What is the best thing you did to recover after leaving the JWs? (page 4)

Crux

This is probably just me, but I didn't do anything, and it was glorious. No service, no studying, no 5 meetings a week with 45 min drives one way. I got to slow down and relax for the first time in 22 years.

spawn

For me it was getting back in touch with people I could trust,

The tattoo artists chair for some very large tattoos

putting my earings back in

and then being introduced to JWN and being educated in the true facts of the Borg. Plus being in the knowledge that my children will not be brainwashed.

Lady Lee

Butterfly

I think that reaction is common to many people. JWs are told constantly that leaving means we we are nothing, zero, not worthy of life. If we let it that can become a self-fulfilling prophesy. My sister figured that since she could not be a perfectly good JW she would be a perfectly bad person. That thinking took her into drugs and prostitution. She saw no way out and it hurt too much to even begin to think of what the WTS (and our mother) had done to her. Sadly she finally succeeding in committing suicide after many failed attempts.

Life is worth living. The world isn't perfect. But then the WT world isn't perfect either.

And we are worth living and being happy.

Crux

Wow that is so important. After a life of being told we weren't doing enough we need time to just do nothing.

I'll be in and out all day. My monitor died yesterday so I had to buy a new one. Then the new one wouldn't work on my desk so I had to go out to but a new desk. It just arrived so I will be spending the day putting the new desk together and getting rid of the old one.

Jadeen

I started by making new friends- I would go to happy hour after work and meet coworkers friends that would stop by. I would hang out at the local coffee shop to talk and play games with people. I met my husband this way- he was a friend of a friend.

I started taking a martial arts class- it did wonders for my self esteem! And it was a great workout. I should start going again.

I started taking college classes, which eventually led to my finding this site. I read Combatting Cult Mind Control (based on recommendations on here) which really made me sit up and say, "Holy $h!t!" literally, when I read so many things that are similar to jws.

Learning about flawed doctrine is helping me to get out of the jw mindset, since my reason for fading was the behavior of others in the congregation. The wrongness of witness dogma stops me from feeling guilty for leaving over human actions. We've all heard, "Don't let others push you away from Jehovah!" Well, learning about flip-flops, flawed reasoning, and accurate history about the faith has convinced me that it is not "the truth."

Found Sheep

yoga!! forgot!!! great exercise

xmkx

I did all the things I had always wanted to do but never got to do. One of the major things for me was being able to study other religions and philosophies freely and determining for myself what I believed. I was born in to the organization so I didn't really know what I believed, just what I had been told.

Magwitch

Unlike a lot of you, when I left I gained my family back. My four siblings all became apostates long before me. I cut them off for years. When I left dubville I had my family back with lots of support from them. The freedom and joy I felt those first few months is indescribable. So I think my recovery came from being with fellow apostates every day!

readyornot

I whole heartedly agree with educating yourself. Read, read and read some more. Personally, I needed therapy. Fortunately, my therapist (now a close friend) had prior experience with JWs and knew my problem long, long before I did. He's a brilliant man.

I try to trust myself now and follow my instincts more than anything else. I'm very open to new ideas and information without having to form an opinion on it or accept/reject it as my own belief. I try to avoid indoctrination in all forms.

I have a strong interest and love for humanity. So many different people with different things to offer and experiences to exchange. Seeing the good in people draws good people to you.

Paralipomenon

Coming clean with all my family was the best thing for me. I had feigned interest for years for the sake of family. Telling them that it was no longer a part of my life allowed me to live my life outside the shadow of the tower.

Casper

I reconnected with my worldly family and got involved in their hobbies. This got me out of the house and around, semi-normal people.

I also started dating shortly thereafter and basically haven't looked back.

I had no desire to find out if they were right or wrong, I didn't care one way or the other I just wanted to regain my "Freedom".

Cas

What is the best thing you did to recover after leaving the JWs?

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