Meet Lesa Tanner
Y4ED Community Member, Lesa Tanner.
Meet Y4ED Featured Member, Lesa Tanner. Lesa shares how attending our weekly Connection Calls has supported her recovery journey, allowing her to trust she is never alone, to feel understood, and to share freely without fear of judgement. Lesa describes how feeling welcome in our community has helped her to better welcome all the parts of herself. Read Lesa’s story:
“The Y4ED community has provided a safe space for me as I've navigated the delicate process of recovery. For me, and I think for many of us in recovery, every day is different and what feels challenging each day can change over time. As my relationship with my body has shifted over time, I find that I have new questions and new realizations about the recovery process. Relating these struggles and epiphanies to friends and family outside the recovery community can be difficult, leaving me feeling alone and confused. This is precisely why connecting with others in the recovery community is so valuable and essential to my healing process.
Seeing encouraging social media posts from Y4ED and especially attending the weekly Connection Calls reminds me that my loneliness is a lie. There are so many other people who are grappling with the daily realities of recovery, and I am never alone.
I attend the Connection Calls as often as I am able with my work schedule, but sometimes it'll be weeks before I can log on again. Yet, every time, no matter how long I've been away, I feel instantaneous relief seeing the faces of others in the community. There is so much I feel safe to share without over-editing myself or providing some long, meandering backstory. So much can be left unspoken but deeply understood and the security created within that space is a phenomenal gift. My protective instincts get quieter and a tender place within me feels welcome to stretch and come alive. It is a safe communal space filled with empathy and protected from the harsh judgments that shut down a conversation.
Having the opportunity to share with and hear from others has been immensely healing. Whether it is expressing discomfort, grief, and challenge or relief, elation, and achievement, the entire experience of recovery is welcome. I feel welcome. This has helped me to learn how to better welcome all the parts of myself (mind and body) and all the parts of recovery (highs and lows). Finding support within the Y4ED community has given me more hope and more patience with myself as I move along the winding path of recovery.”