Solutions to Common Meditation Excuses (Fears)

Meditation may have a long list of benefits for people in recovery, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy to begin or stick with the proven practice. In fact, there are many fears and excuses that can prevent people from fully incorporating regular meditation into their recovery routine.  

Here, we take a look at a few excuses (or perhaps fears) and how to prevent them from interfering with the many ways meditation can help you stay focused, self-aware, spiritual, self-confident and in better control of your sobriety.

• "I don’t have time." Meditation doesn’t require an hour or even 30 minutes. Experts say that even five minutes a day can have transformative effects; it can result in reduced stress and increased focus.
• "I'm afraid to be alone with my thoughts." In fact, meditation can help free you from any thoughts you’re trying to avoid, say experts. Author Jack Kornfield wrote in The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology: "Unhealthy thoughts can chain us to the past…Fear can be transformed into presence and excitement. Confusion can open up into interest. Uncertainty can become a gateway to surprise. And unworthiness can lead us to dignity.” 
• "It’s too hard." It does take practice and discipline, but so does most things that will help improve yourself. A tip from Yoga Journal: Start slowly and just focus on counting your breath. For example: Deeply inhale and at the bottom of your exhalation, mentally count one. Repeat until you reach 10.
• "I can’t turn off my thoughts." Of course, you can’t stop your thoughts and that’s not the goal of meditation. Instead, meditation is about observing your thoughts and catching yourself so you can anchor yourself back to the present moment.
• "I can’t sit still." You practice staying still each night, as you prepare to drift off to sleep. With this in mind, experts suggest meditating lying down if you have trouble sitting still. 

Finding Holistic Treatment 

At Complete Harmony, we specialize in different cutting-edge techniques to help patients recover from addiction, including meditation, yoga, massage therapy and acupuncture. To learn more about our programs and rehab facility, call today: 866-930-4673. 

5 Renewal Rituals for a Healthy Recovery

Spring is the perfect time to begin thinking about how we can re-group, re-prioritize and renew ourselves so we can be our best selves during recovery. Here are some “renewal rituals” to help you get started.

1. De-clutter your living space. Piles of unsorted bills or unorganized clothes can make you more stressed out. UCLA researchers found high cortisol (a stress hormone) levels in women with homes with a "high density of household objects." In other words, the more clutter, the more inner chaos. 
2. Clear the mental clutter. In the spirit of renewal, why not rid yourself of negative emotions so there’s more room for positive growth. Make a conscious effort to find the positive side of things, give yourself permission to let go of any past mistakes and make an effort to re-acquaint yourself with the unique qualities that make you, well, you. 
3. Start a daily spiritual practice. Spring is the perfect time to bring some more mindfulness to your life and to focus on your inner self. Some ideas: yoga, meditation, prayer, deep breathing or even mindful walking.
4. Try something new. What better time than the season of new beginnings to try something you’ve always wanted to do – from learning a new language to trying a new fitness class to visiting a new city. A comprehensive recovery plan should include sober fun, creativity and any stress-lowering activities that can serve as a healthy escape.
5. Make time for nature. Whether you decide to plant a vegetable or flower garden or take up hiking as a hobby, make a commitment this spring to make a connection to the earth by spending more time outdoors. 

Renewing Your Whole Self During Recovery
At Complete Harmony, we encourage the use of many different cutting-edge techniques to help clients heal the mind, body and spirit. To learn more about our treatment center and our approach to addiction recovery, call today: 866-930-4673.

How to Set New Year’s Intentions

Have you made resolutions in the past – or even this year – that have quickly fizzled, or worse, made you feel like a failure? If so, you may want to consider setting intentions; it’s not too late.

This is because intentions don’t tie you to a specific outcome – and there’s no timeline or deadline to meet – so you’ll eliminate any feelings of failure. In short, intentions simply require that you’re mindful and present as you go through your day, hour-to-hour. Intentions invite you to be your personal best and can serve as a map for your goals and visions.

“Intention is the starting point of every dream,” Deepak Chopra, MD, best-selling author, physician, and founder of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing in Carlsbad, CA, told MindBodyGreen.com. “It is the creative power that fulfills all of our needs, whether for money, relationships, spiritual awakening, or love.” 

Here are a few tips, adapted from the experts at MindBodyGreen.com, for setting an intention in the New Year: 

Tap into your inner voice. Take some quite time or even mediate and ask yourself: What gives you passion and fills you with a sense of purpose? 

Some examples: 

• I intend to manifest happiness naturally.
• I intend to respond first, and then react.
• I intend to be open to success and abundance.
• I intend to stop taking things personally.
• I intend to forgive others, and myself.
• I intend to love unconditionally.
• I intend to make meditation a more important part of my lifestyle.
• I intend to make someone smile every day.

Keep it positive. An intention should not be negative, nor should it be in the past or future tense. So, for example, if your intention is to de-stress, say something like: “My intention is to invite peace and calm within myself during today's meditation," note experts at MindBodyGreen.com. 

Hold yourself accountable. Many people, like blogger Jessica Hagy, say that it’s helpful to check in with yourself daily. “Every morning before I wake up, I place my hand on my heart for just a few seconds or a few moments, and I breathe, connect to myself, send love to myself, and send love to the day. Then I set an intention for my day,” she writes. 

