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The past couple of days, I’ve been wondering if my new medication for my chronic headaches is causing weight gain—it’s certainly not stopping the headaches. But I’m guessing it’s probably the eight Hostess powdered donettes I just inhaled, complete with finger-licking cleanup.

Aside from a few extra holiday pounds, I’ve been reflecting on how I react to people who instantaneously get under my skin. For instance, a few weeks ago, Farshad took me to the Christmas Market at the Expo Center. I’d been so excited for weeks to meet my friend there—remember, I don’t get out much because of my disability. While I wandered the market at my snail’s pace, Farshad kept himself busy elsewhere.

As I approached the entrance, practically jingling with excitement, a woman suddenly barreled through the door from the opposite direction, exiting at top speed. She nearly mowed me down, called me the B-word, and followed it with the F-word. My jaw hit the floor. I stood there, stunned, completely speechless.

It felt like the wind had been taken out of my sails. 

She rained on my parade. 

She burst my bubble. 

She fizzled my firework. 

You get the idea. But what bothers me the most is I had no response to her, or to myself. I had no words, no reaction, no internal resolution. And no, before you ask, I wasn’t going in the wrong door—she was.

Here’s where my reflection begins. Instead of spending 20 minutes calming down and mentally cursing at her, how do I train myself to think, “Oh, she’s disturbed. I’m going to pray for her”? It feels unrealistic—or is it?

For the next 24 hours, I’m going to practice canned phrases for situations like this. I’ll work on training my reactions to mimic thoughtful, composed responses.

Donettes might weigh me down, but my reactions don’t have to.

December listener challenge – Take some time this month to reflect on your growth this year, and answer these questions:

1. What is one challenge you’ve overcome this year, and what tools helped you succeed?
2. What have you learned about yourself that surprised or inspired you?
3. Who has supported you the most this year, and how can you show gratitude?
4. What is one area where you’ve grown emotionally, spiritually, or physically?
5. What would you like to carry forward into the new year from this year’s progress?
6. How have setbacks helped shape your growth or resilience?
7. What does self-care look like for you now compared to a year ago?
8. How can you continue to rise and take others with you in your journey?

Listen wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube.

Visit me at ⁠⁠⁠recoverydailypodcast.com⁠⁠⁠ or email me at ⁠rachel@recoverydailypodcast.com⁠.

#TheFourAbsolutes #HonestyInReflection #EmotionalGrowth #DailySerenity #MindfulReactions #SobrietyTools #PersonalGrowthJourney #OvercomingFrustration #CompassionInAction #SelfAwarenessMatters