Practical Applications of the Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can
and wisdom to know the difference.

In terms of stress management, the Serenity Prayer says it all! I became intimately familiar with the power of the Serenity Prayer one morning a little over 10 years ago, when I was at an extremely stressful juncture in my life.

At the time, I was heading up the community outreach for an acute psychiatric/chemical dependency treatment center.

While the work was extremely gratifying, I was experiencing a heavy overload of financial stress as our company was totally "bottom-line oriented", our census was down, and I had absolutely no semblance of job security.

One Saturday morning it "hit the fan" when I opened up a notice from the IRS, informing me that I owed several thousand dollars in back taxes, interest and penalties due to my failure to withhold Social Security contributions from my earning as a free-lance consultant several years back.

I walked down to the street, sat by the curb, and thought about how easy it would be to just run out into the oncoming traffic and put an end to my misery. My wife was understandably very frightened by my behavior, she called 911 and a couple of police officers came out to "talk me down".

This episode very powerfully drove home to me the need to practice the Serenity Prayer on a daily basis.

Focusing on the prayer, I began to reflect on my need to accept the momentary realities associated with my unstable employment situation, while at the same time realizing that this did not negate the many precious things in my life - my loving wife, step-children and grandchildren, my love for the guitar and folk singing, and the intense pleasure I derive from my creative writing, among other things.

I then turned to the courage part of the prayer, and focused on the need to actively direct my energies toward lining up a more secure job, even though I was understandably reluctant to let go of the aspects of my current position that were intrinsically rewarding.

The Serenity Prayer has literally saved my life on more than one occasion. Today I carry a copy of the prayer in my wallet as a constant reminder. I also have a framed copy in my bedroom, and keep a copy posted in my office at work.

When I am feeling overwhelmed by stresses in my life, I find it extremely helpful to do some journaling focusing on how I can apply the Serenity Prayer to the particular situation I am struggling with.

First I identify the problem in writing - describing the situation, and how it is creating excessive stress in my life.

Then I move on to the acceptance part, and make a list of those aspects of the situation that are (at least for the moment) beyond my ability to directly change or influence.

Finally, I move on to the courage part, and list those aspects that I can begin to change or influence - together with whatever thoughts come to mind in terms of action steps to move in the direction of making the necessary changes.

By putting these thoughts down in writing, I find that I am in a better position to "sort it out" and begin to get a more objective handle on how I can best focus my energies.

This exercise also helps me tune in to those aspects of the situation that I need to work on letting go of and releasing to my higher power.

Almost invariably, I discover that one of the key elements I need to work on is changing my attitude toward this external situation - which I perceive as being so inherently stressful and unfair.

Taking it one step further, once you have gone through this structured written exercise, you can gain additional feedback and perspective on your problem by discussing your responses with your partner, your sponsor, or someone else in whom you place a great deal of trust and confidence.

Another effective way of integrating the Serenity Prayer's underlying message into your life is by listening to an excellent audiotape developed by Emmett Miller and appropriately titled "The Serenity Prayer". I keep a copy in my car and it is a constant companion on my drive to work. For further information, call Dr. Miller's office at 800-528-2737.

In closing, I encourage you to actively apply the Serenity Prayer to whatever challenges you are struggling with.

It works equally well in regard to personal problems, health-related challenges, relationship issues, or whatever other crises you are up against.

Use this powerful prayer to identify those aspects of the situation that you can directly change or influence, and then zero in on manageable priorities and action steps.

By making this a daily habit, you will find that you are able to tap into your creative potential to tackle the many challenges you are faced with - and enjoy yourself in the process. The Serenity Prayer is, indeed, a stress management tool that really works!

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Also see Dr. Newport’s site www.wellnessandrecovery.com

and his book: The Wellness-Recovery Connection: Charting Your Pathway to Optimal Health While Recovering from Alcoholism and Drug addiction