Meditation And Recovery: Why Consider Meditation

During the recovery journey, there are many types of treatment that may be suggested to you. It is important to remember that in recovery, one size does not fit all. Different types of treatment work for different people. In addition to mainstream addiction recovery services, such as those you'll find for detox in Phoenix Arizona,  there are also complementary and alternative approaches. These types of approaches are sometimes referred to as CAM (complementary and alternative approaches to mainstream). Meditation is one such CAM approach to recovery.

What is Meditation?

Many people have a huge misconception about meditation. When you say meditation they automatically think of monks chanting in a temple. Having a good understanding of meditation is the first step in utilizing this tool in your recovery.

Meditation is simply an exercise that helps you focus on connecting your mind and your body. Many people who struggle with addiction also struggle with disconnectedness. There is often a disconnection between their mind, their thoughts, their ideas, and their actions. Taking time each day to focus on better connecting your mind to your body and your actions can have a  tremendous effect on your choices and your life.

During most meditation practices you will find a quiet place free of distractions. You will sit comfortably and simply focus on your breathing, a sound, or even an idea for a certain amount of time. During this time you should focus on not judging yourself. Let thoughts arrive and leave as they like, always returning your focus to your breath. In its most simple form, this is meditation.

How Will Meditation Help Me?

This type of practice helps the individual to focus on their feelings and thoughts of the present moment. You release yourself from the regret of the past. You release yourself from anxiety over the future and you simply sit at this moment with your breath. Over time this practice can help you to accept feelings and thoughts without judgment.

Meditation can help you create a sense of peace and calm in your life. Addiction can sometimes be a result of feelings of loss of control and of pervading chaos. Substance abuse gives individuals a feeling of having a safe place to go to escape. Meditation provides this as well, but without the damaging effects of drugs. Through meditation, you begin to learn that your own inner world is a safe place to be.

In addition to these benefits, meditation has also been shown to have several physical benefits as well.

Additional Benefits of Mediation

Habits and Cravings- A daily meditation practice will give you the opportunity to connect with yourself each day and evaluate the choices you want to make. This is vastly different from the way most people enter their days mindlessly without ever giving their actions and choices real thought. Adding this examination time to your day will, over time, have a dramatic effect on the choices you make concerning habits and cravings.

Sleep- Many people who meditate report having better more restful sleep. This is because you are slowing your thought processes down, which reduces anxiety. Many sleep problems are linked to anxiety.

Improved Mood- As you continue your meditation practice each day, you will begin to feel a sense of being grounded and in better control of your mood and choices. This feeling will affect your mood in general, increasing feelings of confidence and hope.

The road to recovery can be filled with challenges. The best way to overcome these challenges is to have an array of tools you can use. Meditation is one such tool you can add to your recovery process.

Workplace Loneliness: What to Do When It Becomes Too Much

Being alone in a home office or working in a physically-isolated position at a company can get lonely. While social interaction might not be something that you desire every moment of every day, being isolated at work can be problematic to your health, increasing the chances of a heart attack or stroke by a shocking 30 percent.

For your best health, here’s what to do when feeling overwhelmed by feelings of loneliness.

Start by Saying Hello

If you’re in an office where everyone keeps to themselves, it can sometimes feel like no one likes you. But look around, and that’s probably not the case; instead, it’s far more likely that no one says hello or makes small talk, no matter who it is.

To start being part of a positive change, say hello in the morning to those whom you pass in the hallway or within your department. While it might seem unnatural at first, it will get easier the more you do so. Plus, they’ll likely start to say hi too, and soon it becomes commonplace. That small interaction can help you feel less isolated.

Work from an Office Away from Home

While home-based offices are convenient as there’s no morning commute and you can set your hours, working at a hot desk can provide you with social opportunities and chances to network that might not otherwise be available to you.

It could be that a person you come across in the new environment is someone who can help you to solve a problem you’re having with a project, for example. Or, they might end up being your partner in a new organization one day if you get along well.

Join in Activities

Find out if your company offers any recreational activities, such as a sports team. If so, you could participate, and that’s a great way to get to know others who are in your office, but you haven’t spoken to yet.

Alternatively, if you work alone at home, why not see if there are community groups for entrepreneurs like yourself? Meeting monthly with others who have a similar job environment can stave off feelings of loneliness and provide a common conversational topic as you grow new friendships too.

Add Noise

Finally, if you work on your own, then why not add some background noise to make it feel less alone? There are many options here.

Perhaps you put on a TV show in the background. Alternatively, some music from YouTube. Choose songs with positive messages or fast tempos to energize your workspace.

Social Media Time

Schedule in some social media time too. Sending a message on Facebook or looking at what’s trending at Twitter helps you keep a connection to the outside world.

If you make plans through social media for later that same day, then you have something to look forward to later. And that can help motivate you during the day.

Dealing with Workplace Loneliness

Rather than thinking that you must sit in silence, make the job more interactive by reaching out to coworkers with a “hello” or joining in social activities. If you don’t have coworkers, then get on social media now and then or add background noise. Loneliness doesn’t have to be a constant in your life.

Mindfulness For The Entrepreneur

When you’re responsible for everything within your business, and there are a million and one responsibilities on your shoulders, there is a certain amount of stress that comes with the territory. But if you’re working with a glass half empty view, you’re really not going to be getting the best out of the time you spend working. It’s essential to take care of yourself first, and then your business will thrive naturally.

Photo by Martin Dawson on Unsplash

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is basically the art of being mindful, present in the moment, and sometimes even being in a meditative state. Small doses of mindfulness can have huge benefits, and there are plenty of studies that show that mindfulness improves your mental health, if practiced regularly, it can even lower your blood pressure. 

So how can you add mindfulness to your day without spending a lot of time that you really don’t have? 

Wake up and meditate

When you wake up, the first thing to do is NOT pick up your phone and check your emails. It’s tempting, but leave the phone out of reach, meditate for a little while and clear your mind. Starting the day in a calm, relaxed, and peaceful state will guarantee you an excellent start to the day!

When it comes to when exactly you can use mindfulness during your morning routine brushing your teeth is a good start. You can count while brushing, clear your mind, focus on the minute details, and think about nothing else. See? It doesn’t even need to take you extra time, just focus on what you’re doing and you’ll have some more space in your mind for the rest of the day’s activities. 

One step at a time

It’s advisable to start the whole mindfulness journey a small step at a time. Take the pressure off yourself at first, and if you find it tricky to focus to begin with, that’s normal. The beauty of mindfulness is that you can practice at your own speed and in your own time; there are apps you can get that will help you build-up to the right level for you, so utilise them and start benefiting from the many positives this practice will bring to your personal and working life!

Make space

Once you’ve started adding mindfulness into your day in small doses, you will start considering a regular time to sit and practice mindfulness. Maybe leave the office behind with yourvirtualofficelondon.co.uk virtual office address, and go for a walk once a week?

Take a co-worker or friend with you and work on being mindful together, breathing techniques and ensuring you work towards clearing your mind will give you much more space and time to build your business. 

That’s it, there’s not a lot more to it than taking a little time and learning some simple techniques, just a small act which will have fantastic results on your overall happiness and success! Don’t forget that when you find yourself a little more stressed than usual mindfulness is always an option, take five minutes and reset yourself, any time of the day!

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