Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired?

BACK IN MY DAYS OF WORKING A RECOVERY PROGRAM this cliché filled the mouths of many a candidate. In fact, hearing it mentioned was like Groundhog Day (the 1993 movie). Life gets many of us to a point where frankly we’re sick ‘n’ tired of being sick ‘n’ tired—we seek to change.

There are, of course, massive variations of change required.

From full-on drug addiction and alcoholism to eating disorders to continual relational upsets to you-name-it, the one consistent thing is that behavioural problems get us to the same desperate place, eventually. This is the “enough!” place.

I often look at people and see in their eyes the rugged strain of living a problematic life and wonder for them, ‘Aren’t you sick of the rat race life you’re leading?’

And then I’m caused to reflect over my own variations of insanity, and though by and large I’ve put them to bed these days, the patterns rear their ugly heads from time to time, albeit in usually fairly harmless ways. To stay well though still requires awareness and vigilance.

The funny—or not-so-funny—nature of life is we often have to get a little sick before there is sufficient tension of dissatisfaction, causing us to plan for and then finally decide to change; the drive to get well. Some people’s tolerance is little, fortunately for them, and so they decide early, and change they do. Others who’re more stubbornly resilient resist longer and get sicker. Some never get better.

Where do you fit on this ‘tolerance continuum?’

Are you sick of that problematic issue in your life?

Everything, of course, rests on the initial decision to change and all the decisions that follow. If we can, by the will of our decisions, control what we do, we can do anything.

If you’re sick ‘n’ tired of being sick ‘n’ tired bear in mind that you can change and you can succeed—it’s all up to you. No matter how many times you’ve tried and failed, you can succeed ultimately. You can.

Think about your strategy in all the wisdom available to you, including—very much so, the wisdom of others. I love this proverb, and it fits perfectly:

“Plans fail for lack of counsel,

but with many advisers they succeed.”

~Proverbs 15:22 (NIV).

Get trusted counsel. Seek help.

You can change. You can get well. Don’t give up and will eventually succeed.

© 2010 S. J. Wickham.