Mindfulness has a wide range of benefits for addiction recovery, including enhancing one’s overall quality of life. If you’re in addiction recovery, incorporating mindfulness into your recovery journey can help you gain confidence, clarity, and peace. This makes mindfulness an excellent tool for promoting long-term recovery success.
The Roots of Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a powerful practice that has roots in the Buddhist meditative tradition. It involves observing your inner and outer environment, including your thoughts, beliefs, and fears, without judgment.
According to a 2020 research review published in Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, the practice of mindfulness “has been performed for thousands of years and was traditionally taught to reduce the suffering of the human experience and to cultivate well-being.”
Mindfulness helps you stay grounded in the present moment, using all five senses. Different types of mindful practices can include mindfulness meditation, mindful walking, focusing on the breath or an object, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), loving-kindness meditation, and more.
Mindfulness and Its Benefits
In recent years, mindfulness has become incredibly popular as a self-development tool. Its effectiveness in treating mental health and addiction has been widely studied. These studies reveal a positive impact on health and overall well-being.
According to NIH News in Health, “Mindfulness-based treatments have been shown to reduce anxiety and depression.” It also has been shown to lower blood pressure and improve sleep. Mindfulness may help people cope with pain and even improve quality of life for people struggling with chronic illnesses and mental health conditions like depression.
Incorporating Mindfulness Into Your Addiction Recovery Journey
Mindfulness can also have lasting benefits for addiction recovery. This practice can inspire long-term behavioral changes and help you find inner peace. It can even be used as a healthy replacement for using substances. Mindfulness allows you to find deeper meaning in life and it inspires you to discover true self-love.
The Benefits of Mindfulness for Recovery
If you have experienced substance use disorder (SUD), you’re probably familiar with anxious thoughts and feelings of shame about the past. You may have even felt fear around the unknown future, including fears about the prolonged effects of using substances. Mindfulness can help you overcome these feelings. This method allows you to enjoy the only time you really have: the present moment.
According to Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, one of the major facets of mindfulness-based interventions for SUD is a “non-judgmental observation of thoughts and behavioral urges.” When you can separate yourself from the feelings associated with drug cravings, you may actually be able to “ride out” these cravings instead of using substances.
Another benefit of mindfulness for SUD is the way it can mitigate automatic behaviors, like the thoughts and feelings that lead to substance use. When you bring attention to the present moment instead, you can overcome your triggers and feel grounded without the need for substances.
Incorporating Mindfulness Into Your Daily Routine
Like anything else, you’ll get better at mindfulness the more you practice it. This is why having a consistent routine works best for incorporating mindfulness into your recovery plan.
Forming a New Habit
Practicing mindfulness consistently can help you break the negative habit of addiction and replace it with the new, healthier habit of living mindfully.
Some say it takes about 21 days for a habit to form. Others cite 66 days as the “sweet spot” to get a habit to stick. The only thing that is universally agreed upon is the fact that consistency is key when it comes to forming habits.
After two or three months of incorporating mindfulness into your daily routine, you may find that it becomes your new automatic action, replacing the habitual use of substances.
Practicing Mindfulness
From the moment you wake up each morning to the minute you go to sleep, there are endless chances to incorporate mindfulness into your life.
Mindfulness uses the five senses to help you stay focused on the present moment. You can begin practicing mindfulness by utilizing the five senses throughout your day. This can be especially helpful during the moments when you may feel triggered to use substances.
Some ways to practice daily mindfulness include:
- Talking mindful walks by observing your surroundings and listening to and feeling your feet hitting the ground
- Tasting, feeling, and listening closely as you brush your teeth
- Focusing on a conversation by fully listening to each word a person says
- Eating mindfully
Incorporating Mindfulness at The Guest House
When it comes to addiction recovery, it’s important to choose a program that offers a wide variety of therapies to help you heal more fully.
At The Guest House, you’ll find a plethora of therapies designed to help you heal your mind, body, and spirit. Many modalities offered here also incorporate mindfulness, allowing you to create a strong foundation for lasting success.
Cutting-Edge Recovery Methods
The Guest House offers a cutting-edge blend of traditional and holistic therapies to benefit your recovery journey. Here you’ll find a completely individualized approach that allows you to find the therapies and tools that work best for you.
Mindfulness is encouraged on its own and as a part of other therapies. It can even be incorporated into our traditional modalities like individual and group therapy. Fully focusing on the situation at hand can enhance your experience, providing a greater opportunity to heal and grow.
At The Guest House, we are also known for our wide range of holistic therapies. Many of these modalities already have mindfulness techniques built in, like yoga, meditation, and art in healing. When you can learn to focus on the moment at hand, you’ll receive even more benefits from the tools used in your recovery.
Incorporating mindfulness into your recovery journey has a multitude of benefits. Focusing on the present moment and observing your thoughts without judgment can help you overcome triggers and deal with the stressors of recovery. At The Guest House, mindfulness is a huge part of daily life. Here you will learn how to make the most out of talk therapies by staying fully present. You can also enjoy holistic modalities that are rooted in mindfulness, like meditation, yoga, equine therapy, and conscious connected breathwork. Our cutting-edge program is designed to help you overcome your struggles in a way that suits your needs best. For more information, give us a call today at (855) 483-7800.