COLUMN: Learning from the chapters in your life

I OFTEN refer to our lives as ‘our story’, a collection of chapters, some memorable because of happier times and positive life events. Our inbuilt euphoric editing system is adept at selecting the best bits, which may not be entirely accurate but makes for a sunnier tale.

Some chapters are difficult to recall because of the struggles faced and therefore unwittingly archived until ready to process. Some are purposefully pushed to the recesses of our minds because they are too painful to revisit.

Challenges and tough times can sometimes force us down a different path providing opportunities, whether that is making changes to our immediate environment, physicality or emotional and spiritual development. At the time it is hard to believe that things can get better and the positive outcomes that unfold, as a result of hardship can only be recognised when flicking back through the pages.

There are also link chapters, which fade from memory as unimportant but play a vital role in recovering, consolidating and preparing for what is yet to come. The infuriating aspect of link chapters is they rarely accelerate to the speed we would like or in our chosen time frames. It may be in our power to take action to support that process, but it remains a process and not an instant transformation.

Recounting life stories or specific chapters are a recognised therapeutic intervention in many settings, primarily in residential rehab. This is a technique using reflection to identify warning signs and for the purpose of eliciting awareness and understanding of addictive behaviours to avoid repetition in the future.

There are points in our lives when we feel hopeless and helpless with the belief that any decision or action is futile. The important thing to remember is we can learn from previous chapters and although our lives are impacted by other factors and not totally in our control, there are no foregone conclusions. We hold the pen, so make it a captivating read.