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    Stuck: The Road to Experiencing a Successful Recovery
    Stuck: The Road to Experiencing a Successful Recovery
    Stuck: The Road to Experiencing a Successful Recovery
    Ebook114 pages1 hour

    Stuck: The Road to Experiencing a Successful Recovery

    By Earlie James

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    About this ebook

    Most people who are stuck know they are but they lack the drive to move forward. Standing up on the outside but lying down on the inside. It's time to get your life back, it's time to take the journey.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBookBaby
    Release dateJun 8, 2018
    ISBN9781947165816
    Stuck: The Road to Experiencing a Successful Recovery

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      Book preview

      Stuck - Earlie James

      INTRODUCTION

      Have you ever felt stuck in an area of your life? The word stuck is the past tense form of the word stick. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines this word as to be baffled, beaten, at one’s wit’s end, bogged down, or to be stumped. ¹ I’m sure that we have all felt this way at one point in our lives. Maybe you feel this way now. No one wants to remain in this state, yet so many people go through life simply existing. They go through the motions of life, emotionally disconnected from what they are doing. All of us have experienced, or will experience, this at some point in life.

      Trauma, grief, and loss are subjects that most people tend to avoid thinking about until they are forced to engage them. Although we all know that ultimately we’ll have to deal with the hard seasons of life, something within us keeps us from actually dealing with them. That is, of course, until we are in over our heads with no other recourse but to breathe. We are suddenly thrust into a season of life for which we have no plan. This lack of preparation is what leads to people becoming stuck. When we are not instructed on or prepared for the loss, grief, and trauma that we will undoubtedly experience as we walk through life, we are left with no tools to use to help us come out on the other side.

      For those who are stuck, this book will be a resource that will help explain loss, why you will have it, why it must happen, and how to recover from it. Everyone in this state will eventually find themselves longing for a new day. They will desire to move beyond the painful chapter of their life that has somehow stalled its momentum. The challenge for many comes from the fact that they don’t know where to begin. Where do we begin to pick up the pieces after our hearts have been broken and devastation turns our lives upside down? It is painful to watch someone go through trauma, but it’s painful to watch someone remain stalled because of an unresolved trauma. What’s worse is if that person is you!

      I wrote this book because I was you: going through the motions and emotionally disconnected from what I was involved in. I started the recovery process, but I’ll be honest: there were days when I was not sure that I would live to share my journey. I think it’s important to note that I did not travel through the stages of recovery at a record pace. It took me years to reach the place from which I write to you.

      I approach the process of recovery as a journey because healing needs to happen each step of the way. Those of you who are going through the process will learn to value the ups and downs rather than detest them. As you read through these chapters, I want to help you understand what is really happening with you. They are written to help you track your progress and create a strategic plan so that you can move beyond your current state of mind and into freedom.

      You and I are not the first to take this journey, and we won’t be the last. As you work through the chapters of this book, you will probably encounter emotions that you had buried long ago when you didn’t understand how to deal with them, and I want to encourage you to reflect on these emotions. Don’t push them away again. My suggestion is to pace yourself through this book, because after all, it’s a journey. Engage and connect with each chapter and let’s journey together. I am here to travel with you, embodied in the words of this manuscript. You see, recovery was never meant to be done alone, yet it does require your participation and cooperation. If you truly want to recover, you must be invested: no deposit, no return. Whatever you put into it the process is what you will get out of it.

      The enemy of the new you has always been the old you. Recovery is meant to take you in a new direction, but your success is reliant upon how well you address the old you. You must address old mindsets and habits that are counterproductive to your direction of advancement. Recovery is meant to help you experience life beyond trauma, but you cannot experience that if you hold onto the old you. As you walk through the journey of recovery, you will need to participate and cooperate with the action steps contained throughout this book. They are designed to help you take practical steps as you transition from the old to the new you. Trust me, you can do this, because we will do it together!

      This book was written to help bridge the gap between seeking your life purpose and preparing you for the too often untold moments of trauma, loss, and grief that you will experience on your way to your destiny. However, you don’t want to wait until you experience loss to grab this book. It can be challenging to attempt to gather information amid grief. For those who are in the middle of a season of grief, do not despair—your way of escape has arrived! There is life abundant beyond trauma, and I am happy to take this journey together with you!

      ¹ Merriam-Webster, s.v. "stuck (adj.)," accessed June 15, 2017, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stuck.

      CHAPTER 1

      WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE STUCK?

      As an author, it is important to me that I connect with those who read my books. The subject matter in this book requires us to be transparent and real. To that end, I think it will be beneficial for you to see how being stuck impacts all of us, regardless of our differences. I want to share perspectives from individuals who were or are stuck and what that reality feels like to them. As you read their stories, see if you can find parallels to your own.

      Denise²

      I was asked to write about what it feels like to be stuck. As I recall moments and seasons of being stuck, I can identify a plethora of emotions. I felt like I was being held down, with no ability or capacity to move or lift myself. It was like lying down on the inside while you’re physically standing up. The greatest and most painful part of being stuck is that inward cry of Help! way down inside. I have gone through seasons where it felt like I was on an ocean with no breeze. Nothing stirred in me, inside or out. My thoughts did not have the energy to propel me into action.

      I was on the borderline of depression and aware of it, to the point where days would pass, and I kept promising and telling myself that I must do something, I will do

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