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I'll try to come here in a year or so from now, I'm fighting one of the worst addictive addiction that a lots of people fall into. I'll do my best to beat it, I'm not going to relapse what so ever! I came here in search for helping myself and improving myself with a full faith that I can make it and I'll make it. Mark my words, I'll come here within a year or so - I hope that I'll come back stronger than what I'am Today! Thabk you so much for reading this! Pray for me! Your Community is Wounderful.

Hello! I saw the angel number 444 so I knew I had to reply when I saw this topic. First I want to say that it takes a lot of courage to talk about mental illnesses and addiction. I have also had a long life of being told I was mentally unwell. Then after my failed marriage, I was introduced to drugs at 28 years old. So I completely understand. I loved that you said our illnesses give us super powers! I used to believe that. Lol now I can see that we all have gifts and powers BUT it's a matter of choosing to see and wanting then, learning and practicing, and then using them to help others. It sounds like you are/have been experiencing a spiritual awakening. And/or an ego death/dark of the soul. I have been through these myself. It can be so painful but also so enlightening and liberating at the same time. My last one occurred when I had felt abandoned by literally the whole planet. Not a soul to turn to. I now know that this was all part of my soul mission. I knew I had to back myself so far into a corner that I'd have no choice but to look within and when I did, I found the universe, spirit, God. Whatever term you'd like to use. I have learned so much about myself and I now know that since I understand myself, I can better understand others, and ultimately the world. I just wanted to tell you that the super powers you have, you were born with. It just took the universe shaking your life down the foundation for you to gain a different perspective and begin to build from the ground up. The spiritual journey isn't for the weak of heart or mind. It is a true test of FAITH! Congratulations and continue keeping that positive attitude!! It will take you wherever your heart desires!

My name is Willie Newborn and I’m 48 and I’ve suffered from mental health disorders my whole life and addiction and today. God has granted me freedom from all my disorders and a brand new mindset. This has been a 5 year journey of extreme lows and mind blowing highs. This was a constant battle, it would shoot up and crash over and over, my therapist suggested putting me on medication but I knew God could heal me and then one day out of nowhere I started to get answers on how to fight back , with in a week something great happened my neurons started to work , but this was when the real work would begin, how to balance my highs and lows, so it would balance without drugs. This process has been brutal because I have to be aware when it’s spiking or going to crash. It truly takes practice and not giving up and forgiving myself when I fail and figure out what I missed and learn from it. Today I still have spikes but it’s totally different I spike up and be super motivated and I get answers to the things I never knew or read a book about. This is soaring at a whole new level without side effects, but wreckless knowledge that I have to process. I believe our mental Illness gives us super powers.

My name is Willie and I’m 48 years old, and I’ve suffered from the same thing for over 35 years including addiction, and I’ve been researching and using different techniques on myself and noticed that we all have a spirit inside of us and when I tapped into that my depression and bipolar and ADHD has gotten so much better. This takes time to line out, but meditation and processing your feelings before you have a break and try to prevent it from taking control. It takes practice and the more you practice the principles of acceptance and being honest with yourself even when you go through a break, your mind will start to respond. The mind can heal itself and it will go to normal and stay functioning if you keep fighting for it to work for you. It may also take getting a Therapist and dealing with some deep hurt.

It’s okay i’ve had addiction and have struggled through a lot. My words of advice is to be true to yourself because that’s all you have. Don’t ever be ashamed of who you are.

Stopping any addiction I’m guessing isn’t easy but maybe if you can try things will become clearer for you and then you can deal with it better

