Mindfulness in Recovery: Why It Is Important

Mindfulness can be a useful part of the recovery process for those struggling with addiction to alcohol or drugs. Incorporating mindfulness into your journey toward consistent sobriety can help you to feel much more confident in your recovery and can provide you with added tools to maintain physical and emotional stability. Here are some of the most important facts about mindfulness for people recovering from addiction.

What Is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is often confused with meditation. While these two processes do have some characteristics in common, there are some important differences to keep in mind:

• Mindfulness is a quality to be developed in yourself. Meditation, by contrast, is an activity that you practice.
• Along with concentration and focus, mindfulness is an essential part of meditation. However, you can practice mindfulness without engaging in meditation.
• While meditation is usually best practiced in a quiet and peaceful location, mindfulness can become part of your approach to life and does not require any particular environment to succeed.

Being mindful of yourself and your physical and mental condition can help you recover more successfully from alcohol and drug addiction.

Applying Mindfulness in Recovery

If you are currently working to stay sober, there are several mindfulness strategies that can help you with this process:

• Being present in the here and now is one of the key principles of mindfulness. To achieve this goal, you will need to focus on the present and not the past or future. Seeing the real world around you and experiencing the moment fully is a good first step toward achieving greater mindfulness in your daily life. It can also reduce stress and help you deal with anxiety, both of which are common issues for individuals in recovery.
• Ignoring your inner monologue can help you to avoid negative thoughts. By recognizing these thought patterns as simple products of your own mind, you can eliminate much of the stress associated with these internal monologues and can build your confidence in everything you do.
• Focusing on your breathing is a good habit that can help you manage stress and can reduce anxiety. Breathing in a mindful way can also increase your sense of control, which could be important to your recovery and your overall emotional and mental health.
• Practicing compassion can help you build stronger connections with friends, family and others with whom you come in contact. This is an important way to apply mindfulness in recovery. Demonstrating compassionate behavior can be a valuable step toward maintaining sobriety and substituting activities that are helpful to you and to others. By interacting with others in a kind and non-judgmental way, you can help others while helping yourself.

Integrating these mindfulness strategies into your overall recovery plan can increase your chance of maintaining sobriety. Working with our program can provide the added help you need to succeed in your recovery efforts.

Sober Living America can provide you with addiction recovery services regardless of your ability to pay. We are a faith-based program with a compassionate and integrated approach to recovery and treatment for people recovering from alcohol and drug addiction. If you are looking for help with your addiction problems, give Sober Living America a call today at 1-877-430-0086. Our team is ready to help you achieve and maintain sobriety for a brighter future.