Cheryl Burke is taking life one day at a time.
The Dancing with the Stars pro, who celebrated four years of sobriety in August shared how she still growing and evolving in her journey in a lengthy, heartfelt message on Instagram
"I've spent most of my life looking through a glass box that was and still is a part of my life at times," she said in the Oct. 18 post in part. "Especially when I'm not consciously aware. However, this wasn't always a bad thing—it kept me alive and safe in times of desperate need but I've come to realize that continuing to put myself in that box only brought more loneliness, pain and fear."
Burke explained how she used her addiction to numb her fears but how she eventually realized that she had to face them instead of hide from them.
"Four years ago when I decided to stop drinking, I'm realizing I'm left with peeling back layers, which has ultimately made me get closer to the core of my being, my authentic self," the dancer wrote. "What comes with choosing this path though, is that I'm living with fears I've never felt before, fears I'm completely foreign to, that I never knew I had, and that I never wanted to face."
She added, "However today I can say I'm no longer pushing those fears away or running from them," she continued. "Instead I'm going to invite them in and take action so I can stop facing the world with fear and start embracing what makes me uniquely me."
The Burke in the Game podcast host, who recently finalized her divorce from Matthew Lawrence—but is still working out custody over their dog, Ysabella—expressed the importance of embracing her journey of self-discovery.
"I will always be a work in progress and this is a layered and long journey, however it's one I am choosing to share with you all along the way in case one person who may feel alone in their life can know that they are not alone," the Mirrorball winner noted. "I'm grateful for this work. I'm grateful I've been pushed to staying curious about this work and I'm grateful for striving for better instead of bitter."
She concluded her message by telling followers to embrace "uncomfortable conversations," saying that doing by doing so, "we will all feel like we're not alone on this journey called life. Sending you all love and light."