Affirming to Tara that she is look strong, confident and perfect when she states " "I find myself now in a state where I can't enjoy all the kind things this new guy is doing to me ..." whilst admirable, is not going to change how Tara feels ... I'm all for being nice BUT you also have to take a stand in this situation and tell him exactly what you just told us. I understand what it's like to be a real victim to being beaten. That's not victim status although can lead to it. It's a cycle. I'm 53 and been through hell with this kind of thing. I was beaten as a child, and went on to become a target for many others and when all else failed I started beating others. I also thought for years to help my daughter and grandson to escape the grips of wife and child beaters and ultimately went on to help setup crisis housing for victims of domestics abuse. The cycle and dynamics at play within this kind of behavior pattern is not something to toy with. I fully hear what your saying Tara and I can't underestimate how laying those boundaries down right now is the best way to go about it. I'm not suggesting this guy is the bad one ... but you would do well to lay those boundaries for yourself. Acknowledge your own feelings here right now and let this guy know. If he is really as nice as he makes out to be then not an issue. In such a case we become more our own problem when holding onto all the stuff that happened to us previously. It took my daughters several tries with the same guy with every episode involving much of the same thing that came before it just like you admit yourself Tara. This is why in my previous post I made sure to include my own vulnerabilities and own my own imperfections because right now your own imperfections with how you really feel can be exploited with all the bubbly talk that does more to make you feel more like someone that needs help when really all you want is to focus on being happy ... being your true self. That's not going to happen if you respond in kind when feeling as you say you do. It's OK to feel as you do (meaning it's understandable) but the only way to move on is to tell others why we feel the way we do. If we hold it in we just keep having a distorted view that leads to an addiction on negative emotion and play the cycle over and over. We also become good play things for others. I can tell you how great you are but means little if your really feeling the way you say. I would much rather cut to the chase and deal with what you and I or anyone else really needs to deal with in these kind of cases. It does not matter how nice this guy is but it does matter how your feeling ... how your really feeling inside regardless of whomever. Dealing with that is a priority and how you deal with that will set the path for what is to follow. When I left all those feeling unresolved (takes a lifetime for many ... myself included) issues unattended and made it about someone else, I just went from one toxic relationship to the other and most of the time is was all me because I just held onto all the unresolved pain. Being nice to others when having to deal with that kind of abusive past -PTSD - or whatever one wants to call it ... is not just about being nice to others. The shame we feel as byproduct or beaten individuals is soul destroying and takes a lot or work to balance. I stand by what I said in my first post above but now sensing more of an issue with how we victims tend to become vulnerable to ourselves in further relations. Hard to explain but feel I have said enough. I am sorry that many of us have had to endure the beatings and chaos that flows as it does. Look inside and love yourself from whatever point you can and work with that. Perhaps your just not ready for another relationship and in some ways is sounds that way to me. Back it off a little but most of all just be honest to yourself as your doing now and also tell this guy how you feel but from your own point of view. We make great targets during this time which is why I'm feeling a little worried for you ... The nice guy routine regardless of genuine or not can really feed the hurt child within in ways that may not be so helpful if we are still damaged. Often I take the stance the many of us can not be fixed, but that is more about others can't fix us, we can only fix ourselves. It also helps to understand that the level or repair need not be as others tell us or whatever self help books portray. We decide the level at which we are more ourselves and that is key to understand. Others can help and the latter is not black and white ... but if we do not take control of what only we can, then the cycle will just keep repeating no matter how many others wish to help. I think I'll back out of this topic now as I've given my best and there is nothing else I can really say that I have not just said. I know about the shame that wells within that keeps us from enjoying life. I also know how the joy and happiness of others can overwhelm us and how we tend to make for good play things for those that love to fix. It's a dynamic that leads to a pattern in ongoing relations and why it works so well in the market place. That's another story but the point is - we got to be honest with ourselves and own the way we feel and choose the path we take. Good luck. Your welcome to PM

