAY: REMEMBER
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
MEDITATE ON THIS:
Memories can have a powerful impact on our emotions and behavior. Painful memories can evoke a strong desire to shut the door on our past and never look back. Ignore, avoid, numb, repeat.
Memory plays a crucial role in addiction. The development of a habit and the cravings that feed the habit rely on the associations (or memories) our brains make between feelings, situations, and behaviors. Remember when we felt insecure and took a dose of liquid courage and then felt better? Our brains record it as a viable solution to feeling insecure. So next time we feel insecure, we drink. Thanks to memory, over time, feeling insecure becomes a trigger to drink. Eventually, the response is so automatic it can be hard to identify the trigger anymore.
But memory also plays a critical role in recovery. Remember when we were feeling insecure and, instead of drinking, we called a good friend or went for a walk, or we took a deep breath and did the brave thing? And we kept practicing responding to our triggers in this new way. Our brains can create new memories and behaviors to cope with our triggers.
The Daily Llama Fun Fact of the Day:
Today is Memorial Day. While traditionally, this day honors veterans who died in combat; please take some time to remember the living veterans struggling with substance use and mental health problems stemming from their military service. Around 7.1% of American veterans struggle with a substance use problem. For veterans between the ages of 18 and 25, that figure increases to 25%. See sources of statistics here: https://www.rehabs.com/veterans-drug-abuse/
TUESDAY, MAY 30th
THE DAILY LLAMA WORD OF THE DAILY: WIN
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
MEDITATE ON THIS:
Some days we must dig deeper to find our motivation to keep going. It is always easier to do the next right thing when we’re in a good mood and things are going well. It’s a little harder to do what is good for us when we’re angry or depressed. It takes little effort to go back to what is comfortable and familiar. But it matters just as much, if not more, to make the healthier choice when feeling down.
And sometimes the healthier choice is to rest. Even champions have rest days.
WEDNESDAY, May 31st
THE DAILY LLAMA WORD OF THE DAY: EARLY
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
MEDITATE ON THIS:
There are many benefits to cultivating a habit of waking up early in the morning and getting an early start on your day. Many successful people credit waking up early to their success.
If you’re not an early riser, don’t let this get you down. Studies suggest that only about 15% of the population are wired to be early birds, while 20% are predisposed to be night owls, and there are just as many successful people who don’t start their day until 10 a.m. These same studies suggest that working with your circadian rhythm, not against it, is more important to achieve your best level of productivity and creativity.
So, whether you choose to wake up at 5 a.m. or 9 a.m. is a matter of personal preference. What you do with your 12-16 hours of waking life counts. Some of us keep hitting the snooze buttons on our goals and dreams. Isn’t it time for us to rise and shine?
THURSDAY, JUNE 1st
THE DAILY LLAMA WORD OF THE DAY: RIDE
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
MEDITATE ON THIS:
An old saying is, “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” The general wisdom behind this proverb is that it is better to make decisions based on what is, not what could be.
And this is generally true. It is wiser not to spend money we haven’t earned yet, and it is wiser to see people as they are, not as we would have them to be.
But we need hope to keep going, and hope requires fuel to stay alive.
What sorts of things fuel your hope? Make sure you seek out the things that fuel your hope. Your recovery is riding on it.
FRIDAY, JUNE 2nd
THE DAILY LLAMA WORD OF THE DAY:
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
MEDITATE ON THIS:
It takes a lot of chutzpah to hold onto one’s sweetness in a world that seems hellbent on dismantling it. But our faith, hope, and love make up the marrow of our life force. If we give up on hope, stop looking for what’s good in the world, and stop loving ourselves and others, we will die long before we actually die.
Practicing gratitude daily, increasing positive self-talk, reciting daily affirmations, speaking kindness, and being of service to others are not acts of weakness, softness, or naivete.
These actions are acts of resistance.
Whatever is true, whatever is just, whatever is commendable, think about these things. There is power in hope. There is power in kindness. There is power in love.
As Anne Frank wrote:
“In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death. I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever-approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again.”
Resources are available
Resources Are Available
If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.
