To get sober, a person has to give up what has often been their primary or only coping skill. They may have to learn brand new coping skills and relearn old ones that have grown rusty from disuse. One coping skill that can be very helpful to people who are recovering from addiction is mindfulness. At Safe Harbor Recovery Center, in Portsmouth, Virginia, we encourage our clients to try out a variety of mindfulness techniques to see what works best in their lives.
Mindfulness Values
To practice mindfulness, a person must often learn to do things differently than they are accustomed, and this requires regular practice to master:
- Pay attention – you have to slow down and take the time to fully experience your senses.
- Live in the moment – you must be intentional and open, so you can decide where your attention will be directed.
- Accept yourself – treat yourself just as you would treat a close friend or family member.
- Learn to let go – negative thoughts are an indication that you need to sit down, take a deep breath, and refocus your mind.
Benefits of Mindfulness
Mindfulness means intentionally living in the moment rather than worrying about the future or reliving the past. It is a way to become more aware of your feelings and deal with them in productive ways. Mindfulness has been found to help people across a wide range of demographics, by:
- Helping them to manage stress
- Decreasing anxiety and depression
- Building self-esteem
- Helping them to cope with serious illnesses and physical pain
- Improving decision-making skills
- Decreasing burnout
Meditation
One mindfulness technique that works well for a lot of people is meditation, which involves focusing one’s attention on the present moment through relaxation and allowing thoughts and feelings to flow without judgment. Some of the reasons mindfulness meditation works well for recovery are:
- Compatibility with other interventions
- Strengthening a person’s structure and routine
- Helping with building a non-judgemental mindset
- The availability of free online tools and phone apps that teach mindful meditation
- Portability
- Helping brains recovery from addiction more quickly
- Connecting people to others who are also interested in meditation and probably less likely to engage in substance use as a result
Breathing
Mindful breathing often goes hand in hand with meditation. Concentrating on your own breathing, becoming aware of your thoughts and feelings, but keeping your focus on counting your exhalation and inhalation can help to regulate emotions and improve relaxation.
Walking
This technique involves walking slowly and paying close attention to your body’s sensations. This can be everything from how your foot feels as it touches the ground to how your muscles feel inside your shoe and how the rest of your body responds to you walking. If your mind drifts, you gently bring your attention back to walking.
Writing
Journaling is a great way to be mindful. Taking the time to think through the day ahead or the day you just completed, taking note of your blessings, your intentions, and things you learned are all ways to focus on your present moment.
Reading
Whether you’re using a book or website from your recovery community, your spiritual tradition, or something related to self-help, reading can be a great mindfulness strategy.
- Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families has a daily affirmation that is available online
- Just for Today Meditations offers a daily recovery quote and daily recovery readings.
- If you’re looking to dive in deep, there are also books that can teach you about mindfulness in recovery:
- Mindful Recovery: A Spiritual Path to Healing from Addiction by Dr. Thomas Bien and Beverly Bien
- The Mindful Path to Addiction Recovery: A Practical Guide to Regaining Control over Your Life by Dr. Lawrence Peltz
- The Essential Guidebook to Mindfulness in Recovery: The Essence of Mindfulness by John Bruna
- On Mindful Day at a Time: 365 Meditation for Living in the Now by Dr. Alan D. Wolfelt
- The Gift of Recovery: 52 Mindful Ways to Live Joyfully Beyond Addiction by Dr. Rebecca E. Williams and Julie S. Kraft
- Mindfulness Skills Workbook for Addiction: Practical Meditations and Exercises to Change Addictive Behaviors by Morgan Fitzgerald
At Safe Harbor Recovery Center, we use trauma-informed, evidence-based approaches to develop tailored treatment plans for each client we serve. Mindfulness is one of many ways we teach our patients to build solid lives in recovery. It is not a stand-alone replacement for treatments like group and individual therapy, recovery groups, and medications that are also used to treat addiction.