Mindfulness is a form of meditation that is recommended to people who suffer from anxiety and stress. Mindfulness can help you live in the moment, let go of negative emotions, and get in touch with yourself and your emotions in a positive manner. When you practice mindfulness on a daily basis, you’ll find that your mind can help guide you away from any distress you’re feeling and towards a positive attitude. This attitude is what will help you, at other times, find solutions to your tough problems.
Mindfulness is a meditation practice where you sit with your eyes closed and slowly let your own thoughts melt away, as you listen to the sounds around you, sun on your face, and other sensations. There are many different ways to do mindfulness meditations. (Do a search on Google or Youtube to find some free exercises to try.)
How Mindfulness Helps You
As a person in recovery, you can probably already imagine some of the benefits of mindfulness and meditation. After all, staying “in your head” is one of the things you’ve probably been told to be cautious about. It’s good to not obsess over things, especially things that you can’t do anything about. That’s why mindfulness is such an important skill to learn. It helps you to:
- Meditation can give you a “natural” high – similar to the feelings that you may get when you get a hug, go jogging, or otherwise just feel good. Many people in recovery describe this as serenity.
- Mindfulness can help you “hold on five more minutes”. If you have the urge to use or do any other compulsive thing (such as calling a toxic ex-boyfriend or girlfriend) you can use mindfulness to let go of those feelings. Eventually, when you have done it enough, you might find that letting go comes naturally.
- Mindfulness can help you live a more conscious life – with an awareness of yourzself and how you can connect to the world around you, you’ll be able to take things on confidently.
- You can learn to relax. Living in the moment, like mindfulness allows, helps you concentrate not on just yourself but the world around you. You’ll be able to feel your connection to the world appreciate all of the small things within it. Everything has a place in this universe, from the birds to yourself. We are all interconnected.
Mindfulness is a tool that can really help you get in touch with yourself and your feelings, wiuthout worrying or obsessing. Take some time for yourself to find peace every day, and you will find yourself less anxious and better equipped to live a meaningful, fulfilling life.
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