5 Ways to Practice Addiction Recovery Mindfulness Techniques

Living in active addiction can be devastating to your physical and mental health. Then, you take the brave decision to go to drug and alcohol rehab and have to work hard to get clean and learn a new way of living.

You may think the addiction recovery journey is over once you leave, but even after all the addiction treatments you have undergone, it’s always beneficial to continue working on yourself to avoid the threat of relapse.

People can relapse because they become overwhelmed by negative thoughts, getting lost in thinking about the past. Addiction recovery has the best chance of being successful when a person focuses on the things that matter, remaining grounded in the present – not the past.

Mindfulness, the concept of staying in the moment and paying more attention to yourself and your surroundings, can help with this. It can also help you manage cravings, reduce stress, and improve your well-being.

Understanding Mindfulness

Mindfulness is all about being present. Too often, you may find yourself feeling miles away, your mind wandering or stuck thinking about things that have happened or what might happen in the future.

Being mindful means to appreciate the here and now. Try not to think too much about the past and future, and practice self-awareness.

Mindfulness is built around core principles that you should strive to incorporate into your everyday life. These principles include being present and nonjudgmental, having trust and patience, and learning acceptance.

These principles are helpful in the context of mental health and addiction recovery. After rehab, you will likely go through aftercare. This is a period of time early on after getting sober when many relapses occur. Mindfulness can help with relapse prevention as it will improve your ability to reduce stress. It will help you manage your emotions better and become one of the coping strategies you employ when feeling overwhelmed.

5 Ways to Practice Addiction Recovery Mindfulness Techniques

When in recovery, you are making a lot of changes to your life. Some of them are huge and require a lot of effort. The great thing about these addiction mindfulness techniques is that they are simple and free. All mindfulness requires is for you to be calm, consistent and curious.

Below are 5 essential aspects of mindfulness that you can use in your everyday life. Many have a big impact on improving your well-being and outlook.

Mindful Breathing

Mindful breathing is the practice of focusing on and becoming more aware of your breathing pattern. This is a helpful mindfulness technique as it can help ground you in the moment. When you begin to feel overwhelmed or stressed by bad emotions, concentrating on your breathing can bring you back to the present moment.

It’s a simple technique to put into practice by following these simple steps:

• Get into a comfortable position and relax.
• Pay attention to how you are breathing.
• Take deep breaths in through your nose and try belly breathing – your belly expands as you take breaths in.
• Exhale slowly – keep focusing on where you feel your breath on your body.
• Have a breath pattern – inhale for five seconds, hold for five seconds, exhale for five seconds.
• If your attention wanders, gently bring it back to just focus on breathing.

Meditation

There are many types of meditation, but a helpful one is body scan meditation. This involves mentally scanning yourself, trying to notice any discomfort that your mental stress has distracted you from. It is helpful for mindfulness as it can help you become more aware of your body and release physical tension.

• Step 1 – Get comfortable.
• Step 2 – Close your eyes and deepen your breath.
• Step 3 – Breathe in and focus on your head or toes.
• Step 4 – Become aware of any sensations, such as tingling or discomfort.
• Step 5 – Scan the next part of your body, taking your time and moving up or down.
• Step 6 – When finished, open your eyes and get up slowly.

During the scan, you should strive to remain relaxed and practice self-acceptance. Don’t become angry that your mind wandered or you noticed things about your body that you didn’t like.

Journaling

Mindful journaling is the technique of writing down your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It is a good practice for helping you reflect in the present moment and process your emotions in a private space.

There are many techniques and prompts to help you effectively journal. Some examples can include:

• Write a gratitude list.
• Write about mindfulness.
• Write out your daily intentions.
• Creative Writing.
• Self-reflection.

Mindful Walking

Mindful walking is the act of being more aware of walking rather than just doing it on autopilot. It can act as a form of meditation, helping you stay in the moment and aware of your yourself and your surroundings – rather than having your mind wander and dwell in the negative.

It is simple to do. As you walk, focus on your breath and the sensations of your body as you take those steps forward.

Rather than listening to music or a podcast, let your awareness expand beyond your movement. Take in your surroundings and the sounds, smells, and things you can see. Eventually, bring yourself back to focusing on your walking.

Guided Visualisation

Guided visualisation is a relaxation technique for reducing stress. It usually involves imagining a pleasant place that calms and relaxes you.

It is helpful in addiction recovery as you can use it to envision positive outcomes on your journey.

One exercise you can try is:

• Find a comfortable place and sit or lie down
• Close your eyes, take some deep breaths and begin to relax
• Visualise a peaceful scene
• Add details – smells and sounds and perhaps other people
• Stay in the scene, savouring the positive emotions
• Open your eyes

Embrace Mindfulness in Your Recovery Journey

Mindfulness is simple to incorporate into your addiction recovery journey and can have many benefits. It’s important to remember, though, that no one can go through this journey alone. You should seek out professional support and become part of the recovery community as you practise mindfulness.

If you are struggling with your sobriety or worried about relapsing, Addiction Advocates can help. We have access to a network of drug rehabs offering expert addiction treatment.

For more information, contact us now at 08000126088 or text HELP to 83222.