Self-help Texts: Annoyances From The Enlightened

A dark, hidden downside to being in recovery is that far too many people in 12 step circles feel entirely too comfortable about blasting out life-affirming texts every morning to people who never requested them. At 5 a.m. each weekday, my Sonos alarm system begins pumping an ambient electronic chill mix into the room, to ensure a soft and seamless transition back into the sentient world. But by then, the siege of hokey self-help bluster is well underway.

By the time my feet hit the floor, I’ve already blown through eight or nine of them; I don’t read any of them, I simply scroll through them to cancel the new message notification. And to be fair, they’re all on mute anyway, so it’s not like I’m even notified when they arrive. That’s self-care. As soon as I receive an unsolicited feel-good text from somebody, they automatically go on mute.

It’s not that I’m above good ideas. If anybody could use a full-service psychic overhaul, it’s yours truly. In fact, having ignored all of the schlocky uplifting text messages, I saunter down into my sunroom, swaddle myself in a giant blanket and dig into two or three books of that very ilk. I love — nay, I depend — on incisive and uplifting spiritual literature every morning. I’ll be a mess if I don’t attempt to latch on to some sort of inner guidance before venturing into the cold, abusive world that awaits.

But I need to dig into this stuff on my schedule, relying on trusted sources which, for me, includes the likes of Eckhart Tolle, Emmet Fox, various Buddhist volumes and the like.

Occasionally I do stop and read some of the texts. One I read religiously each day and another I check out most days. But they are of the personal reflection variety, rather than some rah-rah platitude that you’d just as easily find on the chalkboard of your local coffee shop.

I’m obviously not serious about resenting these — it’s nice to have people thinking of me and to be a part of somebody’s regular morning routine. But that’s the point of this blog — to get the thoughts down, maybe push them in some uncharted territories and move ahead. So that’s what I’ll right now.