EA Connection—may 2016Your monthly newsletter from isc

From your executive director:
Happy spring to everyone! This month marks my one-year anniversary at EA already! Time certainly does fly. In addition to simply getting the lay of the land, meeting many wonderful EA members, and working with the Trustees to get
EA’s house in order and plan for the future, my main focus for this year has been the design, writing, and launching of
the new website. Quite the challenge when I’m here only two days each week! We launched on March 9 th and, while
we’ve certainly needed to make adjustments and to add to it, I think overall the website has proven to be a terrific asset to EA. The analytics from the first month of usage told us that we had more than 10,000 visits by March 30! In April
we had already exceeded 10,000 visits by mid-month! We are seeing an average of 429 visits each day so far. All that isgood news for sharing the good message of recovery through EA. Keep in mind that we have also launched the EA app– EA Recovery – on iTunes. I try to keep it updated, but would welcome news from EA groups to share there as well. Asalways, thank you for all the work each of you do on behalf of EA and continue to let me know how else we can work
together to share the positive message the EA program provides.
Elaine Weber Nelson, Executive Director

May tools:
Step 5: Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Promise 5: The feelings of uselessness and self-pity lessen.

Just for Today 5: I will do somebody a good turn and not get found out. If anyone knows of it, it will not count. I will
do at least one thing I don’t want to do, and I will perform some small act of love for my neighbor.
Slogan 5: First things first.
Helpful Concept 5: EA is not a sounding board for continually reviewing our miseries, but a way to learn to detachourselves from them. Part of our serenity comes from being able to live at peace with unsolved problems.
Tradition 5: Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its messages to the person who still suffers fromOf Importance to Groups:
Nominations are being sought for Region 3 & 5 Trustees for the EA Board. Ballots will be sent to group contacts in
those regions in May. Group contacts will be requested to make copies for group members. Any EA member from region 3 or 5 can vote for a candidate in their region by sending a ballot back to the EA-ISC. The deadline for voting is in
September. If you wish to receive a ballot personally, please email groupdata@emotionsanonymous.org and ask for aballot to be emailed to you.

Swedish Convention
The EA groups in Sweden held their first Convention in mid-April ! By all accounts it was a great success. This group has worked hard to bring the EA message to their country. They have a substantial
set of literature translated into Swedish now and the Convention was their next step to making EA
better known and providing quality information to their members. Thank you to the Swedish planning group for all their hard work.

Memorials and Special Gifts:
A way to honor those we love.
To help support this publication, donations can be made to: EA Connection

EA Tools
Step 5: Admitted to God,to ourselves and toanother human being theexact nature of ourwrongs.
Doing Step 5 really helped me move
forward more in my life. I learnedlots of things about myself. I learned
not just the defects that I wanted toturn over to my Higher Power, but I
learned I had assets as well. My EA
sponsor was very helpful, understanding and compassionate when I
shared with her.
I had done Step 5 in anotherfellowship and that felt freeing as
well, but EA’s even more so. The EA“12 Steps and 12 Traditions” wasvery helpful
I like also to do a daily inventory. Isee the good and the not so goodand turn things over to the Higher
Power. I discuss things with mysponsor when need be, too.
Currently I do see a Psychologist
monthly and I feel that is like amonthly inventory I take with her
about how things are going in mylife. Things I would like to improveon are talked about and it helps me
to move forward as well.
I am grateful for the EA program andgrateful my Higher Power helps me
to stay connected. I have a daily
desire to be well emotionally, so I am
doing things in my life that help withthat. Currently those things are:Staying clean and sober, going toface to face 12 step meetings in mytown, doing online meetings such as
http://eachat.webs.com/,
reading
the EA loop emails and sharing when
I can, taking care of my personal
responsibilities daily, eating right,
exercising, staying connected withhealthy persons and continuing tojust do the next right things I need to
do...Connie

Just for Today 5: I will dosomebody a good turnand not get found out. If
anyone knows of it, it will
not count. I will do atleast one thing I don’t
want to do, and I will
perform some small act oflove for my neighbor.
I just wanted to share with you thelove I have developed for the JFT 5.
This has taught me so much! To face
my fears., that I can give to others
like a "shadow" and discovering
amazing neighbor's that due to myshyness and irrational fear I would
hide from.
Once again, EA: THANK YOU. You area blessing in my life! You saved meand thanks to the program I'm
beginning to be able to be healthy.
Eternally grateful and dedicated toEA...Sofia, Europe

