Getting the Body, Mind, and Spirit Involved

Addiction is a complex disease, and there is no simple way to embark upon such a complex, nuanced journey of recovery. Rather, addiction recovery is a wholly personal endeavor that requires several personal choices and individualized recovery strategies. 

However, while the exact methods one uses in their pursuit of sobriety may differ, ensuring that one addresses the body, mind, and spirit in equal measure throughout the process is essential in creating a healthy approach to one’s transforming lifestyle. Addressing each of these parts of oneself can create the most whole and profound approach to the healing process. This is true at every stage of the recovery process, from one’s time at a center for alcohol and drug treatment to each subsequent phase of one’s sobriety journey.  

Addiction is a disease that affects an individual in many different ways, from creating mental health complications and a tumultuous emotional state to affecting one’s physical health. Getting one’s body moving and engaged in the recovery process is the first step toward learning to heal each of these different aspects. However, getting physically active is intentionally broad, and there are many personal ways to get one’s body moving each day. Some physical movements individuals may consider include:

For some, beginning the day with a routine jog or walk can get one’s body moving, blood pumping, and energy flowing. A simple jogging route, walking alongside a pet, or taking a bike ride in a peaceful area can get one’s body involved while providing an individual with time to mentally prepare for the day ahead. This time outside creates a time for self-care and an emotional buffer between waking up and the stresses that may lay in wait.

Others may garner the most benefit from regular involvement in sport. Not only can practicing a sport become a phenomenal exercise outlet, but it can also lead to participation in new communities and embracing new people and relationships, situating oneself alongside others with like-minded goals in the community.

Lastly, others may find the most benefit from practicing more self-centered physical activities, such as yoga. Involving one’s body in this way is a personal experience that allows an individual to focus wholly on themself and their body and mind, creating a safe space to practice and process one’s physical and emotional needs.

Paying attention to one’s mentality throughout recovery is crucial for continued progress. Anxiety, depression, guilt, shame, fear, and much more can all be mainstays throughout the recovery process, and learning to navigate these feelings is needed to maintain one’s hard-earned sobriety.

Getting one’s mind involved in recovery comes first from a degree of dedication — a commitment to the need for change as well as the discomforts that come with an individual pursuing recovery. Mentally embracing the need for change opens an individual to the many potentials of the recovery process and the mental practices involved with such transformation. 

By committing oneself to recovery, one can better prepare for new therapeutic modalities and experiences, allowing oneself to be more mindful and aware of their emotional state. With this dedication, one can better understand, process, and relinquish many of one’s negative mental impacts, such as pervasive anxiety or depression. Mentally engaging with recovery can come in many forms, from reflecting on poignant inquiries from professionals during individual therapy to being mindful of one’s own thought patterns.

Daily practices of grounding strategies, journaling, and challenging one’s goals and progress toward a sober future are all ways that an individual can continue to mentally engage with recovery. It is also essential to consistently reevaluate one’s coping strategies regarding the emotional effects of addiction recovery and to maintain a mindset focused on mindfulness, education, and emotional resilience.

One’s spirit is intimately linked with one’s continued sobriety. However, spirituality can be an enigmatic concept to many. One’s spirituality is a set of core beliefs that center around finding an individual’s inner peace and safety within their own identity and is not tied to any specific religion. While many religions practice spiritual components, it is not a concept unique to any particular practice. Individuals are free to explore what their spirit means to them outside of any religious framework.

Beginning one’s day with meditation or other practices focused on finding one’s spiritual center can be great ways to explore one’s spirit in recovery. Doing this can help one inform oneself of new practices and mindsets based on how one feels their energies flowing or feels connected to the community and world around them.

The use of daily mantras or rituals or the involvement in regular Dharma recovery practices are all focused on finding what one’s spirit means to them in recovery. These practices are essential in creating a healthy mindset and approach to recovery and helping an individual explore their new sober identity. 

Getting the mind, body, and spirit all involved in your recovery is crucial to a balanced transformation of your whole self. By addressing each of these components, one can better understand how addiction has affected them and make the most informed, personalized decisions about their future. At Hawaii Island Recovery, we understand the need to balance one’s recovery in equal measure and not shy away from any aspect of one’s being. Your time at our Hawaii center for alcohol and drug treatment is focused on addressing each of these components in a way that is best for you, with your time being wholly individualized based on your needs and goals. Individual and group therapy, meditation, Dharma recovery programs, yoga, and an extensive program of cultural and experiential therapies are all available for you to explore how transformation and sobriety look and feel to your mind, body, and spirit. Learn more by calling us today at (866) 390-5070.