Be grateful. Take a few moments to be grateful for the intention you have set. And don’t be afraid to adjust your intention after a few days. For example: If your intentions is "to invite peace and calm in,” you can change it "to enjoy the peace I create in myself.”

Finding Holistic Treatment for You
At Complete Harmony, we encourage the use of many different cutting-edge techniques to help clients heal the mind, body and spirit. To learn more about our treatment center and our approach to addiction recovery, call today: 866-930-4673.

Tips to Stay in the Present

In today’s busy world, it’s all too easy to get distracted from the present and what’s truly important – namely, your recovery. And while it’s pretty easy to be mindful for a few moments, it takes discipline to bring mindfulness into your every day. 

Luckily, a little training can help you build your mindfulness muscle. And once you develop the skill, you can make it a regular part of your daily journey toward sobriety. 

Here are few tips to help you stay in the present: 

Get familiar with your negative feelings. A big part of mindfulness is paying close attention to your thoughts and feelings without judging or trying to fix them. Take time to think about the feelings that tend to cloud your thinking and distract you from the present moment. You may even consider jotting them down so you can refer to the list as a reminder. For example, a few common recovery emotions you may be struggling with include:  

• Anxiety
• Regret
• Guilt
• Fear
• Loneliness

Question your thoughts constantly. You’ll need to flex your mindfulness muscle daily to keep it strong, so this means making an effort to always question (and then let go of) any negative thoughts – especially the ones that get in the way of a healthy recovery. 

Count your breaths. The simple act of focusing on your breath will help you focus on staying in the present. The next time you feel distracted, give it a try: Close your eyes and take a deep breath in for the count of four. Now,  exhale slowly for a count of four. 

Create visual reminders. Whether you tie a string around your finger, wear an elastic around your wrist or hang a few post-it notes in everyday places, visual reminders will help you snap back into the present moment. 

Finding Holistic Treatment for You
At Complete Harmony, we encourage the use of many different cutting-edge techniques to help clients heal the mind, body and spirit, including acupuncture, yoga, mediation, massage therapy, and others. To learn more about our treatment center and our approach to addiction recovery, call today: 866-930-4673.

Are You Making These Meditation Mistakes?

By now you likely know the numerous benefits of meditation for people in recovery from a substance use disorder. To recap: It will help you stay focused on drug-free healing; enhance self-awareness; improve impulse control; quell anxiety; push away thoughts of self-criticism and blame; find a deeper spiritual connection; and more!

Still, especially when first starting out, many people struggle with some meditation mistakes. Here are four common ones:

• You’re doing the wrong kind of meditation: Just like no two recovery paths are alike nor are two minds. This is why it's important to find a meditation style that works for you. For example, you might benefit from transcendental meditation over guided visualization or mindfulness over Qi Gong. The best way to find out is to experiment and see which technique best helps you meet your meditation goals.
• You’re not giving it enough time. Meditation is a lifelong practice and you may need a little practice to make it work for you. Don’t give up: Take a week and schedule it into your every day and you’ll likely start reaping some of the many benefits.
• You’re expecting to completely clear your mind. Unfortunately, you can stop thoughts from coming to your mind, but you can learn to not react to them. Think of yourself as an air traffic controller, say experts. The goal is to learn how to choose what you focus on and what you let go of in order to stay mentally healthy.
• You’re not convinced that meditation really works. We said it once and we'll say it again: Meditation is really good for your recovery. Give it a chance and let it work its magic for you!

Finding Holistic Treatment 

At Complete Harmony, we specialize in different cutting-edge techniques to help patients recover from addiction, including meditation, yoga, massage therapy and acupuncture. To learn more about our programs and rehab facility, call today: 866-930-4673. 

Let Get of Those Emotions (The Healthy Way)

The road toward sobriety can feel like an emotional roller coaster. After all, you’re likely experiencing a wide range of emotions – from hope to anger to anxiety – as you embark on recovery. And you may not always understand why. 

Take heart: You can take steps to slow yourself down, embrace your emotions and move to a healthy, calm state. And these techniques will serve you well as you continue to fend off relapse after rehab.

Start with these five ideas to tame emotional tension and release those worries:

1. Just breathe. But make it formal by focusing on your breath. The next time you’re overwhelmed by stress, anger or anxiety, close your eyes and inhale slowly. Then, slowly exhale to release those emotions and calm down.
2. Hone in on your creativity. Whether you decide to color, paint, play an instrument or write poetry, a little creativity can go a long way in helping you work out any negative emotions. 
3. Make meditation matter. This mind-body technique can help you move through those “stuck” feelings. This is because meditation teaches you to fully feel (without judgment) your emotions and then release them as you move to a place of healing. 
4. Start journaling. And don’t sensor or judge your words. Freely writing (or typing) out your emotions will help you let them go. Take 10 minutes and give it a try. 
5. Give yourself permission to cry. Or to laugh or to scream – or whatever you need to do (within reason) to feel better. While you don’t want to make this a habit, it’s OK to feel your emotions fully once in a while. 

Finding Emotional Support at Complete Harmony

At Complete Harmony, we use a combination of traditional and holistic treatment methods to help you manage your feelings without resorting to substance abuse. To learn more, call us today: 866-930-4673.