Just For Today
From the Emotions Anonymous program one day at a time.
It has been written by members of Emotions Anonymous for anyone who wants to spend a part of each day with a few minutes in thought, prayer and meditation. It is our hope that these daily readings may help us find serenity, courage, wisdom, and peace of mind so vital in our everyday lives and the world we live in -- today.
Book available at local meetings and online at www.emotionsanonymous.org
November 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Can atheists be at home in EA? Yes, I found the program when it became apparent that self-will wasn't going to work and that I needed to turn my life over to something. Nature was my ready choice for a Higher Power. But in my Fourth Step I learned I was addicted to Nature for relief from social pain. So I turned to Mankind, asking that our connections be restored. Probably my Higher Power will change further, but it is certain that my bonds with Mankind and Nature are sounder now - and more spiritual. I am becoming a better atheist!
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
May self-will never again prevent me from seeing what a small thing a difference of ideas is in the spiritual adventure we share.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
Turning it over works. I will turn it over, then wonder "to what," if I must.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Yesterday I had a "slip." I let my feelings run amok. Feelings I had not felt for a long time surfaced. It frightened me to realize these feelings are still with me and that I have not been "cured." I must remember it is human to have lapses and to concern myself with doing well today and not worrying about yesterday. Feeling guilty does not make me noble or solve any of my problems. Guilt only drags me down.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
May I forgive myself, as I know You have forgiven me.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
Human feelings are okay for me to have because I am human, thank God.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
It is not easy to admit I am powerless over my emotions. After all, I would not be this way if everyone or everything were not like they are. After all, I am able to keep my emotions suppressed inside me. After all, I should feel the way I do. But, it is an honest program. I must admit my anger lasts too long and is too severe. My depression is to deep an immobilizing. My fear is too overwhelming and ever-present. I have tried to handle these feelings, but I am unable to. I do not control them. They control me. Indeed, I am powerless over my emotions.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
Help me remember that powerlessness is a condition, not a feeling.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
I am powerless over my emotions!
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
It is not easy to admit I am powerless over my emotions. After all, I would not be this way if everyone or everything were not like they are. After all, I am able to keep my emotions suppressed inside me. After all, I should feel the way I do. But, it is an honest program. I must admit my anger lasts too long and is too severe. My depression is to deep an immobilizing. My fear is too overwhelming and ever-present. I have tried to handle these feelings, but I am unable to. I do not control them. They control me. Indeed, I am powerless over my emotions.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
Help me remember that powerlessness is a condition, not a feeling.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
I am powerless over my emotions!
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
There are so many ways I can be helpful to others. When I am feeling sorry for myself, I will try to remember what I can do. For example:
I can be a friend to someone who feels friendless.
I can make a call to someone I am concerned about.
I can share love with someone who feels unloved.
I can just listen to someone who needs to talk.
I can be with someone who is lonely.
I can send a cheery card to someone who is ill or having a tough time.
I can share my experiences with someone who is confused.
