Being mindful, the practice of being aware of and accepting the present moment may be helpful for those in treatment for addiction or a mental health disorder who are looking for lasting recovery.

How Can Mindfulness Aid in Recovery?

This study found that “trait mindfulness is characterized by the capacity to remain nonreactive to and accepting of distressing thoughts and emotions… These mindful qualities may serve as antidotes to addictive behaviour; indeed, trait mindfulness, which has been correlated with enhanced cognitive control capacities, is significantly inversely associated with substance use and craving, and positively associated with the ability to disengage attention and recover autonomic function following exposure to addiction-related cues.”

What are the Seven Pillars of Mindfulness?

The following seven pillars of mindfulness, written by Jon Kabat-Zin, bring to light the principles that you can use and practice to achieve balance in your own life and even maintain the progress you’ve made in your recovery from addiction or a mental health disorder.

1. Non-judging

The world isn’t black and white. However, many of us see judgments as just that. Something is either good or bad. This automatic judgment takes over and informs your choices in ways that you may not even realize. It is critical that you find awareness – not action, but awareness. You must be able to recognize the judgments you automatically make so you can begin to work around them.

How to implement it in your recovery: Don’t be so hard on yourself or others who have perhaps relapsed or have different ways of coping.

2. Patience

As the saying goes, patience is a virtue. The same point is made in the principles of mindfulness. You must understand that the events of your life will unfold in time and accept that. There is no need to rush. You should live the moment for what it is and not become too transfixed on the future.

How to implement it in your recovery: When it comes to recovery, we would all love to wave a magic wand and make everything better. But the reality is recovery takes time. Be patient with it and trust the process.

3. Beginner’s Mind

It’s easy to lose yourself if you begin to believe that you have heard, seen and experienced everything. This principle brings forward the idea that life is ever changing. No moment is the same as another. Each one is unique in nature and contains unique possibilities. The beginner’s mind reminds us of this simplicity. The focus here is to not let your experiences become filtered by what you believe you already know.

How to implement it in your recovery: If you have been in treatment before and have seen it done it different ways, accept new treatment methods. There isn’t always one road to recovery.

4. Trust

Having trust in yourself, your beliefs and your intuition is necessary to find peace. Being your own person and letting your ideals guide you are the only way to be sure that you are on the right path. You should be open to learning and be listening, but ultimately know that the choices you make should be decided based on what you think and believe.

How to implement it in your recovery: Trust that you’re on the right path and that you’ve made the right decision to get your life back on track.

5. Non-Striving

Being and trusting yourself is crucial within the principles of mindfulness. Non-striving is the practice of recognizing that who you are is enough and that striving to be “different” or “better” can be distracting. Embrace who you are and find comfort in that. This allows you to concentrate on the things that matter in the present moment.

How to implement it in your recovery: Many of our mental health disorders including depression and anxiety may stem from negative feelings about ourselves. Embracing who you are can be a step in our recovery.

6. Acceptance

Acceptance can sometimes be misconstrued. This principle is not about being complacent and choosing to be content with things you may not like. Instead, the idea is that you learn to accept the way that things really are. Don’t be clouded by your biases. Instead, you should learn to see the facts within our world and accept them as they are.

How to implement it in your recovery: Don’t be clouded by your biases. Instead, you should learn to see the facts within our world and accept them as they are.

7. Letting Go

It seems simple enough, doesn’t it? The truth is that relaxing can be difficult when naturally people become fixated on their own thoughts and ideas. It elevates stress and doesn’t allow us to really focus on what matters. To be mindful, you need to be able to free ourselves of worry and focus on the present.

How to implement it in your recovery: This can come in the form of letting go of past mistakes you’ve made, anger towards those in your life, and trauma in your past.

These pillars of mindfulness were created to help people find peace within themselves. Following these practices can help you live a more balanced, healthy life and maintain the progress you’ve made in your recovery.

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