Know what's inside

Right now there is much grief over our Country. When a Country is in trouble, and needs repair, God calls his people to grieve, mourn, fast, and pray. Don't stuff it in, get it out. Emotions need to be expressed. Many of the people I counsel aren't even aware of what their emotions are, therefore, they cannot express what they do not know.
A good way to find out what you're feeling is to sit before the Lord and ask him to reveal it. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
Psalm 139:4. The Lord already knows, but you also need to know what is going on inside in order to bring it back out to Him. This is one more way to avoid stuffing feelings that lead to destructive addictive cycles.

Pour it out

Pour it out. When we don't pour out what is inside, we either become stagnate or toxic. When we become stagnate or toxic, we try to mask what's going on inside through other mind altering substances or activities.
Pour it out just like the psalmist did. If you can't get out your own feelings in a psalm then pick a psalm that you identify with and speak it out for yourself.
For example: Psalm 6 6 I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. 7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes. 8 Away from me, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping. 9 The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.
This Psalm, like so many, identifies, feelings of despair, sorrow, and ultimately hope. So get your pen and paper and pour it out to the One who hears and cares.

Fill up

Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. The more we fill ourselves with the Spirit, the less will fill ourselves with wine or any other substance. So fill up on all God has to offer and watch the other cravings become less to none.

Take Time for House of Mourning

When a loved one died, the Jewish tradition was to have a time called Shiva. It was a seven day period that the mourner stayed in their home to purposely grieve. To go to a house of Shiva, was to to a house of mourning and that was the entire focus. It was to dive in and immerse themselves in their grief rather than suppress it or run from it. When a person does not go to the house of mourning (grieve their losses), they are more likely to go to the house of pleasure(various forms of escape). Whatever your loss may be, give yourself the gift of taking time to mourn. Mourning for a little while can help you avoid other unnecessary grief for the rest of your life.
The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.
Ecclesiastes 7:4

For those who want to overcome

When we learn to grieve, we learn to purge the pain. Tears are like the healing waters that God designed to cleanse the soul. There is so much to say about grief and I am excited to impart more of the God given remedies that will help you to be an overcomer!