The Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation During Rehab

The most effective addiction treatment is rehabilitation. Rehab centers offer comprehensive treatment that includes mindfulness meditation. The practice entails teaching your mind to focus on the present moment and accept your body sensations, thoughts, or feelings. It improves your overall well-being and supports addiction recovery in the following ways.

It Lowers Stress

Most people use drugs to help cope with life stressors. Therefore, a successful treatment plan must address underlying emotional issues and life traumas. During mindfulness meditation, you focus on eliminating jumbled thoughts that trigger stress. As a result, you will achieve a deep state of relaxation and inner peace that improves your overall well-being. Mindfulness build your inner strength so future stressors will have less impact on your happiness.

You will Learn how to Respond to Your Emotions Correctly

When you take a drug, it triggers the production of the feel-good hormone dopamine. The brain then begins to associate these substances with pleasure, so you develop the urge to use the drug more. Overdependence on a drug changes the structure and functioning of the brain. But, when you continually practice meditation, it restores your brain's functioning. It helps you realize that you can also feel good by replacing unhealthy rewards with other pleasant and healthy daily activities. You will also learn how to uncouple drug use triggers, giving you increased cognitive control over cravings.

It Improves Sleep Quality

Sleep deprivation increases the vulnerability to drug abuse. Most people turn to substances to fight insomnia. Unfortunately, this can quickly turn into an addiction. Once you get addicted, you may also get poor-quality sleep. When you practice meditation, you achieve a calm state of mind, leading to sound sleep. The awareness and emotional regulation achieved through mindfulness also contribute to improved sleep quality. Sleep is very crucial in addiction recovery. According to a study, sleep disturbances during recovery increase relapse risks. It leads to a low energy level that may affect your ability to participate in the recovery actively.

It Helps Manage Pain

Mindfulness meditation is a very effective pain relief technique. Note that beliefs about pain, your emotional state, and expectations may affect pain intensity. Although meditation doesn't reduce the severity of pain, it minimizes the suffering associated. You will experience an increased sense of acceptance for unpleasant experiences. This way, you accept your circumstances rather than trying to escape from them. You can thus live your life to the fullest. Note that these unpleasant experiences are temporary, and with the proper support and tolerance, you will overcome them.
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It Boosts your Mental Well-being

About half the people struggling with substance use disorder have an underlying mental illness. When you get to a rehab facility, you will undergo dual diagnosis, where your doctor analyses and examines you for co-occurring mental disorders. After this, you will develop a personalized treatment plan to address such issues. Mindfulness mediation helps you better understand yourself, accept your situation, and feel calmer. This significantly lowers depression and anxiety symptoms. Reducing depression risk can make a huge difference in your healing process for people struggling with addiction.

It Encourages Compassion

Compassion is very crucial during recovery. If you are struggling with addiction, you are not alone. You will meet people with similar conditions in the rehab center and interact with them during group therapy. The healing process requires you to be very supportive and empathetic to others.

Mindfulness meditation calms the nervous system, which increases self-awareness and compassion for others and oneself. This way, you can easily connect with other people and establish meaningful relationships in the rehab center. People suffering from addiction become more irritable and anxious, which affects their relations. By practicing mindfulness meditation, you will mend your relations and gain the needed moral support from your loved ones post-rehab.

Others feel guilty, ashamed, and hate towards themselves. Mindfulness makes you:

• More compassionate with yourself
• Less critical
• Less judgmental

This lowers the risks of anxiety, depression, and negativity, so you can confidently work on your healing.

The Bottom Line

For most people struggling with addiction, the most challenging step is recognizing that they have a problem that needs help. If you are in this state, always remember that freedom is within reach. No matter how hopeless you may seem, you will overcome addiction with the proper treatment and support. Don't give up even if you have tried multiple times and failed. Recommit to the path of recovery, and you will eventually get control over your life. Should you need help in rediscovering a sober life, reach out to Hollywood Hills Recovery.