None of these things take more than a little effort and yet they can accomplish wonders.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
Let me help myself by helping others.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
It takes so little to do so much.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
For a good part of my life it seemed people were always telling me to grow up. But no one ever told me where my "up" was. No one had a plan to offer for my life. I used to wonder when I would be mature. Now I know that maturity is not a place or destination. It is a never-ending road in this life. I can usually look back and see the progress I have made along this road. With the help of my Higher Power and the Twelve Steps of EA, I know I will continue to mature. I am growing into a much deeper awareness of who I am and why I am here.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
Let me always remember I am growing and maturing each day in every way toward the good which is in me.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
I am "ripening" at the proper stages on my road to maturity.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
There are predictable stages of growth, and when we go through them we are left feeling exposed and vulnerable. In the past many of us shut down the process of growing, for we did not wish to have these feelings. How lonely and bored we became while trying to remain in control. The program has helped us see our need for growth. Now we are able to understand that feeling exposed and vulnerable is part of a healthy, healing process. We embrace our growth periods with gratitude more quickly. As we are open, we become more of what we are capable of being.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
May I remember that to gain my own identity I must surrender my certainty.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
Each growth process I encounter and meet head on gives me the gifts of freedom, spontaneity and aliveness.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
When things which usually upset me don't get to me, I know I have a hold on serenity. I just need to learn how to stay serene longer, more often, and through worse situations. Usually it helps to say to myself, "How important is it?" It also helps to be realistic about the situation, what is fair to expect, and what I can change. I also need to consider that I am the one who is hurt when I get upset. Sometimes it seems to help when I get upset, but only at my expense.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
Help me to not neglect my efforts toward serenity.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
Serenity is my number one goal.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
A key tool I have learned to use is to act "as if." It seems to give me confidence and the ability to be what I want to be. If I have to give a speech to many people and I am nervous, I act "as if" I am in complete control of myself and the speech, and it goes well. If I feel someone has hurt me and I am angry, I quietly explain my feelings and then act "as if" nothing has happened and we remain friends. It helps the anger disappear. If I am worried about the future, I act "as if" everything will turn out fine, and it generally does. If problems come my way and I am in turmoil over them, I act "as if" there are solutions and options, and they usually appear. When I am depressed, it really works miraculously to act "as if" life is wonderful. It is!
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
Remind me to use this handy tool when I am in need of help.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
When I act "as if," it is.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Broken relationships, or painfully unhappy ones, seem to be a common problem with people - one that causes immeasurable pain. Satisfactory sexual relationships are a need shared by many. Sex itself is something which does not get talked about much at our meetings, but relationships certainly do. Good relationships have a lot to do with good sex. When we communicate our feelings, we open ourselves to good relationships, which may be sexual relationships as well. In Step Four we sweep out all our trash, and then we get rid of it in Step Five. That leaves our hearts and souls clean and open to lasting relationships, and, in turn, to healthy and satisfying sex.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
Help me to verbally communicate my feelings to the person I care about most.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
If I want to improve my sex life, I will be vulnerable
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
I am me. I can only be me by being unwaveringly honest and aboveboard in thought, word and deed. I can only feel I am making progress if I open my mind and listen attentively to others, allowing them freedom of expression and action, as I hope they would do for me. I can only achieve some measure of serenity by practicing tolerance, even if I do not want to. I can only be free of fear by trusting my Higher Power. I can only be at peace by sharing my burdens and joyful discoveries with others.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
God, please give me the mental and spiritual strength to face whatever comes my way today.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
I am me and that is all I have to be.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
When I have sudden changes in plans, I need to be able to adapt and not be thrown. As a controller I am somewhat rigid and easily upset by change. If I feel inadequate in the situation, it is hard to come up with "Plan B." It helps to be flexible when unexpected changes are necessary. God will help me with this if I admit my need and ask for help.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
May I see the situation as a challenge to be adequate, even when faced with surprises.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
God knows my frailties and will help me with them when I surrender them.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
A smile, a letter of remembrance or encouragement, a pat on the shoulder, or a kind word could be the very thing which someone may need to make it through the day. We need each other. We all need phone calls, letters, and listeners. Hurts need to be understood and tears need to be shared. The old bucket brigade of yesteryear is a good example of people needing people. A fire in the community brought every able-bodied person out to form a human chain from the water source to the fire. A bucket filled with water was passed from person to person until it reached its goal. Every person in the line was needed and shared the responsibility for dousing the threatening flames. We are all needed with our special talents. Without us the world brigade would miss our hands.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
Open my heart to others' needs and close my eyes to their shortcomings.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
More is accomplished with a pat on the back than with a knife in the back.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
As I have worked the program, I have learned recovery from my emotional illness depends on developing a deep trust and sustaining faith in a Higher Power of my understanding. My misbeliefs and disbeliefs in God, developed because of past experiences and conclusions, created a vacuum of trust and faith. I had rejected God and therefore had a difficult time understanding and utilizing a spiritual approach to my emotions and my life. Looking back over my past there were several spiritual experiences in my life when I felt as if I were whole, healthy, and one with my self. I had taken down my defenses and let myself be. I was in the care of my Higher Power at these times. Do I still doubt a God of my understanding exists?
