“Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.”
What is Meditation?
Meditation is an ancient practice that has gained popularity in the Western world. For the newly sober alcoholic or addict, the physical and mental benefits of a consistent meditation practice have proven to be invaluable. Meditation promotes better concentration and focus, improves self-awareness and self-esteem, lowers levels of stress and anxiety, and can even improve a person’s pain tolerance, respiratory function, and digestive system.
At its simplest, meditation is the practice of sitting with your eyes closed and focusing on your breath. It is a way of letting go of thoughts and worries. In addition to the psychological and physiological benefits, meditation is a way to open your heart and mind to a higher power and replace racing, negative thoughts with a sense of calm and peace.
This post will explore how meditation in recovery can be used as a resource to help ease anxiety, the research behind its benefits, and how you can start meditating right away.
Common Myths About Meditation
Meditation has been around for a very long time because, when done regularly, it works. It promotes a mental state of consciousness where the person’s attention is focused on a given object, such as their breathing, or on the sensations of their body.
However, meditation has become popular in Western culture recently because of its noticeable benefits to physical and mental health. It can be used to manage stress and anxiety, relieve pain, improve sleep quality and even boost creativity.
There are many misconceptions about meditation. Some people think it's hard, boring, or simply can’t see the benefits of sitting quietly and breathing. Some common myths about meditation are: it's only for spiritual people, doing nothing but sitting quietly doesn’t solve your problems, you have to do it for hours at a time, and you need to be in complete silence. Fortunately, none of these myths are true!
A Simple Way To Practice Meditation
Meditation is nothing more than a way to clear your mind and focus on your breathing. There’s nothing mystical about it - you don’t need to recite special mantras or prayers to feel its full benefits. In fact, one of the objectives of meditation is to simplify the thought process to promote normal brain function, so it’s best to focus on one positive thought and ignore all the racing thoughts that induce stress.
Non-addicts practice meditation as a way to manage stress, improve concentration, and enjoy better sleep. For an alcoholic or addict, the benefits of a meditation regimen go far beyond a healthy quality-of-life practice. Meditation can be a welcome reprieve from repetitive, obsessive thoughts that can consume a person’s energy and focus. Many practitioners of meditation think of it as permission to forget one’s troubles, if only for a few minutes, and focus on living in the moment.
5 Tips To Meditate For Ease Anxiety and Aid Addiction Recovery
Meditation promotes a host of psychological and physiological benefits. According to studies conducted at the Mayo Clinic, meditation can help:
- Gain a new perspective on stressful situations
- Build skills to manage your stress
- Increase self-awareness
- Focus on the present
- Reduce negative emotions
- Increase imagination and creativity
- Increase patience and tolerance
- Lower resting heart rate
- Lower resting blood pressure
- Improve sleep quality
Meditation is best when it’s simple. There are guided meditation apps and meditation instructors that can help, but it doesn’t need to be high-tech or expensive. These 5 steps are all you need to start a practice of mindfulness meditation, and they can serve as the only techniques you ever need.
- Find a quiet place where you won't be interrupted
- Sit upright in a comfortable position
- Close your eyes and focus on your breathing
- Focus on one thought or idea during meditation
- Practice this exercise for 10-30 minutes each day
Final Thoughts on Meditation
Meditation is a practice that can be used to reduce anxiety and aid in addiction recovery. There are many different types of meditation, but the most common type is mindfulness meditation. This type of meditation helps people to focus on the present moment, their breathing, and what they are feeling in their bodies.
Mindfulness meditation has been shown to help people with anxiety and addiction recovery by helping them to focus on the present moment. It also helps them by increasing their awareness of what they are feeling in their body. Meditation can be done anywhere, anytime - all you need is a quiet place where you can sit or lie down for 10-20 minutes.
So why do some fail to reap the benefits of a meditation habit? They neglect to make it a habit. Consistency and commitment are key to making meditation work. One or two sessions may not yield a noticeable change in a person’s state of being. Over time though, gradual improvements to one’s mental and emotional health will become evident, if not by the practitioner then by others in the person’s orbit. Make meditation a part of your daily routine and see how you feel in six months or a year. Chances are, you’ll feel a far cry better than you do right now.
