soberforbaby

Has anyone read much about mindfulness?
I have been reading different books that are help for depression, anxiety and OCD. These are all part of my alcoholism. I found a couple things helpful and don't claim to be an expert at all. One thing I read that I liked was:

"you are not the voices inside your head. You are are the one listening to them"

I think being aware that you can control what you think about is important.

dru1085

Very important. Doesn't always work though. The mind is a powerful ally but can also be your enemy. I try to exercise and listen to classical music to calm my mind... but yeah anxiety SUCKS.

littlefish

I think mindfulness is a really powerful tool in recovery! I have read countless books and each one has been valuable.
I used to associate mind control with negativity: someone else controlling my mind. But there is another use of the term: me controlling my own mind.

Learning to identify my thoughts was one of the most important tools I found in recovery. When I started to observe just how much junk was floating around inside my head, it was a shock. As an active drinker I participated in long sessions of resentment building, fantasies and conspiracy fears. Such wasted thoughts!

I try to find the time as often as I can to meditate and read recovery literature: trying to use my mind as the tool that it is. A lot of my reading is about how I can break the pattern of habitual thoughts: those reactions to situations that I draw directly from my past without thinking.
It's not always easy to break those habits, but it does happen.
I would highly recommend mindfulness to anyone in recovery!

sobermax

what littlefish said!

ClearLight

Mindfulness can be a very powerful tool for recovery.
While the term "mindfulness" is relatively new the approach is thousands of years old.

I encourage you to discover more about it. In AA you could even say "One day at a time" is a form of mindfulness.

Sometimes, for me, it's on minute at a time!

ScottFromWI

I've done a lot of reading on mindfulness too along with some talk therapy to work on my anxiety. It can definitely help at times. 10% happier by Dan Harris was a very good, down to earth look at meditation and mindfulness that I enjoyed. One of my favorite quotes was how he likened the commotion in his head to a "firehose" of thoughts. Turning that hose off is the concept, and its' not always 100% effective but it helps!

Soberwolf

I know when my mind starts to race/panic I keep trying to come back to my breath & focus

I'm trying to meditate in the early morning & when I walk, sit wherever lol

I love the concept of mindfulness

freshstart57

Mindfulness can be much more than helpful, it can be the key to sobriety. Becoming mindful of those drinking thoughts lets us observe them instead of becoming invested in them and being led to action by them. It provides some emotional breathing room and prevents that lymbic hijack that results in that claim, 'I just ended up drunk again, and I don't know how it happened'. Mindfulness prevents that.

That can close the whole question of relapse right there.

Dee74

I found these articles useful

Mindfulness and Addiction: Part I | Mindfulness and Psychotherapy

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...e-surfing.html

keeppushing

The way that I understand and have been trying to use it is that you cannot control your thoughts, you can only control how you respond to your thoughts. I'm by no means an expert, but I have found mindfulness incredibly useful in several facets of life.

KP

SportsFan15

Try the book entitled Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction by Jon kabat zin and the book on cognitive therapy entitled Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Basics and Beyond by author last name Beck.

MBSR + CBT together are life changing for addicts, OCD, panic disorder and ADHD.

thomas11

"I think being aware that you can control what you think about is important.'

^^^^^^^THIS, is everything. Good job.

LDT

There is currently a FREE online summit on Mindfulness the whole month of October. Several of us from SR are participating in it. It's pretty fascinating.

For info go to: Learn Mindfulness & Meditation from 31 World Class Experts

soberforbaby

Thanks for the books suggestions and responding to my post everyone. Mindfulness is a new name for something older than Christianity. Most authors say that in one way or another. I haven't had much luck with meditation but 5 deep breaths just repeating something kind and only thinking that one thing is a big help. Alcoholism is a monster and it's not a magic cure but it helps me. Don't think mindfulness would have fixed my broken heart when I was 20 Probably would have helped, all kidding aside. This is a great forum.

kamm

There is a free app called Headspace that has guided meditation to help with mindfulness.

It has really helped me. I found myself generally calmer and less anxious. I've been slacking recently though... need to get back into it.

BlueFairy

It is coming tomorrow. I am anxiously awaiting it's arrival. (lol)