1. Stress in Recovery
November 28, 2012
| Last Updated on Friday, 17 May, 2013 16:02
As a person in recovery, I can say that the majority of us do not handle stress well. We tend to have
low tolerance thresholds for stress and tension. Our first reaction is to avoid the situation causing the
stress. That can mean either quitting, getting high, or calling in sick. It can make me respond in ways I
normally wouldn’t. It can make me worry about the thoughts my co-workers have about me. I know
stress isn’t going away. I know that I am going to have to develop more effective methods for coping
with it and this is a good time a place for me to do so.
Environment for Meditating
One good way to deal with stress is through meditation. There are many meditations freely available on
the Internet. There are guided imagery meditations on YouTube, which can be particularly useful.
Meditation can be as simple as closing your eyes and putting on some soft music and just letting your
body and mind relax. Many people meditate without even realizing it. When you relax and just let your
mind be, not attaching to any thoughts, that’s a form of meditation.
In the Office
It can be difficult to meditate depending on your environment. An office may not be the best place to
meditate depending when you are there. When your co-workers go to lunch is a good time, or if you
have head phones, those can be used to block intrusive sounds. You don’t have to sit any particular way
to meditate, but different poses can be useful for different things.
At Home
Meditation can be done lying in bed as easily it can be done in the “Lotus Position”. I found that this
indeed helps, when I think about my past, present or future. My addictive past, my unsettle future in
recovery, and my non-addictive and trauma free future. I need to meditate at least once a week, if not
everyday, to calm my nervous mind. Meditation can and will clear the past, motivate the present, and
enhance the future. I can today say, “I am overcoming my addictive principles, with hopes of creating
new, healthier ones.”