THE HEALING POWER OF LONELINESS Loneliness is not the absence of connection but the full presence of God and a total experience of the Self. It is total "isolation" which is not isolation at all from the perspective of Infinitude. Loneliness contains its own cure, if we are willing to dive in, courageously, or without any courage at all. The dive is everything. Loneliness is utterly misunderstood in our culture, or rather, it is only understood on a very superficial psychological level. Everyone is running from loneliness, keeping busy just to avoid it, never coming to know and taste its sweet and merciful healing nectar. For many, loneliness is an enemy, something shameful to be avoided or covered up at all costs. We reach outwards, habitually, automatically, unconsciously, just to keep our distance from loneliness, just to avoid the deafening silence at the heart of all creation. We fill our time and senses up, addict ourselves to projects, create false personas on social media, try to stay “connected” as much as we can, never letting ourselves rest, to avoid the “void” and the gaping chasm of loneliness. But in its terrifying depths, loneliness is not harmful or shameful at all; it is a highly misunderstood spiritual experience of Oneness with all creation, a full and life-giving immersion in the staggering beauty – and utter horror - of life itself, a deep and timeless connection to all living things. Loneliness is not an emptiness but a full presence and an abundance of life. It is pure potential and freedom and surrender all at once, but as long as we are running from it we will never know its nourishing, healing and transformative powers. Loneliness is not a negative state or some mistake in our being or biology, it is inherent in existence itself, built-in ontologically to our very consciousness and it transcends the psychological story. It is connection, not disconnection. It is wholeness, not lack. Loneliness is a naked spiritual state and subsumes all other states. It is an utter letting go, a paradigm of pure receptivity and perfectly tender openness. It is the ground of being itself, and the base of our subjectivity. We run from it at our peril. Nobody can experience our joys and sorrows for us. Nobody can live for us and nobody can die for us. Nobody can experience our own subjective reality, see what we see, feel what we feel, experience what we experience, love what we love, heal from what we need to heal from. We can act as witnesses for one another but we cannot enter each other’s subjectivity or breathe for each other or process each other’s pain. We exist in utter aloneness and uniqueness always, and this is true even when we are in deep connection and relationship. Our ability to relate authentically has its roots in our profound loneliness, and this is what makes every connection with another being such a miracle. When we run from our loneliness, we run from the miraculous and we run from ourselves. Without loneliness, we exist in utter spiritual poverty, no matter how 'evolved' we believe we are. Loneliness is a journey we must take alone. Like falling in love, or like dying, we must fall, without protection and without guarantees. Loneliness is the artist in the midst of creating something utterly new, the scientist on the verge of a breakthrough. Loneliness is the woman crying out on her deathbed, the child being born, the spiritual seeker kneeling prostrate before the ordinary world, the adventurer forging a new path in the dark forest. Loneliness is a risk, but utterly safe. Loneliness is the heart of trauma but it is a loving heart after all. Loneliness feels like shame and total abandonment from the perspective of the mind but for the soul loneliness is a full encounter with the timeless mystery of creation and an utter celebration of all there is. Loneliness takes us out of our minds. It breaks us, grinds us down to our essence, erodes us back to purity and innocence and beauty, brings us close to death but then rebirths us, stronger and more courageous than ever before. Its terror breaks our defences and, then, vulnerable and soft and open, we re-enter the world, more sensitive to its beauty, more aware of the fragility of form and more tender towards the ache of humanity. We don’t always know if we can endure loneliness, but we do. When we are in loneliness, it is total and all-consuming and even time recedes. Everything disappears into loneliness - it is like a black hole, and we don’t know how long we can survive its ferocious embrace. But we are stronger than we know and we endure it beautifully. Through meeting our own loneliness and letting it touch us deeply, and ravage us, and cleanse us, and renew us, we come to know directly the loneliness of all beings, their yearning for the light, their deep ache for God, their search for home. We recognise others more deeply as ourselves. Loneliness makes us look beyond appearances and touch the depths of the world soul. If we have truly plumbed the depths of our own loneliness, we can never again close our hearts to the loneliness of others, to the yearning of their humanity, to the horror and awe of creation itself. Loneliness breaks us open to a devastating compassion for all things, it matures us spiritually and increases our empathy a thousand-fold. We become more caring, more compassionate, more deeply considerate. We become more able to look into the eyes