What Recovery Day Means to Me: Sydney

[Transcript]

There are many lives and many paths to healing. Gratitude and service help light my path. My name is Sydney, and I’m a Recovery Ambassador Council member for Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight.

I have realized along my recovery journey that I won’t always have control over what happens in my life, but I can control my gratitude and that makes all the difference.

Gratitude has given me an incredible ability to weather the storms of life with the strength and tenacity required. When I’m grateful, even the darkest seasons of life present the greatest opportunities to acknowledge the light.

Service has given me the fulfillment of being useful to others and having purpose. Through service, I get to see my power to harness my light and make a positive difference in my community and for the people around me.

When I put my energy toward something or someone that has nothing to do with me, I am free from my preoccupations with self.

Through service and gratitude, I find freedom.

About Recovery Day

On Recovery Day we celebrate the hard work of seeking recovery & mental health. Recovery Day’s theme, “Many Lives, Many Paths to Healing” allows each of us to celebrate where we are on our own mental health journey. Some of our paths feel barricaded by trees and roots, while others of us see more clear trail markers to our destination. And yet here we are to celebrate another year. 

The path of you. The path of me. The courage that it has taken to continue on this journey and those who have supported the path to recovery along the way.