A Time To Be Mindful And Grateful.
Mindfulness is an important recovery tool necessary for lasting sobriety. As I state in my book, Paradigm Change: The Collective Wisdom of Recovery, mindfulness provides a useful cognitive alternative to the A.A. 11th step: “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God…”
Individuals who embrace daily mindfulness create a life more balanced and enriched with gratitude and deep connection. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines mindfulness as “the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis.”
It takes practice to live in the here and now, and foster within ourselves mindful observance, appreciation, and acceptance. When we concentrate and engage our senses we create a heightened awareness both external and internal.
Alcoholic/addicts rely on chemicals to alter their mood and change their feeling state. Mindfulness is a practice that those in recovery can hone to help alter mood and positively change feelings.
Although an individual’s daily routine may not differ significantly, mindfully managing that routine can create great benefits for the individual. As I state in my above named book, this implies taking the moments necessary to be fully aware and engage our senses. Simple tasks like cooking a meal, playing with a child, or sipping a cup of coffee in a beautiful outdoor area, can greatly contribute to one’s sense of wellbeing if fully experienced.
According to noted author Elizabeth Scott, any activity you perform where you stay fully present can count as a mindfulness meditation technique. Practiced regularly this approach can significantly enhance your life.
Several of the focus areas discussed by Scott in her article, Mindfulness Meditation Techniques for Stress Relief, include sounds, sensations, breathing, taste, and I would add – sight.
In Paradigm Change, I give an example to illustrate creating mindful moments in the section entitled, A DAY IN THE LIFE OF PETER. We take an ordinary day in a busy adult life and tease out the moments that could be used to create mindful experiences.
A CHALLENGE FOR THIS MONTH
On a typical Tuesday or Wednesday evening, take ten minutes at the end of the day, before you retire to bed, and jot down the days activities. This may include driving to work, attending a meeting, having lunch with a customer, a phone conversation with your spouse or partner, managing paperwork, greeting your children, having dinner, fixing a household problem, reviewing homework, spending a few minutes talking on the phone with a parent, etc.
Everyone’s life is different, so activities will vary. The key to mindfulness is to take ordinary moments and experience them as fully present and focused as you can be. Review the list you created and identify opportunities within your day that you could have experienced in a more mindful manner. For example, on the drive to work could you have appreciated more fully the beautiful fall foliage you were passing, instead of listening to voicemail? Could you have really connected with your kids or partner, asked about their day and listened authentically? Instead of gulping that cup of coffee, could you have savored the smell and taste? Could you have had a warm nostalgic moment with your parent and enjoyed a laugh together?
After reviewing the day/evening and identifying opportunities to be mindful, commit to yourself to respond tomorrow in a more mindful way to the activities in your life. Do this exercise again at the end of the following week. Quickly review each day and identify those times when you were mindful. Now note how you felt after responding mindfully to a situation.
Most people report that their energy level’s optimism and sense of wellbeing improves markedly after engaging in more mindful practices.
Everyday life is full of opportunities to take a pause and utilize mindfulness to create an attitude adjustment or enhance a feeling state. Many of us would love to relax and de-stress on a tropical island. Nevertheless, most of us don’t have that opportunity on any regular basis. If we wait for getaways to de-stress, the negative impact of anxiety, disconnection, isolation, and fear can seriously jeopardize sobriety and mental health.
As I elaborate in the book, mindfulness can be done throughout the day. We can teach ourselves how to foster positive emotions and increase our gratitude. We can change our moods and alter our perception of reality by focusing deeply on daily moments and cultivating the positive in our lives.
This is the month of renewal. What better time to commit to a routine of mindful practices. “Collective Wisdom” tells us that Mindfulness, Gratitude, Journaling, and Daily Affirmations are a powerful remedy to Negativity. An affirmation is an expression of gratitude. It’s an empowering process that builds on our strengths and optimism. Noted author Melody Beattie may have said it best: “Affirmations are how we travel the road from deprived to deserving.” (M. Beattie. Gratitude: Affirming the Good Things in Life. New York, NY: Hazelden Foundation, 1992, p. 18) That line is so powerful. Many individuals suffering from addictive, compulsive, and mental health disorders do not feel deserving or entitled to a satisfying, bountiful life. Routines that incorporate mindfulness, daily affirmations, journaling, and the expression of gratitude for life’s many gifts will strengthen our resilience and empower us to create the meaning so fundamental to our human experience.
Read more about Mindfulness in Paradigm Change: The Collective Wisdom of Recovery, Chapters 11 and 9.
Wishing you the best on your journey.