of another without shame or fear. We become less able to turn away where we see suffering and pain. We value our connections more deeply than ever before. Each friendship is a miracle. Each moment with a family member, or partner, or stranger, takes on a strange new melancholic beauty. We become more fearlessly alive in our dying. We embrace paradox as a lover and a friend. Loneliness is the gravity of love, a sacred pull into the heart core. Loneliness brings with it a sense of rest and contentment, a deep inner happiness and satisfaction. It slows us down to a snail’s pace and breaks our addiction to the clock and to second-hand notions of "success". It makes us less distracted, less restless, less manipulative, more content with the present moment. The black hole in our guts becomes our unexpected church, our solace, our sanctuary and our mother, and the source of all our genuine answers. We listen to our loneliness and it brings unexpected gifts. New creativity and new inspiration pours out of the lonely place inside. New music comes from there, new and unexpected words, new desire and new paths to follow. Loneliness is the source of all great art, music, poetry, dance, and all works touched by authentic loneliness are authentic works filled with truth and humility and the light of life itself. The nectar of God pours through the broken place inside. Loneliness crucifies us yet shows us that we cannot be crucified. We do not lose ourselves in loneliness. We find ourselves there more clearly and directly than ever. Loneliness is the experience of pure intimacy with the senses. It is the erotic experience of being fully alive. It is Jesus on the cross. It is the pulsating ache of a universe longing to be born. It is the end of all things, and a new beginning. It is holding a friend’s hand, not knowing how to help them, not knowing how to take away their suffering, but giving our heart to them totally. It is facing our own death, no promises, no guarantees, no story anymore. Loneliness is the Beloved beckoning us. Those who have let themselves touch the black hole of loneliness, those who have given themselves up to its relentless pull, who have let the darkness penetrate and infuse and shake and reawaken them, are unmistakable beings. They have a depth and a strength of character that others lack. They radiate genuine warmth and understanding. Their melancholy is the fount of their greatest joy. They are not content with surface things any longer. They have been broken but they are playful too, and full of humour. They love the night-time as much as the day, the shadows as much as the light, the wolf as much as the songbird. Their not-knowing is the source of their wisdom. Their spirituality is simple. They hold no dogma anymore. They have become like little children once more. They are poets and artists and wild lovers of the night. Loneliness is the experience of being in a body, but not of a body, and knowing that all things will pass, that all loved ones will die, that nothing lasts, that everything is made of the most delicate substance. Loneliness is a deep and unshakeable awareness of the transience and brevity of things, of illness and endings and new beginnings. Loneliness is a love of the night-time, the shadows and the moon. It is present in every moment and saturates every hour of every day. Once you have tasted loneliness, truly sipped from its sacred fount, you cannot run away from it ever again. You are haunted by it, yet you know it is the friendliest of ghosts. Loneliness opens your heart wider than any other experience ever could. It brings with it youth and innocence. It makes you weep at the sight of sand on the beach, or the sound of a baby crying, or the feel of the morning sunlight on your skin, or upon the contemplation of time itself. Loneliness takes us to our most painful places but helps us fulfil our highest potential. Without loneliness, we are just shells of human beings, frightened skeletons. Loneliness fills us up with warmth from the inside, gives our lives the deepest kind of purpose and direction and meaning. Loneliness makes us realise we are never alone, and we are always loved, despite our imperfections and lack of faith. Loneliness is a religious experience, a lovemaking with the Universe. Loneliness will save you if you give yourself to it totally. It will not separate you from the world and others but will bind you to them more powerfully. Through the dread and devastation of loneliness you will discover that you are more vast and more capable of love than you ever thought possible. You will be shocked at how much life you can hold. The more you run from loneliness, the lonelier and lonelier you will feel, and the more you will fear being alone, even if you are surrounded by people. In loneliness is the utter paradox and mystery of creation. It may be last place you want to touch in yourself, and it may sound like madness, what I am saying to you here. But your loneliness may hold all the secrets to your very existence. You may find that your loneliness is not “loneliness” at all, in the end – it is your umbilical cord to God, unbreakable, infinite, death-defying, a cosmic pathway of love and forgiveness and utter, utter humility. Let your loneliness pierce you, then, and shake you, and nourish you, and let it connect you to the world - and your authentic self - more deeply than ever. - Jeff Foster

