You may have heard about mindfulness techniques for managing mental health concerns like anxiety. Still, you may not know that Montana drug rehab programs also rely on this option for substance use recovery. It’s a therapeutic tool that can help you manage difficult moments and keep you present, halting panic responses and helping you deactivate negative behavioral patterns.
If you’re going through addiction recovery or are planning on starting, there are several benefits that you can get from practicing mindfulness. Learn more about this therapeutic option and why it can make a difference.
What Is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness refers to being purposefully aware of the present moment instead of focusing on the past or the future. In most instances, this technique encourages being aware of sensory stimuli, like your breathing patterns, to bring your focus to the immediate moment.
Mindfulness practices help to train your body and mind to be present without being judgmental or reactive.¹ It encourages you to just “be,” helping reduce stress and better manage emotions.
Mindfulness training can involve meditation, breathing exercises, and various other techniques. Numerous mindfulness meditation options are available, including body scanning, which checks for discomfort throughout the body, and guided imagery meditation, which encourages you to focus on a particular sound, object, or scenario.
Mindful breathing is very popular because it can work quickly and be done anywhere. Taking a few deep breaths and noting everything you feel, from how your stomach expands to how your lips purse when you exhale, can allow you to calm yourself if you’re under stress.
Some therapies incorporate aspects of mindfulness, too. Cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness can help you slow your thoughts down enough to recognize the ones that are harming you. Then, you can make positive changes to your thinking patterns.
Benefits of Mindfulness-Based Interventions at Montana Drug Rehab Centers
If you’re living with addictions, treatment often involves mindfulness, but why? Let’s look at some of these techniques’ most essential benefits.
Decreases Anxiety and Stress
Mindfulness can help combat anxiety and stress.² Both of these issues can be problematic for those who are in recovery since they can trigger cravings and put you at risk of relapsing. Mindfulness-based stress reduction strategies help you with many of the physical signs of distress, including:
- Rapid breathing
- Increased heart rate
- Shaking
- Dizziness
- Muscle tension
Being able to stay in the moment and not focus on potential future conflicts or worries can go a long way toward halting anxiety.
Decreases Depression Symptoms
Because drugs and alcohol cause such significant chemical changes in the brain, it’s common for people with substance use disorders to experience symptoms of depression. These symptoms can be overpowering and interfere with recovery efforts. Mindfulness that incorporates guided imagery meditation appears to be particularly helpful for depression.
Enhances Coping Skills
Learning coping skills is an integral part of addiction recovery because it teaches you resilience and stress management. Mindfulness practices can enhance these coping skills by giving you another tool when feeling overwhelmed. Instead of seeking out drugs or alcohol to cope with emotions, mindfulness shows you how to work through what you’re feeling while staying present.
Mitigates Cravings
Cravings can make recovery very difficult because they put you at risk of relapsing. With mindfulness techniques, you can observe your cravings as if from a distance and without judgment. You can learn they’re temporary, so sit with them until they pass. The more you see that you can manage your cravings, the more confidence you’ll build in your recovery efforts.
Boosts Self-Awareness
Mindfulness strategies also allow you to spot behavioral patterns. You can start noticing what impacts you by slowing down your responses to particular distressing thoughts or triggers. It’s an essential way of getting to know yourself better and without judgment.
Improves Sleep
Addiction wreaks havoc on your entire system, and that can mean having significant trouble sleeping. Your body needs sleep to heal and function at its best, so finding ways of calming your mind enough to rest is important. Mindfulness practices like breathing exercises and body scanning can all reduce stress levels and encourage better sleep.³
Encourages Feelings of Gratitude
It’s well established that an attitude of gratitude enhances mental health.⁴ Gratitude can get lost throughout the day, however, and it can be especially difficult to focus on when you’re struggling with anxiety or cravings. Because mindfulness encourages you to focus on the present, it slows your thoughts down enough to allow you to practice gratitude.
It can even be helpful to incorporate gratitude strategies into mindfulness techniques. For example, naming a few things you’re grateful for when stressed can provide perspective and keep you grounded.
Bear Creek Wellness: Inpatient and Outpatient Treatments to Help Your Recovery Journey
Addiction has a devastating impact on your life. It could have damaged relationships, careers, health, and self-esteem. You may not even know how to start getting the help you need. At Bear Creek Wellness, we provide the treatment options you can depend on.
Our center is immersed in the beautiful Montana wilderness, allowing you to fully step away from your daily life and focus on your recovery. We offer evidence-based treatments, including behavioral therapies and mindfulness techniques.
Whether you’re looking for inpatient treatment or outpatient programs that offer more freedom, we can help. Contact our admissions team at Bear Creek Wellness to start your journey to health.
Sources:
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376871614009867
[2] https://moseschikoti.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Effects-of-mindfulness-exercises-as-stand-alone-intervention-on-symptoms-of-anxiety-and-depression-Systematic-review-and-meta-analysis.pdf
[3] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4407465/
[4] https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/gratitude-mental-health-game-changer
Andrea was born and raised in Spokane Washington, she moved to Montana with her husband in 2015. Andrea has been in the field of counseling since 2009. As a licensed addiction counselor, she worked primarily in addiction until 2018 when she completed her master’s degree in marriage and family therapy and became a license clinical professional counselor and a licensed marriage and family therapist. Andrea has worked with diverse populations and found her calling working with individuals and couples struggling with substance use and its relational
impact. With a passion for recovery and healing families, Andrea has built a private practice in Missoula, MT and serves various populations. Andrea’s love for people and her desire to engage with, and promote, internal healing has fostered a truly unique role aiding individualized journeys in recovery. In her spare time, she enjoys her beautiful property west of Missoula with nature at her front and back doors. Her greatest joy in life is spending time with her granddaughter and breaking the cycle of addiction in her own family.
