There’s a good chance that you’ve heard of the word mindfulness. In fact, today many people have heard of mindfulness, but not exactly sure what it is or how to do it. Yet, many recovering addicts have been introduced to mindfulness in their recovery and have stayed committed to the practice because of its many benefits.
Mindfulness is the practice of staying present and being aware of what’s going on inside of you and outside of you. It’s a practice that asks you to avoid worrying about the past and fantasizing about the future. Instead, mindfulness invites you to keep your mind focused on what’s going on right here, right now. It’s a simple task, but it can become challenging depending upon your level of emotional turmoil and stress.
As mentioned earlier, a practice of mindfulness comes with enormous benefits. Some of these include:
Facing Triggers With Greater Ease
One of the greatest advantages of mindfulness is that it gives you the ability to respond to triggers in a more healthy way. For instance, if you’re used to drinking when you’ve been triggered emotionally, then you have developed a habit, a conditioning, of reaching for alcohol when you’re in emotional turmoil. However, when you’re being mindful, you have a greater capacity to stop yourself. You have the ability to stop the habit of drowning your emotions in alcohol, and instead use a healthier coping tool. You might journal, call a friend, or exercise instead.
Gaining a New Perspective
Most of the time when we are lost in our thinking, we are caught up in the emotional field of our thoughts. For instance, if you have the thought that your housemate is a jerk, you might begin to think about all the things that make it so difficult to be with him. With that line of thinking, you might begin to feel bitter, angry, resentful, or hopeless. However, with a practice of mindfulness, there is a greater chance that you’ll have a different perspective. Although you might still have the thought that he is a jerk, you might also have a thought that he may be difficult because he’s going through a hard time. Or you might feel some compassion for him. Instead of letting your ruminating thoughts bring you down, mindfulness helps keep you connected to the present moment where fresh ideas and new perspectives can be found.
Learning More About Yourself
One of the most significant parts of recovery is the opportunity to learn more about addiction and how the illness has affected you. Recovery is also a chance to learn about the factors that might have led to addiction in the first place. A regular practice of mindfulness can bring insights and self-understanding. When you grow the ability to stay present, you also grow your ability to become more aware of yourself. And with awareness you can then make different choices.
Mindfulness is an important practice of rewiring the brain. Staying present with your experience gives you the ability to notice your thinking, change your thoughts, become aware of your triggers, and stop yourself when you think you might do something to sabotage your recovery. In fact, many recovering addicts have found mindfulness to be an essential practice for healing.