Helpful Concept 5: EA isnot a sounding board forcontinually reviewing ourmiseries, but a way tolearn to detach ourselvesfrom them. Part of ourserenity comes from being
able to live at peace withunsolved problems.
I am learning to live with unsolved
problems each day. I went throughanother full cycle of setbacks andthen recovery again with my anxiety.
I always get very angry when asetback comes and I feel defeated allover again. I want the problem
solved and I feel angry that I cannot
get solid answers. Anxiety doesn't
have a solid answer. I'm learning that
I can spend my time more valuably
by studying my condition with books
and therapy than by beating myself
up over and over. I've made a newconnection and now I am
researching it and it makes me feel
useful. I am turning my anger at theunknown over to my HP. That's all
for today. I am grateful that after a 6
day work week I have a holiday off
Monday. I spent the day reading andcatching up on sleep. I'm grateful fordays to rejuvenate…Heather
My take on it has been as a way forhelping me not to be in the future
but stay in the present. So I've taken
it to mean "take care of the things
that are right in front of you before
you start thinking about things
further down the road". So in otherwords do the first things first, let therest come later... Sophie
First Things First means: If I havesomething in front of me that needs
to be done, and it is a priority, then I
stay on that task, chore or job. For
instance if I go to work and amcommitted to work for the day I do
not put my focus on next Saturdaywith my Granddaughter. I staymentally on task and don’t“mentally” go rushing to other tasks.
It reminds me I can only do or be
focused on one thing at a time, so it
is best to prioritize and work fromthe top of the list down…Jessica

Ea tools applied: Change
Ready for change?
How do you know that you are ready for change? I have been asking that question for a while now and finally havegotten the answer. The answer is that when the pain for remaining as you are is greater than the pain to change, youstart changing. Where will the energy come from to drive the change vehicle into my life? A great question - I had become hopeless in believing that my old way was providing me with the peace and serenity which I wanted to haveworking in my day to day life.
Some time ago I admitted that I had little passion in my life. Today, I have found passion. I admitted that I had lost thezeal to compete, now that zeal is coming back in my life. I have actually reached out to others who are working effectively in their lives and accomplishing some of the things which I would like to have happening in my life. I'm seeingthat the more I own the problem and become willing to let go and let God the more that help starts coming my way,and for that I am thankful.

One of the books that I am reading has given me insight into the areas I would like to change. It does a lot of referencing the addiction cycle and how recovery works for addicts and how it applies to most of us who want to make changes in our lives. I'm glad that the 12 Step program is so much a part of our lives that no matter who needs help, recovery is there for us to use and apply. Once again... a miracle given to us by a couple of drunks who found change and a
HP to help them and us with those changes...PaulI Have changed
One example is that instead of hoping that someone would do something for me that I needed being done, I asked
them. They didn't always do it but usually they did. And most often they had had no idea I had wanted/ needed their
help. Another example is that instead of waiting for others to make plans for what to do, I started asking myself,"What are things that you enjoy doing, Carol?"Probably the hardest but most important change was that I stopped running a tape over and over in my head. It might
be a tape of a conversation I'd had with someone that went badly; an incident when my feelings had been hurt by anunkind remark; a problem with my sons not calling—it could be anything. Sometimes in the pre-EA days I would run
the same tape over and over and over. So unproductive. I have a long way to go but I feel quite hopeful these days,
for all of us...CarolI can change
The EA program tells me that anything I become aware of I can change. It also tells me that I cannot change alone. I
need the help of my H. P. I also need the help of other people. (A wise elder in my f2f group says EA should come witha warning label: "Do not try this on your own." ...JoeChange in retrograde
I think back to my youth days and how much enthusiasm I had for everything. I worked full time and went to schoolat night to earn my degrees. I had great friends. I exuded enthusiasm. I also was NEVER afraid to wear color! As I
worked, got married, had challenges in my life, I became jaded and slowly the enthusiasm started to fade on things.
Ironically, black (the miraculously thinning color) became my color choice. I looked back at my youthful days and felt I
was naive. Now, after more thought about this, I think about how joyful my life was back then and it was the way I
embraced things that made the difference. I missed that old Irene and I slowly started to see her again when I let love
touch my heart. Now I'm getting back to enjoying the spice of life. I like the word spice because it brings to mind alltypes of things....the bold...the sultry...the subtle...but always something of interest. I am
grateful for the rainbow of these flavors in my life and the renewed enthusiasm for things
again. Its not about a career or more money or the biggest house and the energy I am
robbed of seeking those things...its about LOVE....that’s my pot of gold and I'm going for it
baby!...Irenie