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
I have an urgent need to believe in You, God.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
Faith requires honesty and effort.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Today I will try to remember that when I feel down, everything I do seems to come out wrong. When my self-pity begins to build, I will stop, rest, gather my thoughts and ask my Higher Power for help. God reminds me there is a tomorrow and that I can begin anew by living one day at a time. It makes life much easier. Twenty-four hours are enough for anyone. Today is a new beginning: yesterday is gone, and tomorrow is hope.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
God, never let me feel that any shortcoming of mine is greater than Your love for me. Remind me that no matter what I have done in the past, I can begin anew.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
I am beginning again.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
One of the greatest benefits I have received from changing my life is the ability to really see and appreciate nature. During my unmanageable days I never looked at my surroundings. I did not care if the sun was shining or if it were raining. What a pleasure now to take a few serene moments out of a busy day to just look at the sun, blue sky, flowers, and even insects. How can I not thank my Higher Power for these creations?
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
Help me to always be thankful for the loveliness of this earth. Remind me to set aside a few minutes of my day to really look at the world around me.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
When life gets hectic, I will imagine myself sitting at the edge of a beautiful lake with the sun warming my body and the insects buzzing lazily around me.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
How often have I said, "It is not that I am angry, but......?" Yet my actions show that anger is exactly what I feel. Our program teaches me about feelings. I am learning one day at a time how to identify what I feel and to stop denying that I feel it. Feelings are natural. They tell me what is going on with me. The program does not teach me not to feel, but how to react to my feelings. Am I still denying my feelings?
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
With Your help may I begin daily to surrender uncomfortable feelings to You.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
It's okay for me to feel.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Usually as we face and deal with shameful experiences we begin to understand why we responded the way we did. Compassion for ourselves increases, and it feels so comforting. Finally we can talk to ourselves about the experiences with gentleness rather than criticism. Our gentle ways draw others to us. Through these relationships we realize even more, no matter how devastating an experience might have been in our past, once we share it, it becomes a help to someone in the present.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
May I remember I need no longer be alone with my pain.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
Acceptance of my experience gives me compassion for myself and then for others.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
I look at myself as a person and say, "This is what I am right now." I judge myself and create an attitude, usually negative, about myself. And it is that attitude which I have toward myself that determines how other people feel about me or how they will react to me. The program is teaching me to think about my assets rather than my liabilities. It is necessary for me to spend some quiet time daily trying to gain a more positive perspective on my life.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
May I develop a more positive attitude about myself. Help me to stop putting myself down, which will allow me to respect me.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
Accentuate my positives.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
My attitude toward the pain in my life will determine how I experience it. Pain is not the worst thing which can befall me. This is worse: not being able to feel. Pain is a natural part of life - like air, breath, love and death. It is not meant to diminish my life or me. Only if I resist it is my life made smaller and my misery increased. My happiness and my pain can live together for me.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
Help me to accept the things I cannot change.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
I can enjoy my life today even though I may have emotional or physical pain.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Time spent dwelling on past situations or worrying about tomorrow's problems robs me of energy and lightheartedness and casts a shadow over all that today has to offer me. What I miss today can never be recaptured. Each circumstance and each experience of every day is meant to be a valuable aid in the fulfillment of my life. Living just for today, and in today, relieves me of stress and worry over situations which have not yet come to pass and of past situations which I cannot relive.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
Help me remain within this day only so that I may enjoy to the fullest all that the day has to offer me.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
I only have today.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Sometimes when I live my life in the way necessary for me to maintain my wellness, I meet with other people's disapproval. At the time it is necessary for me to find out if I am harming anyone. If not, I can quietly go about my business and continue to grow - without their approval. I know it is natural for me to want approval from my loved ones, but I must remember it is unhealthy for me to need and rely on approval like an addiction.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
May I have the courage to continue to grow - independently of others' opinions.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
When I need others' approval before I can approve of myself, it is a reflection of my low self-esteem.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Using the slogan, "Look for the Good," has changed my whole attitude toward people, places and things. Before EA my motto was look for the bad. I found flaws in everything. When I saw the negative, I never considered the positive. Now if some negative thought pops up, I try to replace it with a positive one. If something negative outside myself comes my way, I try to let it flow past instead of through me.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
Let me feel pleasure in my friendships and activities by dwelling on the positives they add to my life.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
Look for the good; it is there!
