During your addiction treatment program, you may have learned about the benefits of practicing meditation every day. Once you get home and back into the rhythm of regular life, the challenge becomes how to fit this new skill into your daily schedule. You may feel like there’s barely enough time to shower and eat breakfast, let alone sitting quietly for a few moments to meditate.
If you feel like meditation doesn’t fit into your busy schedule, there are a few ideas you can try. The following tips can help you take all of the benefits of meditation off the cushion and into the real world.
Tips for Meditating Daily
If fitting meditation into your schedule is out of the question, there are many ways to take this practice on the road with you. Even if it’s brief, incorporating a meditative state into your daily practices will help you control your mind and achieve that sense of calm and focus you’re striving for.
Instead of viewing it as a morning ritual, here’s how to practically meditate every day in a variety of environments:
- Meditate while walking: Whether walking down the hall of your office or walking your toddler to the park, link each breath to your steps. Slow walking meditation will bring a sense of mindfulness to the here and now.
- Meditate with mundane tasks: From vacuuming to folding laundry to cleaning the bathroom, these rather mindless tasks are the perfect opportunity to add an element of focus. Doing chores is a great time to check in with yourself.
- Meditate while exercising: If your schedule doesn’t allow for both exercise and meditation, combine these two activities into one. As you work out, focus your mental energy on each action of your body — the push and pull, the balance, the movement.
- Meditate with sound cues: Traditionally, monks would meditate each time they heard a wind chime or the bells of the temple. Adopt this idea into your life by taking a break to meditate each time you hear a particular sound. From another person’s cell phone to jets flying overhead, choose something that frequently occurs in your environment.
- Meditate while transitioning: Life is full of transitions, such as the drive to and from work or your lunch break. Even a 30-second meditative pause before entering a new setting will provide you with an opportunity to calm your mind and reflect.
Meditation’s Everyday Benefits
There are incredible benefits of meditating daily for anyone who wishes to incorporate this practice into their life. However, for those recovering from drugs or alcohol, meditation offers practical everyday benefits that help you maintain your sobriety, including:
- Stress management
- Improved emotional well-being
- Ability to recognize early warning signs that you may be headed for relapse
- Makes it easier to forgive the past and move forward into the future with hope
- Ability to observe thoughts and desires without acting on them
Meditation and Other Recovery Programs at 7 Summit Pathways
At 7 Summit Pathways, we proudly incorporate holistic therapy options, such as meditation, into our patients’ treatment programs. Addiction is a disease that affects you as a whole person — mind, body and spirit. So, you need care that addresses these aspects of your overall wellbeing. By learning how to meditate every day and other therapeutic tools, you’ll experience a more successful Recovery.
To find out about our Recovery programs at 7 Summit Pathways, contact us today.