09-20-2026 Embracing the Freedom of Letting Go09-20-2026 Embracing the Freedom of Letting Go
OA RISE | Recovery Inspires Shared Experiences
Melinda K shares her experience of compulsive overeating, recovery in OA, and the freedom found in surrendering control to a kinder higher power. The meeting combines personal stories, group shares and a guided meditation exercise to help members see their struggles differently.
1:54:43•20 Sept 2026
Embracing the Freedom of Letting Go with OA RISE
Episode Overview
- Gentleness towards oneself is more effective than shame, captured in the advice to use a feather instead of a stick.
- Abstinence and recovery grow over time, and food plans or tools may need to change as the person changes.
- Fellowship and outreach calls help break isolation and weaken the pull of addictive behaviours.
- Surrendering to a caring higher power shifts focus from control and perfectionism to trust and guidance.
- Prayer, meditation and simple creative exercises can bring new perspective on difficult situations even when the facts stay the same.
“Beat yourself with a feather and not with a stick.”
Curious about how others manage compulsive eating and find peace with food and life? This OA RISE meeting centres on Melinda K’s theme of “Embracing the Freedom of Letting Go”, offering a mix of humour, honesty, and practical spiritual tools for anyone living with addiction-like food behaviours. Across the session, you’ll hear how Melinda’s early habit of “doing pain in isolation” led her to use food as comfort, and how Overeaters Anonymous and sponsorship shifted that pattern.
One phrase from her sponsor becomes a running thread: “Beat yourself with a feather and not with a stick,” a reminder to replace harsh self-judgement with gentleness. She talks openly about yo-yo dieting, perfectionism, people pleasing, and the belief that sheer willpower could fix everything—until desperation nudged her into OA and genuine surrender. The episode highlights OA’s spiritual focus, from the Serenity Prayer and the Twelve Steps to Step Eleven’s emphasis on prayer and meditation.
Melinda describes God as a "higher power of care", and uses vivid stories—like sirens from Greek myth and a wizard shouting “you shall not pass”—to illustrate how addiction calls to us and how a higher power can interrupt that pull. A guided experiential exercise invites everyone to sketch their current struggle, sit quietly in meditation with their higher power, then redraw the same issue afterwards.
The contrast between the two images becomes a doorway into seeing how perspective can soften without the situation itself changing. Shares from members like Sue and Cassie show how that process can bring immediate relief, clarity, and a sense of not being alone. If you’re tired of trying harder and ready to try letting go instead, this meeting offers a gentle, grounded way to start.
What might change for you if you stopped using a stick and picked up the feather?
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