My curiosity brings insight and growth

"Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently." 

~Henry Ford

I’m curious: how do you handle it when things go wrong?

• When you wake up with the hangover or know you said the wrong thing, what happens next? Do you spiral into shame for days and weeks to come - waking in the middle of the night to torture yourself with replay after replay?
• When you couldn’t be brave and you didn’t stand up for yourself or someone else, did you call yourself names?
• When someone mistreats you or the memories of someone mistreating you are triggered, do you feel small and insignificant?

Might I suggest that you try something different?

Try to get curious.

You could get curious about why you said or did what you did. Or you could get curious about why that person chose to behave that way. You can always get curious about what possible lessons you can take away from the experience.

Getting curious allows you to stay in the prefrontal cortex of your brain (the cognitive/thinking part) instead of going into a limbic state of “flight, fight, or freeze”. Getting curious also puts you into a more empowered position, where you have choices and agency instead of feeling helpless or like a victim. 

Use today's affirmation and journal prompts to help you get curious and find new ways to turn disappointments into lessons. 

Affirmation:

My curiosity brings insight and growth.

Journal Prompts:

1. Think about or meditate on the role of mistakes and failures in your learning process. How have these experiences ultimately supported your growth and taught you valuable lessons?
2. Consider the connection between curiosity and empathy. Can you approach your past with curiosity to bring about new insights and empathy for yourself and others?

Need help moving on from the past? Here’s how I can help:

Take my free Drinking Personality Quiz to learn why you drink and what to do about it. 

Join the Mindful Moderation Course to forever change your mindset about drinking and more. 

Work with a therapist or coach on my team to create a personalized plan for your own growth.

Stay curious!

Dr. Hannah

P.S.: Check out the Mindful Moderation Instagram for an inspirational version of this week’s affirmation and quote, as well as to keep up with the Soberish October Challenges and Monday Mocktails.