Meditation and mindfulness are healthy practices to do in recovery. They are great for women because women tend to hold stress in their bodies, which harms their recovery. Working on mindfulness takes time. It does not happen overnight. Meditation and healthy habits benefit women because they can complement other therapies and work in treatment. The mind and body experience a lot in recovery. The key to meditation is thinking about how to be more present and mindful in everyday moments, which helps keep triggers and cravings at bay.
What is Meditation
Meditation and mindfulness are intentional and non-judgmental. They help a person focus on emotions, thoughts, and feelings in the present moment. This attention is not something a person can do when focused on other things, such as multi-tasking. Attention if practiced in meditation because it helps refine focus and the mind to be right there at that moment. This helps a lot when dealing with triggers and cravings. Meditation and mindfulness are great tools that are free to use and don’t require a lot of training to use. Meditation is creating space for the brain to calm so it can focus on what is right here, right now. This is an ancient practice that takes time to learn but can be a lifelong tool and resource for healing.
Why Women Use Meditation
Meditation is a great addition to any recovery program. While focusing on the program, they can add in mindfulness components. The power of meditation for women in recovery comes from knowing the person can be present without distraction to focus. Women often find meditation useful because their emotions can get in the way of recovery. Past trauma can make it hard to focus on. Mental health issues, PTSD, and other issues make it challenging to sit still in quiet spaces but it takes time to learn how to do this well. Several ways women find helpful to practice meditation and mindfulness in recovery might include:
- Finding a quiet place to sit that is free of distraction
- Closing the eyes to bring awareness inward
- Focusing on the moment, without judgment
- Noticing the breath and how the person is breathing
- Building up to a certain amount of time spent in meditation, but beginning slowly
- Not self-shaming or blaming for not doing it or doing it “right” or “well” and releasing judgment on themselves or others
Building Healthy Mindfulness Habits
Meditation is one-way women can be more mindful. Mindfulness is a broad concept that includes meditation. There is a whole mind-body experience to meditation that is helpful. When women want to meditate, it sometimes is not enough to just desire to sit down and be mindful of the present moment. There need to be other things that take place. To be mindful, women may seek out relationships or other people to practice the journey with. This might include:
- Being active outdoors. Find a way to get outside each day and create new hobbies with people who enjoy being outside or doing something athletic
- Eat and sleep well. Getting enough to eat and sleeping is important for overall health. Nutritional foods that are home-cooked are better than foods bought in the store or eating out
- Focus is part of meditation. Practice good self-care by focusing on one goal at a time. Don’t overdo it in recovery. Make space and time for self-care. Avoid social pressures and distractions. Set meaningful goals and seek happiness and self-satisfaction in recovery
- Set aside time with sober friends to meditate and be mindful
- Find quiet time alone that works to practice meditation
- Learn to be a beginner each day rather than worry about doing it right
The setting can be very important in creating a mindfulness space. The goal is not to worry about whether or not it happens, but to create space to let it happen naturally. It can be quite healing to work on mindfulness with others, but it requires a bit of perseverance at first to get started.
Meditation as a Holistic Therapy
Meditation can help women find hope and healing in recovery. Whether it is past trauma, discovering more about themselves, or reaching goals, meditation can be the key to unlocking all these things in recovery. There is no need to do it alone. Find some people who enjoy meditating and ask them for advice. It can be hard to calm the monkey mind in recovery. Rehab teaches people to clear the body of substances and work on the mind, but it is a lifetime process. Recovery is about clearing out all the things that get in the way of feeling healthy and strong. Meditation focuses energy on the present moment so women can feel healthy. To get started, all it takes is a beginner’s desire to learn how to sit and be still. This is a great learning tool for all of the recovery. Learning how to be a beginner each day and accept life as it is that day, rather than hope for it to be different. Acceptance is a huge part of recovery and healing. This part of the journey will be different for each person, and it may take longer than some like, but it is a good point of reference to look at achieving in some areas of a person’s life. Acceptance can help a person heal from addiction and work towards healing other areas of their past that keep them from feeling fulfilled.
Casa Capri deals with women who are finding it hard to cope with their past trauma or issues in recovery. We offer a space just for women who want to find hope and healing after addiction. We offer a safe space to learn and grow with other women. Call Casa Capri today if you are ready to heal: 844-593-8020