2015—2016 ea board of trustees
Region 1: Northwest - Treasurer
CAN: AB, BC, MB, ON, SK
USA: AK, ID, MN, MT, ND, OR, SD, WA, WI, WYZoe L—Email: zoe.ea@comcast.net

763-432-7858

Region 5: Northeast - Secretary
CAN: NB, NF, NS, NT, PE,YT
USA: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VT
Valerie C—Email: valcea@gmx.com

585-371-4347

Region 2: Southwest - President
USA: AZ, CA, CO, HI, NM, NV, OK, TX, UT
Gus S—Email: schloessergus@gmail.com

602-319-3890

Region 6: French-speaking Canada
819-319-9912
France B—E-mail: france.boulerice@gmail.com

Region 3: Central
USA: IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MO, NE
Lynne S—Email: lynnesmith50@hotmail.com

712-420-2058

Region 4: Southeast
USA:Tyrell D—Email: atdear08@gmail.com

706-782-2328
Puerto Rico

General Service Trustee - Vice President
Vince C—Email: vincovea@yahoo.com

603-891-1431

General Service Trustee - Trustee-at-large
Harold F—Email: hthnhhugs@aol.com

603-624-8455

General Service Trustee Scott J—Email: sdjakel@gmail.com

507-276-0323

Non-member Trustee
Phyllis R—Email: eaphyllisr@hotmail.com

623-915-5795

Slogan 5: First things first: Shares from your EA Trustees
Planning my daily activities, I need to set a To Do list, knowing that it’s not going to necessarily play out the way I
anticipate it will. When this happens, I need to take time to smell the roses in bloom around me. In other words, I
need to take a deep breath, remembering our simple slogan of “First Things First”, meaning that the list I establishedmay need to be put aside and work on that unexpected event that needs my attention NOW! After all, it was only aTo Do list!...Gus That is not the way I generally do things. Normally, I do 2 or 3 things , often more, at the sametime, and so I am confused and conflicted. Do you think I might learn something new (maybe even a new way to act)from the 12 Step program??? Only with the help of our Higher Power can I find my way into A New Way of Life,
which reflects serenity, courage and wisdom. WOW!!!...Tyrrel This phrase is very simple to me. I have Attention
Deficit Disorder. I clearly have issues with focus and concentration. First things first means simply to do whatevermight be in front of me, before moving on to the next project. If I don't do that, very little ever gets done...Lynne
When difficult times present themselves, I try to concentrate on one thing at a time. Just doing the next rightthing always helps. Otherwise, if I worry about everything at once, a lot of confusion follows. Just as, in the beginningof my program adventure my sponsor had to remind me that I could not do the steps cafeteria style, but had to learn
to start with Step 1...Phyllis
First things first means that my emotional recovery has to be my priority. Othermatters may be important but they are contingent on my recovery. Early in program, I heard "whatever you put infront of your sobriety, you are going to lose." I believe that today more than ever...Valerie I just did an unimportantthing , taking a nap, when I realized my first thing, a greeting to my sister-in-law, was too late to make the mail. I
need to review priorities constantly to enjoy complete recovery...Vince You must prepare for doing things in a logical order to accomplish your desired result. An example would be you meet a person, you date, you get engaged, youget married. In EA, first you have to study the steps, go to meetings, listen to your sponsor, and read the EA books
and literature, then you can use the EA program to accomplish your emotional goal of serenity in your life...Harold

Events Far and Near:

Emotions Anonymous™

Email Addresses:

South Central Ontario Intergroup
Spring Unity Day 5 /28/2016, Burlington, ON
Contact Cathy 905-526-1301

PO Box 4245
St Paul, MN 55104
Phone 651-647-9712
Fax 651-647-1593
Hours: Monday—Friday: 10 to 4
www.EmotionsAnonymous.org

director@emotionsanonymous.org
editor@emotionsanonymous.org
info@emotionsanonymous.org
groupdata@emotionsanonymous.org
orders@emotionsanonymous.org
shipping@emotionsanonymous.org

And don’t forget the EA Convention
September 23-25, Phoenix, AZ

If you have an event you would like to see listed here, send your information to editor@emotionsanonymous.org