BeanieBaby

Hi everyone - It's been a while since I checked in after my first post in January. Lots of ups and downs as I struggle to change my lifestyle and behavior. Last month I had pretty good success with not drinking and life was a lot more pleasant. This month (especially during the past two weeks) my drinking has started to increase again. I'm starting one on one therapy with someone who specializes in addiction - only my second appt. - and she is recommending that I incorporate meditation into my daily routine as a means of calming anxiety (which is a major trigger for my drinking). Anyone have success with mindful mediation in their recovery?

I have a stressful household with a husband and son who both have ADHD. I end up doing the majority of housework (in addition to running a growing business). My husband has problems with anger (common with some folks with ADHD) and there's just a lot of drama and yelling. He can be very hard to communicate with at times. My typical MO would be a quick covert nip but now that I want to be sober, I need other stress management tools. Any thoughts? Just feeling a bit hopeless....

Soberwolf

Yes mindfulness is a excellent life & recovery tool takes practice & focus but is invaluable

I like a book Jon Kabat Zinn wrote called wherever you go there you are

Have you tried breathing exercises also to help with stress/panic ?

least

I have no experience with meditation in recovery, but I know of people it has helped a lot.

ICanDoBetter

I've found it to be helpful. There are some really good ones by deepak available on YouTube. He also periodically runs 21 day free daily meditation programs that I've done.

nova84

Hi BB. Yes I've been trying to incorporate mindfulness meditation into my daily routine. I have been finding it helpful. I use guided meditations on YouTube. Wishing you well on your recovery journey x

sugarbear1

4-7-8 breathing
even a 5 minute meditation can do wonders, you tube has a lot on there

Glad you are here!

Time2Rise

I highly recommend mindfulness meditation 2x a day. Start with a few minutes twice a day and then increase the amount every few days. The key is to do the meditation consistently every day; otherwise, it will not help much (if at all).

The link below will help you get started. It's simple to start, you need just a quiet place and a chair or a bed. And doing the meditation a few a few minutes each day is fine. It's better to do just three or four minutes each day than to try and do 20 minutes every three days or so.

Give it a try.

Five Steps to Mindfulness - Mindful

Jackedjohn

Meditation is a practice. This is only my personal experience with it and maybe other people had a better time initiating it. I found it extremely difficult to use meditation at the beginning when my mind was racing. It was sort of like trying to ice skate for the first time with NHL players skating around you and knocking you over. I'm not saying don't try it when you are racing, but practice even more when you are feeling great. You'll learn what works and when the anxiety hits and it's game time... you'll have had the practice to have it work much better for you. I never thought I would enjoy it as much as I do. Just don't get discouraged by struggling with it at first when you're head is spinning... its a practiced technique/tool. I'm still very new at it in comparison to a lot of others (less than a year), but its been worth learning a new recovery tool.

stevieg46

Hi Beanie Baby .

You need to find quite place first and foremost , you can sit on a straight back chair or crossed legged on the floor or on a cushion , its better if you can sit with your back straight , it helps if you have meditation type music , I find gentle Gregorian chants very helpful , take 60 very deep breaths then concentrate on your in and out breath imagine breathing out stress and breathing in peace and calmness allow your thoughts to come and go , at the start its difficult to control your thoughts so let them drift in and out , one method I find helpful is to imagine your head as a goldfish bowl full of water if you shake the bowl about the water will go from one side to another and eventually become still and motionless , imagine that inside your head .

It takes practice and time but it is so beneficial , you could also prioritize the things that are bothering you the most ? imagine putting each one in an envelope and have it posted away from your head , its simple when you get into the proper technique and once you have found a method that works you must stick to it and develop , it works if you work it .

Regards Stevie recovered 12 03 2006 .
words are easy music is much harder .

Soberpotamus

I found it difficult in early sobriety to have a consistent meditation practice. I did it for about one year before letting it go. I can see that it would be a great thing at the right time for the right person. And maybe one day, I'll pick it back up again. I went back to my running, but approached it as a running meditation sort of thing. So I incorporated what I learned from meditating into my running practice, if that makes sense. It fits me better than just sitting there.

It can be really tough to sit on a meditation cushion for a long period of time. It's not for the faint of heart.

My suggestion is to start out sitting for short amounts of time, and stay consistent. Do it daily. And from there, you can build.

Caramel

The simplest suggestion I've come across was just to be still and quiet and notice the feel of your breath, in and out, at the very tip of your nose.