Love is a sort of addiction which causes stupidity in terms of being a part from our partners.

The mind is restless and always seeking for gratification. Consuming is based on that principle. But the result is addiction and the desire for more. Breathing is a healing technique. Placebo is working too. ? We are here to be free and happy. Not to be the slaves of our desires. True energy is inside. Love & harmony to everyone! ❤️?

Hello my name is Jovonne. I am very happy to be here. This morning I came across this site because I was looking for classes about grieving and bereavement. I figured it would enhance my studies since I am in school pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Science of Psychology with a concentration in Addictions. I have been in recovery myself for 3+ yrs now. Unbeknownst to me, while I was searching for this course, my 16 yr old son's father passed away this morning. He was only 33yrs old. He had been in recovery as well and relapsed. Addiction has taken his life. I had just been made aware of this a couple hours ago because we live in different states. My son lives with his grandparents. I am absolutely devastated and I hope that I could help my son through this difficult time.

hello all ! i met someone over two years ago. before even noticing physical attribute i fell in love with his energy as soon as he sat dowm before me . it was like a vortex of familar energy calm but strong it settled me down almost putting me to sleep. once i saw the face to the energy it was unbelievable he was like something i dreamed into the world . every time my roommate would bring him by the instant we locked eyes it was intense and overwhelming we would just stare for a second as time went on I noticed a push-pull dynamic there were brief periods where he would be in and out of my life we would play The blocking unblocking game on Facebook mainly me in the start I always sensed he would come back I always trust that he would be back when he did leave for short periods of time out of my life during those times I felt anxiety and missed him we weren't really close friends at the start but I felt like I known him my whole life and maybe lifetimes before I never read about twin flames or soul mates during our separation I would read up you know trying to put in my symptoms of our connection and twin flame came up it seemed like the perfect description of what was going on. anyway I recall a time where we sat down in my bedroom and I felt this heavy energy around us it was almost like falling into a vortex and it was strange I remember hearing something outside of my mind saying I known you four lifetimes or something along those lines I can't remember exactly what it was was almost like I went into a deep meditation for a second and I have no recollection but I'm glad it was just intense energy imagine The vortex around us things will fall over for the following weeks there's lots of energy high vibrations I just recall him making me like so happy I knew I could trust him I knew when we would fight it was coming out of a place of love and it's more like constructive criticism we didn't talk much but it was like me to look at each other and we just know what was going on she said to me before I know you better than you can imagine which is strange because you know we never really spoke. I remember first in the beginning I picked him up from his home and as soon as I got in the car I felt the Simpson pieces usual almost onto meditative state I'm a thought crossed my mind saying you feel like home I have no clue what the word home men and apparently walked eyes he was staring at me through the rearview mirror. as a relationship got stronger the energy got more and more it's like I just knew him so well without actually knowing him she would always come around at the right times he would always answer my messages when he did it's like he knew what was going on with me there were times where I knew it was going to run with him I would sit there be like he's making coffee and I would message him he could home you know sitting by the coffee maker there were signs from the universe almost as if the universe is writing to me and bold italics like like home there are times where he would say I'm not home right now or you know I don't feel at home and I would feel a sense of I love you I'm associated with that word that's at the universe word in bold italics you would leave items to my house and it's almost a bold italic moment of I'll be back in always to come back we have similar personalities but the same time very Jane Yang push and pull type of personalities movie with this degree we would just agree he had qualities lilacs I had qualities that he lacks only had say mirror in qualities but they said it always came from a place of he cared I was in an abusive relationship at the time I met him and then he abusive relationships we both were on drug addicts once I met him my life started clearing up it became clear to me I needed help the idea of maybe a life with him in the future cat crossing my mind and you know that wasn't the right reason to go to rehab about a year or year-and-a-half later I can go to rehab we hung with the same circlebut I felt like I know him I whole life I may be like times before I never read about since lanes or soulmates during our separation I would read up yo trying to put in my symptoms of our connection and twin flame came up its seem like the perfect description of what was going on. anyway I recall a time where we sat down and my bedroom and I felt the heavy energy around us it was almost like falling into vortex and it was strange the I remember hearing something outside of my minds saying I know you for lifetimes or something along those lines I can't remember exactly what it was theirs almost like I went into meditative state when receiving these messages . I would receive these messages often when with him . There was a time I drove to pick him up and the minute he got into the car and instantly felt at peace as usual and a thought came outta no where almost like a loud o feel at home . I didn't get recoginize the meaning of home in twin flame relationship