[Spiritual]
Meditation can be a powerful tool to understand the world, ourselves and the problems that we can often allow to interfere with the way we live our everyday lives. Meditation can enhance feelings of relaxation and peace, as well as helping to give the mind the time it needs to process the thoughts and experiences that present themselves during each day.
Meditation can be extremely helpful when it comes to supporting the mind through the challenges that are common for all of us, but it can also be an effective way to deal with more serious problems, such as addiction.
What is an Addiction?
When we hear the word ‘addiction’ we most commonly connect this to things like alcohol and controlled substances, such as illegal drugs or pharmaceutical medications. However, an addiction can really be anything that has a certain degree of control over your life.
For example, if you can’t even begin to imagine starting your day without your cup of coffee then you could determine that you have a caffeine addiction. Smoking cigarettes is another common addiction and one that we have increasingly learnt over the years can cause a great deal of harm!
Many people may display addictive dietary behaviours, and this can lead them to continuously make unhealthy choices in regards to the food that they eat, as well as the amount of food that put on their plate!
There is much discussion and debate surrounding the reasons that addictions can develop. However, one thing that is generally agreed upon is that addiction can often be connected to one or more ongoing emotional problems.
How Meditation Can Help
When it comes to any addiction, whether it be food, drugs, sex, video games or anything else, the first step to overcoming this issue is to try to establish the root cause of the problem. This means that it is key to discover how and when this issue began to present Itself.
The addiction may have developed as a response to feelings of anxiety or fear about a completely unrelated issue. This can happen as we as people can often find it easier to develop coping mechanisms to our problems, as opposed to trying to actually dealing with the issue itself.
Meditation gives you the time you need to spend with yourself reflecting on the past, contemplating the present and focusing on building a better future. Meditation also encourages you to really consider the origin of that which you are struggling with, and to conceive productive and rational responses to these thoughts.
Meditation and Mindfulness
When you engage in a regular meditation practice you will begin to notice that you become more mindful in other areas of you life. Mindfulness can be incredibly helpful when dealing with addiction. This is because when you embrace mindfulness every day you will become more aware of the reasons for your behaviour and the driving force behind each of your choices.
A life lived in a mindful way is a life full of conscious actions and kind decisions. When you truly consider the reasons for your actions, you are much more likely to make positive choices.
The process of getting an addiction under control in order to overcome it can be a long and complicated journey. It is also of course unique to everyone and no two people will go through the exact same experience. However, meditation is a tool that can provide some benefit to everyone who takes the time to embrace, experiment and enjoy it! Click here to read more about meditation and how you can get started!
