The Power of
Small Steps
The First Steps Out of Addiction
Some mornings, the world feels too heavy to lift your head. But still, the sun rises, and so can you.
You don’t have to change your whole life today.
You don’t have to quit cold turkey, confess everything, or even make a plan.
You just have to take one step.
Just one. Literally.
As soon as you wake up. Before the world creeps into your mind. All its expectations and noise. Get up.
Don’t check your phone.
Don’t scroll.
Don’t even look in the mirror.
Just place your feet on the floor, and walk.
Even if you're still in yesterday’s pyjamas. Even if your soul feels more fog than flame. Drag yourself into your shoes and step outside.
Keep your mind soft, clear. Or at least, as clear as it can be.
A little trick I use.
When the thoughts start flooding in, I whisper “now”. Inside my head. Over and over. Like a heartbeat.
Now… now… now.
You can make up your own little mantra. Whatever helps you. It doesn’t have to be spiritual or deep or profound. It only has to keep you here, present. Something that keeps you centred, grounded. Something to distract you from the thoughts and cravings; trying to seep in.
Every 10 seconds away from the you that couldn’t move is progress. Every 30 seconds. Every minute. Progress.
If you need a crutch to get there, go gently. Smash out a cone - if you must. Have a bowl of ice-cream. This isn’t about doing it ‘right’. It’s about doing something. Something now.
It’s about momentum, not perfection.
Take your earphones if you like. Let music soothe your nervous system like a lullaby for your cells. Or better, if you’re able, go bare. Let the wind hum stories to your skin. Let the birds call you back to the moment.
Listen to the quiet machinery of the world;
the far-off hiss of traffic,
the neighbour’s hose,
the rustle of leaves.
These are the sounds you’ve been missing. Avoiding.
Be Kind to Yourself
And once you’re outside? Let it flow.
Don’t make a plan.
Don’t map a route.
Just walk.
Let your body and mind remember what it means to move without demand.
You don’t need to know where you’re going. Simply, keep going.
At some point – two minutes, five minutes, or maybe an hour in - pause.
Feel your feet on the earth. Notice your breath. Listen to your heart beating. Focus on your body keeping you alive. It loves you.
And say to yourself,
quietly, gently,
I am alive.
That’s it. That’s the beginning of everything.
You are alive.
You are here.
You exist.
You’re doing something different.
That’s where evolution starts, in the small, quiet refusal to stay still.
A tiny magic trick I learned
Since you’re already out, keep the energy flowing.
Don’t think. Just go.
If you need groceries, and the shop is near, just go. Walk there now.
If it’s not walkable and you need to drive - head directly to your car. Do not go inside your house first. You don’t need reusable bags. That’s a trap. That’s where the cycle begins again.
But hey, if errands feel too heavy today, that’s okay too.
Give your inner child a reward. Buy yourself a silly pastry. A bright juice. A coffee that smells like safety. Sit outside. Just walk around aimlessly in curiosity. Let your body live in the moment.
You made it out of the house.
You did something.
That’s huge.
You’ve given your body a cocktail of quiet medicine without even knowing it
Fresh air feeds oxygen to your brain, lifting the fog.
Sunlight reminds your skin how to make serotonin, that soft golden feeling.
Movement shrinks the stress hormones and wakes up your endorphins.
Nature steadies your nervous system. Slows your pulse. Grounds you.
All this, just from stepping outside.
Time for A Space Cleanse
Now ride the wave, gentle as it may be. Don’t rush to write a routine, reorganise your wardrobe or colour-code a planner. You’re not a machine.
Instead, let your body wander through your space. See what it notices.
A sock on the floor.
A cup that needs washing.
A window that could open.
Do the task that calls you. Overcome your procrastination. With one thing. Just that. Don’t worry about the rest. You’ll get there. Healing moves like water, not fire.
You are not lazy. You are not broken.
You are becoming.
And becoming takes time.
I know this works.
Because once, not that long ago, I was in the same metaphorical boat. One morning I woke from a recurring acid trip. My mind was foggy. My makeup from the night before was still smudged under my eyes.
I didn’t wake up thinking, ‘I’m going to get clean today.’ I didn’t even think about quitting. I just knew something had to change. Something small, something now.
Still wearing my oversized sweater and my starry pyjama pants, I walked straight out of the house. The second the sunlight hit my face and the cold air touched my skin, it was like I suddenly remembered I was alive. Not just existing. Not just being. Alive. I wanted to hold onto that feeling. So, I kept walking. And walking. Perhaps my brain was still fried, as I convinced myself that if I stopped walking, or started thinking again, I might die. So, I didn’t stop. I didn’t think. I just moved. People looked at me like I was doing the walk of shame. Maybe I was. I didn’t care. For the first time in a long time, I was feeling something real.
Eventually, I considered: if I go home now, the cycle restarts.
But it didn’t. Not that day. Not any day since.
I stayed with the flow.
I let movement become momentum. That was the day everything changed. I, myself, changed.
You don’t have to walk a marathon. You don’t have to be sober yet.
You only make a choice. And then make it again. And again.
Start small. Really small. Like… laughably small. Pick up a sock. Take a shower. Open a window. Call a friend. Make toast.
Celebrate each thing like you just won a gold medal. When you’re trying to claw your way out of addiction or a bad spiral, every single action is a gold medal. Honest.
Staying busy isn’t about avoiding your feelings. It’s how you anchor yourself in now.
It isn’t just a distraction… it’s a lifeline. Idle time is where old patterns creep in. If your brain starts whispering about using, answer it with motion.
Get up. Do something. Anything.
It doesn’t matter what you do or what it is, if it keeps you tethered to now.
You’re going to have off days. You’re going to have cravings, crashes, and moments where you feel like you’re going backwards. That’s normal. That’s okay.
You are human. Be kind to yourself.
If you can just keep choosing movement over numbness, even for five minutes at a time, you're winning. We are so proud of you.
What they Don’t Tell You
Addiction doesn’t vanish in some huge lightning bolt moment.
It softens. Slowly. Quietly. It unravels over time.
Walk by walk.
Breath by breath.
Choice by choice.
Change doesn’t feel like fireworks.
It feels like fresh air.
It feels like warm sun on your cheeks after a long, dark night.
It feels like walking nowhere in particular, and realising that somehow, you’re still moving forward.
So tomorrow morning, when your eyes open and the fog returns, don’t panic.
Just plant your feet on the ground.
And walk.
“Every journey begins with a single step” might be the oldest cliché in the book.
But clichés stick around for a reason.
They’re true. And so are you.
You’re real.
You’re alive.
And your first step?
It’s waiting just outside your door.