at the time . About a month in my energy was going hay wire things were falling off the walls and at times when we walk together it was like a magnetic pull toward each other . Symbols became almost metaphor or a secret language like home when used between us vibrated with I love you and car became a symbol I have no clue what that symbolized but he would see a car and say that's beautiful almost as I'd speaking to me directly or he would tell me what needed to be fixed with his car like it needed fuel and I would be hungry or it would be overheating or he'd tell a about about a car and I'd be dehydrated almost as if speaking to me . Me and him both struggle with addiction I was in a abusive relationship (now my ex boyfriend) at the time my boyfriend father of our son was natrually insecure around him and I spent most time with other men . He would act weird and intimidated even though there was nothing pervceivable being done . I could tell at glance what he was thinking about other people or situations around us he would make a joke that sounded like normal but it was funny to us . Once he entered my life changes started happening rapidly for the betterment of my life and spiritually development . People who were not true to me disappeared . People didn't like us together they would instantly get defensive (those who weren't good for me or him ) . I lost people i ended up getting evicted he never would give me easy advice or baby me he would make sure I got the lesson or overcame a struggle . My child got taken temporary I lost my home my belongings and at some point my mind . Between the drugs and the situations things got what seemed like worse at the time...and I wanted to give up. He literally was the only person who could cheer me up or I could trust . Looking back I now discovered a pattern of codependent nature of me so there was a lesson In that. Eventually his finances and his car became a struggle he started going down hill to and our connection became strained both feeling negative energy and emotions. It was harder and harder to see each other every time we would make plans the oddest thing would happen as if preventing us the universe itself . I started to not understand him as much . We did have sex once and my intuition became so strong and my sense of him that and the drugs did not Mix with that almost causing a pshychosis because my vibration and the messages were in mean spirit . We became more and more distant after . I remember knowing a immense separatation was going to occur . He started seeing someone as I was off and on with my boyfriend at the time and he never really spoke about her . He became distant . I have no clue if he knew all these things were happening on. Concious level like I did. He did aknowledge once or twice he knew me better then I thought or he would somehow know what was going on iny life and would tell me things about how I needed to do something in order to better my life . I was so sure god meant for us to be but the signs stop coming the connection stopped. I stopped feeling his energy I almost forgot who he was as a person . He started avoiding me Eventually rehab was my only choice I departed for flordia two months ago . We spoke the whole way there now I am in halfway and loving being sober I still discover little lessons in ur relationship daily and no matter what I can't seem to forget him or worry I can sense his energy mildly and he went of the grid. He won't text back old friends who were in our circle can't get him on text or social media which gives me hope he to has let go of that life . He was only using with me at the time I was his main source and he was mine. It did become toxic in that sense . I just hope we're in separation and that I wasn't crazy and god has a plan for us . I know deep down he loved me and I know with each and more clear day and clarity what I felt was real but now I question it. The obsession is lifting but I can't forget him or thank him enough for all he did for me and my growth spiritually and as a individual . He did ask my friends how I was doing at rehab so he did care but the silence makes me feel like we never had anything and it was in my head when I get to dount I have no I'll will towards him it's a unconditoonal love . There are sonsa I listen to that he used to play in the car that was almost like he was speaking to me . We had common music tastes and personality wise he has qualites I didn't and I had quality he didn't but much alike emotionally and on th same journey's .same things happening around the same time. Qualites that clashed and ones that mended and coincided. Ones he pointed out in me that he also had but wasn't aware once that started happening that's when tension and resentment arose when we would give eachother honest cristicism about parts we couldn't see In ourself . Shared the same mental health issues depression . Bipolar ect. I almost could read his mind I knew when he was gonna text me or knew he was drinking coffee id wonder what he was doing and bang he would text me saying having coffee almost as if the universe was verifying I wasn't crazy . When I'd pick him I could feel my energy briding to his house . Before the separation I would drive to our friends around the corner and I'd hear loud as say vibrations of distress getting louder as you'd get closer . Could be insanity but I was the most magical intense relationship and beneficial to spirtial growth i ever found in any connection . I'm sad it's no longer I always imagined us healthy sober and clear . The times we were well slept and properly caring for ourselves we were perfect and understanding of one another up until a drug would enter our bodies then it went well to hell ..I'm not fully understanding this relationship or twin flames soulmates ecr so any advice input ect. This distance pulls at my heart more then my mind but keeps me motivated but it hurts .trying to let go is easy. Moving on isn't something I'm trying to do I need to focus on me and my recovery just for today but anytime a male comes in or I get an attraction god takes them out of my way . All advice welcome Thanks for helping me clear this . Namaste

