If you are struggling with addiction, your thoughts and emotions are often hard to process. The feelings your experience is intense, and they can leave you emotionally and psychologically exhausted. As you go through drug treatment, you need to learn healthy coping skills to manage those thoughts and emotions that can keep you stuck in addiction. Perhaps the most important of these coping skills is mindfulness. If you are not familiar with this concept, this article will further explain mindfulness and its importance of mindfulness in recovery.
Contact Liberty Wellness today to learn more about our drug and alcohol rehab center in Berlin, NJ.
What is Mindfulness?
On the surface, the concept of mindfulness seems exotic and New Age. However, mindfulness is very straightforward and easy to understand. Simply defined, mindfulness is our ability to be fully present in the moment. When we are mindful, we are fully aware of who we are, where we are, and what we are doing in the present moment. Mindfulness is knowing the thoughts we experience are not permanent—no matter how overwhelming or intense. If we experience thoughts that worry or burden us, mindfulness helps us navigate those feelings positively.
The connection between mindfulness and addiction recovery is strong. Therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectic behavioral therapy (DBT), and stress reduction therapy incorporate mindfulness practices. Also, many, if not all, drug rehab programs incorporate meditation and other mindfulness practices. Mindfulness for addiction treatment provides those new in recovery the tools they need to confidently manage the thoughts and urges that can lead to relapse.
Why is Mindfulness Important in Addiction Recovery?
Mindfulness in recovery is very important to learn, cultivate, and master. During the recovery process, emotions such as anger, frustration, and resentment often run high. If these emotions are left unchecked, they can sabotage your recovery efforts, and your chances of relapse are very high. When you focus on mindfulness in recovery, you become completely aware of your feelings in the present moment. By incorporating proven mindfulness techniques, you are able to think things through before acting, and you are aware of your emotions and thoughts. You can incorporate these beneficial practices the moment you feel negative emotions, and you are able to have control of those emotions before they become worse.
How Can Mindfulness Be Utilized in Recovery?
For many people, mindfulness in recovery involves solitude and includes the practice of meditation. Indeed, meditation is perhaps the most common mindfulness practice. Mindfulness meditation is effective because it only requires 10-15 minutes of your day and can be done at home, in the workplace, or anywhere you can find peace and quiet. Meditation practices include mindful breathing and more formal meditation practices.
However, mindfulness can be used in other parts of your daily life. The following are examples of how you can strengthen your connection between mindfulness and addiction recovery:
- Mindful Eating—the next time you sit down and eat, slow down. Focus on each bite of food and learn to savor the taste of whatever you are eating. Make note of the texture and the flavors. By doing this, you can keep your focus on the present moment.
- Mindful Walking—another mindfulness technique you can incorporate into your daily routine is mindful walking or walking meditation. Choose a peaceful secluded spot and find a space where you can walk 10-15 paces comfortably. Walk 10-15 steps, then pause and breathe for any length you like. When you are ready, you can turn back around and repeat.
- Listening meditation—with listening meditation, simply listen to the sounds in your environment as they occur. When you hear these sounds, let them come to you and imagine yourself getting inside the sounds. Do not place judgment on these sounds or label them. Accept them for what they are in that moment and let them pass.
Liberty Wellness Provides Mindfulness-Based Therapy for Substance Abuse
Mindfulness in recovery is crucial to your long-term sobriety. When looking for a drug treatment program, it must feature evidence-based mindfulness techniques that will give you the tools to better manage the thoughts and emotions that can lead to relapse. As one of New Jersey’s top rehab center, Liberty Wellness provides mindfulness-based therapy in all of our programs. Whether interested in our New Jersey outpatient rehab center, sober living, or other levels of care, the professionals at Liberty Wellness will give you the tools and support you need to get and stay sober. Call us today and begin your journey to recovery on solid footing.