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Acceptance is hard to comprehend. I thought if I accepted something, that meant I liked it and I wanted it to stay. But this is not what acceptance is. Acceptance means being honest about what is happening in my life, what I am thinking, and what I am feeling. When I can stop denying and rebelling against myself, I can relax and let go of the control. When I stop trying to control, as the First Step suggests, I am open to the learning and healing which are waiting for me.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
When I begin to reject myself, help me to stop, for I am okay just as I am.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
Knowing that acceptance opens me to healing and learning, I will accept whatever I see in myself today.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
I have come to realize that one of the ways in which I try to cope is to avoid all conflict and pain. What if today I found the courage to turn and face my difficulty? If I honestly and fearlessly looked at the person or the problem with a clear-eyed gaze, what might I see? I can believe that the person I fear could be a friend in need and that my problem looked at in perspective, will melt away or diminish in size.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
Please give me the courage to stop running away from life's problems. Help me today to deal with at least one of my problems openly and honestly.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
I will win by turning and facing my foe.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
When I was emotional - that is, living without the program - I depended upon being right (at all costs) as my source of self-worth. I had to be right and in control of all situations, the center of attention. Now that I have the program and the people in it to guide me along my way, I no longer need to be right; I need to be loving. I need to learn to listen and to share.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
Oh, dear God, in all Your wisdom, love and care, I thank You for taking me in and giving me rest from my perfectionism. I surrender unto You this self-centered attitude and fear of mine.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
Loving is the source of my self-worth.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
My life we so confused and in such turmoil I never lived in my twenty-four hours. I was worrying or feeling guilty about something from my past, so I never enjoyed life. I found I had a choice and changed my focus to today. My life is going on, and the experiences behind me are the basis for my life. I am learning to take the negativity from these experiences and letting the positive take over. I know I must practice the program one day at a time if I am ever going to get well. Even though I am sometimes confused, I can look forward to less turmoil each day.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
Remind me that my past is something to learn from and not to dwell on.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
Improving my life is my goal rather than living and reaching out to false dreams.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
How much time do we spend blaming others for the way we are? It may well be that our childhood experiences caused us a great deal of pain. But to continue blaming someone for the way we are only keeps us feeling miserable and hopeless today. This does not mean we should deny our hurt and anger. Neither should we blame ourselves. As we mature, we come to realize the people who hurt us were doing the best they knew with what they had been given. What can I do today that will bring me to a greater acceptance of myself?
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
May I remember I have the inner power given to me by You.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
Hope lies in taking responsibility for self today.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
When I am open to growth, I discover many things about myself. At times it may seem as if this knowledge comes from outside, but actually the knowledge has been within all along, waiting to be discovered. As growing persons, we are attracted to those things which help us go toward our greatest potential. As I have been willing to risk following the path which feels right, life holds challenges and adventures beyond my fondest dreams.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
May I have the courage to follow my dreams with action.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
I will be open to discovering another part of my truth.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
The risk of caring is scary for each of us. It takes courage. We would like the love we feel for another to be reciprocated. When someone does not return our love, it can cause us to feel rejected. Rejection hurts. If we have felt cared about by someone over a period of time and that person withdraws, or worse yet, dies, we experience the deepest kind of hurt. This grief can make us want to close ourselves off from caring again. Yet if we refuse to continue being vulnerable, we will lose so much more. A part of us will die.
MEDITATION FOR TODAY
May I understand that the only way I will continue to discover myself is by caring for another.
TODAY I WILL REMEMBER
I will appreciate the value and care in my relationships today, for today is all we have anyway.