Use the following three Recovery Exercises to find support in the Recovery Zone.
Recovery Exercise 9.1: Of Mentors and Mentos
The objective of this article is to obtain new insights on how to deal with familiar sources of frustration.
Have you ever seen a commercial for Mentos candy? Many of these commercials tell short stories about situations that have great potential for frustration. Yet in each of these commercials, a flash of insight and creativity (on the part of the person who happens to be eating the candy) brings a happy ending to what might have been an otherwise frustrating experience.
To help expand your awareness, recall an incident that you found to be particularly frustrating. Now, act as your own Mentor and advise yourself as to how you might have handled the situation more effectively.
Finally, just for fun, write a script for your Mentos commercial and describe how you would avert frustration. The script should end on a high note as a result of your own brilliant flash of insight and creativity.
Recovery Exercise 9.2: The Making of a Mentor
The objective of this exercise is to encourage thoughts about the ideal qualities of what your Mentor would look like.
Some individuals have the intellectual resources required to be good Mentors but lack the appropriate personality attributes. Other people have the right personality but are not very intelligent or creative enough to be ideal Mentors. Moreover, different individuals, based on their own unique personalities and intellectual resources require different kinds of Mentors.
To help expand your awareness, describe the person who could serve as the ideal Mentor for you. A person who has the intellectual ability and personality that are good at providing advice and guidance upon which you can faithfully rely. What would this individual look like? What way would this person think like? Describe the person’s personality. Describe how and why you think you would get along with this person. What sources of conflict do you foresee with your ideal Mentor? How might those conflicts typically be avoided?
In the past few articles, you were provided with guidelines on how to select a Mentor. If you have already selected one, discuss the ways that the person you choose differs from the ideal one you described. Additionally, write about your plans on how to make the relationship with your current Mentor work, regardless of any obstacles that may arise.
Recovery Exercise 9.3: Something to Cheer About
The objective of this exercise is to enhance self-confidence as a prelude to accepting “cheers” from Cheerleaders.
Some people have never sought out Cheerleaders for themselves; they do not cheer for themselves and would not expect anyone else to cheer for them.
There is no shame in wanting someone to help lift you emotionally or physically. Expand your awareness, and ask yourself, “Why are you worth rooting for?” If you were going to “psych up” your personal cheer squad with words of inspiration before they began their cheerleading routines, what would you tell them about yourself as you are now? What would you tell them about the person you hope to be as you move through the Recovery Zone?
To learn more about how you can visualize your ideal Cheerleader, connect with a BlueSky Behavioral Health Specialist today. Put aside your fear of what others may think of you, and make the decision to build a life you are proud of.
This article was originally posted on Dr. Joseph Santoro’s Treatment Center’s website:
