Sometimes it feels like we are in the deep end of the pool. In fact, we know we are in the deep end of the pool because we simply can’t tread water any longer. We are so tired of simply trying to stay afloat. We want to give up. We want to grab onto the nearest object that looks like it might hold us up. We reach out for alcohol or drugs or food or a specific person. We reach out for anything that will make us feel temporarily “safe.” We flail our arms towards this safety and guzzle the drinks or cling to the safety of a particular person. And we forget that we are. We forget that we exist. We forget that if we just get quiet, we are.

I am me. A can handle sadness and it doesn’t have to swallow me. I can feel sadness and I will not cease to exist. I don’t need to flail around. Feeling the sadness is akin to floating. It’s ok to be sad. It’s ok to be exactly where we are. It’s ok to feel exactly like we do. We are ok. We still exist. Get quiet and go inside and listen. There is wisdom inside.

The drugs and the alcohol, the people and the food – they are not the side of the pool – they are not safety. They are an illusion. You have the safety inside you. You can actually touch the bottom or reach the side of the pool. It is there. It is solid and all you need is you. You have that safety inside of you. Slow down and breathe and trust and tell yourself, “You are ok. I am here for you.”