I am in recovery and need something like this to help keep me on track. This forum is perfect for getting things off my chest and deciding to keep sober. Im currently in rehab and know that there are nothing but temptations on the outside. So im not looking forward to leaving. My relapse prevention plan is important to me and anyone in recovery. Im just going to keep praying and seeking supernatural help to get through this thing called addiction. It is a disease and I cant beat it on my own.

I think it’s safe to say that acquiring material things aren’t making us any happier. In fact, stress and depression are more common now than ever before. We live in a world where consumption has become an addiction. It’s all about the getting the newest, latest or biggest, which distracts us from what really brings satisfaction and joy. I sometimes look around my apartment and think, “how did I accumulate so much crap?!”. I also often dream about being in place and when I have to leave, I struggle with packing my luggage because I just have SO. MUCH. STUFF! I remember a happiness.com article from a while ago, stating the benefits of living a simple life, and earlier today, I saw someone reading the book Simplify Your Life: 100 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Things That Really Matter. Has anyone here read that book? Now, I’d like to know HOW to live a more simple life and where does one actually begin? I suppose making small manageable changes in the beginning is a good start. What are some of the ways we could all live simpler lives and focus on what really matters, such as our health and well-being, our mental health, and family and friend relationships? All and any tips on simple living and relevant books and other content welcome ?

Yes I started living a simple or I would call it a Neutral life some 8 years ago. I started by first getting rid of my addictions. Being a geek that I am, I had this urge always to get the latest gadget out there. And I let go off this addiction in 2012. Now, if I buy a gadget it is more for utilitarian application then for peer pressure. The other addition that I had was eating and I simply could not resist what I LOVED. Be it creamy pastries or street food. I decided that I need to eat to live and not live to eat and certainly not waste food. I had long given up meat and fish and plants are also alive so I started eating on as much as I need to live and be healthy and never waste food. The third thing that I loved was fast cars and at one time I had 2 and if I had continued down this path would have had many more. But as I awakened and decided to follow a neutral life, Uber came along and many other share riding services so getting a car that will only add to the environmental mess was not something part of neutral lifestyle. I sold both my cars and started walking as much as I can and taking to public transportation for longer distances and if I need to go somewhere in a huff hike on a bike. The final thing that made my life simpler was stop thinking just about myself and think about the rest of the people around me. Do I need to have all these things when others are barely able to survive. My soul which had already woke up and buzzing me all day with directions on a neutral lifestyle made sure I gave more to others then take from them. That made my life so much simpler. No expectations. No attachments. Not so many desires. Yes some do remain such as using the computer, using a cellphone and my love for travel. But living a simple neutral life does not mean giving away everything. It is about living with loving your own self and others including nature and all that is part of it.

It is difficult to explain Neutral living. But I can give an example. I have kids who like to have fun most of the time. As I practice a Neutral Life, I have to neither deny them nor encourage them to have fun all the time. So, I allow them to have fun most of the time and at times I also participate. And yet, I ensure that this fun part does not turn into an addiction or attachment.

I smoke weed to help keep me from going insane. Pretty sure I have an addiction but there are worse things to be addicted to! I love getting home from work and smoking a joint, it gets me nice and mellow! I could drink like many others do, but I find it difficult to drink on my own, but I'm weird aha. ✌

Hi Andy, it's so nice to hear that yoga has helped you to recover and congrats to your success. I would like to know which relation you see between your previous addiction and the spiritual path now if there is any. I think yes :)

My name is Andy, I'm from Glasgow, ???????. I'm in recovery from opate addiction. Been better since March 2017. Well done me. I'm on a yogic journey along with my recovery. I came across this site by chance, if ther is such a thing. I think not. I wish too b talkin with other people that are on a spiritual journey of self awareness an self discovery. Namaste.

I'm in recovery for 21 month. I know that I can't take any substance. I'm kool with that now. My thoughts, I'm not scared of them any more. I accept that that's all that they are. That's what our brains function is. Along with other things. Your thought has a start, middle and an end. Once u relize this, that thoughts come and go. Life seems too b a bit easier to live. Wishes to get better to all who have been affected by addiction. We do recover.

That is amazing and so inspiring, thank you for sharing this @JawsofLife you must feel very relieved after probably thinking for such a long time that something is wrong with you only to finally realize it was nothing personal! recently I read an article about children being addicted to sugar and how they were going from highs to hyperactive lows and unconsciously avoiding healthy food only to feed their addiction. I think this real and nutrition needs a prominent space in the whole wellbeing discussion!