Qaurantine Life makes me want to get drunk….All the time. Like many of you, I haven’t left my house in over 2 weeks and the repetition of days makes me go mad. The result is that Cocktail hour gets earlier and earlier and I scour the house for every pain killer I can take to numb my mind and body. While I do not think Im sinking into a situation where my drinking will lead to life altering effects; I have been thinking about those of us who do struggle with Addiction. So I took a deep dive into the Al-Anon 12 step process and found that the principles that help my friends, can also help ALL of us right now in a time of high anxiety, fear and potential self-harm.
Emotional Stability could be argued as the root cause of Addiction. When we lose ourselves to outside forces, as we are susceptible to now, our emotional state is very vulnerable. The 12 Step Program is meant to harness our ability to stay present in the moment and use our underlying strength to overcome adversity in the world. Here are 5 lessons I took away from the 12 steps that we can all apply to our lives.
1. Change the Narrative in our Heads from Negative to Positive.
In Buddhist and Hindu faiths, there is keen focus on the work which must be done to ‘calm’ the mind and ‘alter’ the way we approach the world through positive thought.
We are currently flushed with negative information from the government and media about death and isolation. This has the effect to alter our mindset to disturb our sleep, and even cultivate a narrative in our heads about how our lives are falling apart. As someone who is out of work and unsure how the future will be once this pandemic subsides, I have many moments of complete desperation.
The 12 step process offers us the pathway of stillness and peacefulness in the midst of turmoil. Being present in the moment when negative thoughts arise, accepting that these thoughts will happen and realizing that we have the POWER to smile and breath and change negativity to positivity.
2. Let Go of what you CAN’T Control.
The 12 Step Program has many Virtuous elements but few are as powerful as the Serentiy Prayer. This Prayer is synonymous with Addiction programs and surprisingly has nothing to do with how much you drink or the bad things Ive done. Its about understanding that WE ARE NOT IN CONTROL OF THE WORLD, ONLY OURSELVES.
The Serenity Prayer goes,
God,
grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.
Right now we all feel like the world is crashing in on us. Financial collapse, Widespread Disease and Death, and Isolation in our homes which makes us all feel like we are having to take all this on alone. The Serenity Prayer reminds us that our true power lies in our humbleness. The Serenity Prayer reminds us that our Courage is in owning our moment, our surroundings and our thoughts and letting go of trying to control all the shit whirling around us outside of our direct reach.
Reciting this prayer can have a huge psychological influence on our world and I encourage you to use it when anxiety becomes too much. It also keeps you Present in the moment!!!
3. TRUST the Process.
The 12 Step Program emphasizes the importance of TRUST. Trust not only the loved ones around you but something more esoteric, a larger plan that is in the works.
Life is never smooth seas all the time. From Finances, Emotions, even the Weather fluctuates up and down; this is the way of the world. Humans have adapted and thrived through this adversity over the centuries and this pandemic should be no different in our resolve.
Trust means a relinquishment to the guidance of SOMETHING BIGGER THAN OURSELVES. While this may mean different things for each of us, it undoubtedly has some very overarching truth in its simplicity.
As my last point about “Letting Go” emphasized, we can only control our mindsets and maybe some of the physical world around us… but that is it!. We must trust in the process that the world wants to find balance and will once again. The work is hard but TRUST is possible if we look inward. Stand on your strength and trust will follow.
4. Give of Yourself to Others.
The 12th Step in the Recovery Program , once all the internal and personal steps have been met, is the outward expression of your power. To truly give of yourself to others means that you have the self-confidence and self-love in place to now open up without the fear of being hurt or vulnerable.
This step is so very important. Right now during the COVID-19 pandemic our fear and isolation keeps us feeling alone and without much ability to help those around us.
I would say that EVERY ONE OF YOU Reading this has a special gift that the world needs. This gift could be listening to your friends vent on the phone, painting a piece of art, writing a poem for your spouse… whatever it may be… harness it.
In this time we may use this Step of the Addiction program to actually help the previous points come to fruition. Use your Fearless Love to help bring up those around you and by extension, the world!
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can…
5. Live in the Moment.
The curse of our minds is that they can bend and shape our reality as we dwell on the past and fear the future. Every religious faith eludes to the virtue of living in the moment. Buddhist faith makes it a cornerstone.
Challenges of the mind or the world outside can come at you and compound, creating a wall of pain and anxiety that can feel insurmountable.
Harnessing the power of this step in the Program can literally keep you sane right now. Realizing and knowing that we cannot multi-task emotional problems. We must take on one challenge at a time, not fear that challenge, and rationally work through what troubles us.
The process of living in the moment is one developed over time. But I know that you have the power!. If you can build your body through dedicated physical practice, then you can undoubtedly train the mind to have such strength.
