Applying Spiritual Principles From Recovery To The Workplace

I wish I could tell you that my ten years in recovery has made work a place of utopia. I could, but that would be misleading. What I can say is that the spiritual principles I gained from being in recovery and choosing to remain free from mood and mind altering substances one day at a time has given me skills to deal with difficult workplace situations more tolerably.

After all, we are health care providers and deal with different personality styles all day. I can have three patients that come in for their appointment with smiles on their face, singing my praises and four more that want me to “just hurry up and get me out of here” spirits. I now appreciate how sociology and psychology were part of my college curriculum. I may even be faced with coworkers who are dealing with life and may not be pleasant to be around. Also, I can be having issues especially now that menopause has shown her nasty face. Whether its mood swings, hot flashes, or just difficult emotions, I too can be hard to be around I am sure.

In active addiction it was simple, a hard day at work meant hurrying up to get to the bar. I remember how satisfying it was for my last patient to cancel because that meant I had more time to drink and get me “numb” so I could put my feelings to rest. The problem with that was I would wake with a hangover and those feelings were still present. I am sure I reacted with equal negativity and carried a chip on my shoulder. My motto was if you are ugly to me you will get ugly back.

I am grateful that is not who I am today. I am grateful for my recovery. Things I learned from working steps in recovery and with a sponsor is life altering. The spiritual principles like acceptance, humility, and honesty has given me a more fulfilling life in not only my personal family life but work family as well. I never thought of my coworkers as “family” until I got into recovery. Working full time I spend more waking hours with them than I do with my family at home. I would say it’s wise to learn how to appreciate character assets and deal with others character defects. I now catch myself “loving people where they are at” and make it a habit to pray for my coworkers and patients.

I try to remember to enter work with a heart of forgiveness because I know somehow, someway, someone may offend me. Just for today I will put into practice what recovery has taught me and I know I can face whatever tough situations the day may bring. I am grateful for my life today!  Living life one day at a time!

A Grateful Recovering Dental Hygienist