Michael Jimenez

Dad of 4 Music Artist Mo-Ad

[Michael Jimenez @sharktooth67]

602 days sober. I have been gone for a bit, helping a friend start a business. I may not be able to work like I used to but at least I am clean and sober! #RecoveryPosse #Mentalhealth #odaat

[Michael Jimenez @sharktooth67]

@UnashamedAlc 😄😄

[Michael Jimenez @sharktooth67]

@JSoberstone Sober in California

[Michael Jimenez @sharktooth67]

@Fred17184630 @sara_carrion_ The A team! Whew...8 minutes earlier and it would've been SpongeBob!

[Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle @DrDoyleSays]

When we start to feel 1% better in recovery, part of us might feel guilty-- & part of us is definitely gonna feel anxious. We're not used to feeling better-- & we're definitely not used to good feelings not having a catch.

Easy does it. You just breathe & focus on today, today.

[Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle @DrDoyleSays]

You bet people who were neglected "overthink"-- they couldn't count on anybody else to think of them at all, so they HAD to make sure all their bases were covered in order to get their needs met.

Anxiety's kinda the baseline when you've had to do everything yourself for years.

[Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle @DrDoyleSays]

I'll NEVER tell you it's easy to interrupt sh*tty, harsh self-talk. Old patterns die hard.

I WILL tell you it's WORTH doing, as hard as it is-- because your old bullies & abusers do NOT get to have YOU repeating THEIR greatest hits inside your own head now.

Scratch the record.

[Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle @DrDoyleSays]

It's hard to meaningfully think about what we need, when we're busy blaming & shaming ourselves for needing, you know, anything.

If we're gonna recover in the real world, we gotta cop to the fact that real humans have needs, & we're kinda vulnerable. Even you. Even me.

[Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle @DrDoyleSays]

Trauma survivors have this quirk where we think we're insufferably lazy, "should" be working harder-- when the truth is, trauma survivors have been usually working OVERWHELMINGLY hard to stay relatively sane, safe, & stable EVERY DAY for YEARS.

Yeah, I see you. Ease up.

[Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle @DrDoyleSays]

"I should be further along by now."

Says who? The voice of your abuser or bully in your head? The voice of the authority figure who won't ever be satisfied no matter how far along you are?

Yeah, screw that. They don't get a vote.

You take your recovery one day at a time.

[Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle @DrDoyleSays]

There are people reading this who're anxious-- & who'll be told whatever they're worried about probably won't happen, relax, everything's gonna be OK, blah blah blah.

Hearing this when you're anxious about a VERY specific thing that has real world consequences can be MADDENING.

[Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle @DrDoyleSays]

Being a trauma survivor often means DESPERATELY wanting SOMEBODY outside of our head to know about the awful memories & feelings f*cking w/ us-- but being desperately afraid if we even HINT at 1% of what we're going through, we'll be "too much," "attention seeking, &/or rejected.

[Michael Jimenez @sharktooth67]

568 days sober. Couldn't be happier with my new caregiver. Working out great. That was the last piece of my puzzle. Now I can solely focus on recovery and healing and helping others. This is real joy. Real living. This is sobriety for me. #RecoveryPosse

[Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle @DrDoyleSays]

Trauma survivors have had enough drama to last a lifetime.

Some of what the world sees as avoidance or numbing symptoms of PTSD are actually survivors trying to maintain some f*cking peace & predictability for more than five minutes for once in their lives.

[Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle @DrDoyleSays]

NOBODY'S anxiety has ever ACTUALLY been lessened by judgment & shame.

Even if they quit talking about it.

[Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle @DrDoyleSays]

If you have a trauma history, chances are setting boundaries will spike some very real, VERY physical anxiety reactions.

DON'T let your racing pulse & clammy hands convince you you're wrong to set a boundary or that you can't do it-- your body's just responding to old tapes.

[Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle @DrDoyleSays]

People don't get that when we're struggling w/ trauma, even the most familiar situations & people can feel threatening & overwhelming.

Recovery is about staying connected to who we are & what we're all about in a world that might feel like it's ALWAYS about to attack.

[Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle @DrDoyleSays]

When we figure out that our old conditioning has tricked us into talking to ourselves like our abusers talked to us, that moment is both infuriating-- & game changing.

Halting cycles of abuse can start w/ consciously REFUSING to echo our past abuse in our self-talk.

[Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle @DrDoyleSays]

Trauma recovery ISN'T about deluding ourselves into imagining that all threats or dangers are "in the past" or "just perceived."

It's about effectively managing symptoms & reactions so we can effectively respond to present threats & create meaningful safety now.

[Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle @DrDoyleSays]

Your reasons for staying alive are yours. The don't have to be understandable to anyone else. They don't have to meet anyone else's approval.

The projects & pets that keep us in the game have to be enough to keep us in the game today. That's it.