In the weeks to come, there will be more stressful situations and more isolation in our homes. But you know what, life is hard and suffering is inevitable. Smarter people than you and I have put processes in place, like the 12 Step Program; to help us master our minds and by extension, the world around us. While we all struggle individually it must be emphasized that we ALL are going through this together. Lean on your community and myself to help you through this time. Ill be here to support you with love the entire time.
With Love,
Eric
Programming Notes 4/6-4/10 ** This is week 3 of the Muscular Endurance exposure cycle. Tuesday and Thursday this week are designed to test your muscular recovery and lactate threshold. POWER is an important aspect that I do not wish to dilute while extending the time under tension. Therefore, an emphasis on ‘repeats’ is necessary to push your limits further and further.
4/6
Baseline:
4X
10 Single Leg Toe Touches
8 Ice Skaters
250m Row
Lunge Flow:
-Ankle Roll Outs
-Hamstring Pulses
-Elbow To Instep W/ Reach
-Samson Lunge + Reach
-Bootstraps
-Pigeon Stretch
Snatch Warm Up:
7@ Each
-Snatch Deadlift
-Snatch High Pull
-Muscle Snatch
-Overhead Squat
-Back Rack Press
-Hang Power Snatch
-Squat Snatch Below the knee
Snatch Complex:
EMOM 10
-Snatch High Pull + Power Snatch
*Build through complex
* Touch and Go
Conditioning:
For Total Time,
1000 m Row,
then…
3 X
18 Single Leg Kettlebell Deadlift 53/35
14 Lateral Burpee Over Kettlebells
10 Kettlebell Snatch
*Do not rush the Deadlifts!!
4/7
Baseline:
100m Run
5 Wall Squats
5 Elbow To instep Lunges
200m Run
5 Wall Squats
5 Samson Lunges
400m Run
10 Jump Squats
10 2ct. Mountain Climbers
Squat Flow: Squat Flow: Kang Squat, Internal Rotation, Ankle Roll Out, Bootstraps, PNF Stretch, Squat W/ T Spine Stretch
Muscular Endurance/Strength:
4 Rounds ‘Light-ish’
:30 Barbell Front Rack Squat Hold
:30 Front Squat (Same Foot Position)
:30 Back Rack Lunges
*Barbell is not put down for full :90
*Build Each Round
Conditioning Repeats:
400m Run
30 Thrusters 95/65
400m Run
-Rest 5 Minutes-
200m Run
15 Thrusters 95/65
200m Run
4/8
Baseline:
3X
10 Banded Pass Thru
8 Burpee Pull Ups
20 banded Pull Aparts
8 Burpee Toes To bar
Muscular Endurance:
Perform 100 Pull Ups,
Every time you break do 10 V Ups
*Goal Is to complete in >8 Attempts
Conditioning:
E3MOTM X 6 Rounds (18 Mins Total)
Row 30 Calories
*Goal is to complete each attempt within :10 of previous.
4/9
Baseline:
Bike for 5 Minutes,
Then
3X
5 Barbell Press
5 Barbell Bent Row
5 Barbell Roll Outs
Shoulder Mobility:
:30 Lat Band Mobility (Each Side)
:30 Bully Stretch (Each Side)
:30 Scapula Distraction Stretch (Each Side)
Primal Strength:
3X
15 Barbell Strict Press *Building
30 banded pull Aparts
15 Barbell Bent Row
30 Push Ups
Conditioning Repeats;
3000 m Assault Bike
30 Clean and Jerks 135/95
-Rest 5 Minutes-
1000 m Assault Bike
15 Clean and Jerks 95/65
4/10
Baseline:
Kettlebell Warm Up: (top to bottom)
-Halos
-Single Arm Press
-single Arm Bent Row
-Lateral Trunk Rotation and Punch
-Trunk Circles
-Straight Legged Deadlift
-Bow and Bends (kettlebell begins from floor and finishes locked out overhead)
-Squats
-Side Lunges
-Overhead Lunges
-Windmills
-One Arm Thruster
-Squat Jump
-Toe Touches
Gymnastic Strength:
Ring Muscle Up Practice For 10 Minutes
Advanced: 3 sets of Unbroken Reps to 70% of Failure
Intermediate: Max Reps of complex; -Kip Swing, -Hips to Rings Pull Up, -Pull Over to Support Hold
*Rest As needed between attempts, low or high rings
Beginner: 4 Sets; 6 Supine Ring Rows, 6 Strict Ring Dips W/ :02 Hold at the bottom of each rep.
Conditioning:
EMOM 20
A) Kettlebell Swing X :40 Work
B) Broad Jumps X 5 (Max Effort)
C) Weighted Sit Up X :40 Work
D) Lateral Ice Skaters X 10 Reps (Low and Fast)
