How Can Improving Spiritual Wellness Help in Addiction Treatment?
What is spiritual wellness and how can it aid the recovery process? Read on to learn more about the benefits of spiritual wellness.
What is Spiritual Wellness?
Simply put, spiritual wellness is about finding a sense of peace and purpose in life. Spiritual wellness can help an individual to experience fulfillment.
Why is Spiritual Wellness Important
When it comes to addiction, spiritual wellness is often overlooked, but incorporating practice can help you connect with something larger than yourself, which can provide a sense of meaning and purpose. It can also help you develop compassion, empathy, and attentiveness, which are all qualities that are essential for successful recovery. Because spiritual practice leads to an overall healthier life, it can help you work through the negative emotions that come with addiction and overcome any hardships you may face.
Are Spirituality and Religion the Same?
While both spiritual wellness and religion can involve a belief in a higher power, spiritual wellness is more focused on a personal connection with that power, while religion typically involves following set doctrines and rituals.
Religion is also often communal, while spiritual wellness can be more individualistic. That said, there is overlap between the two concepts, and many people find that both play a role in their lives. Ultimately, the important thing is to find what works for you and what helps you in your journey of recovery from addiction.1
Benefits Of Spiritual Recovery from Addiction
In addiction treatment, spiritual wellness can play an important role in helping you stay sober. It can provide you with a sense of meaning and purpose that may be lacking in your life. Additionally, it can help you develop a support system of like-minded individuals who can offer encouragement and understanding.
Finally, spiritual wellness can help you learn to cope with difficult emotions and situations without turning to drugs or alcohol. Some other ways that spirituality can benefit you in your recovery from addiction are detailed below.
Increases Compassion, Empathy, and Attention
Spirituality can also help you develop compassion, empathy, and attentiveness, all of which are qualities that are essential for successful recovery.
Improves Your Sense of Connectedness
Spiritual wellness practices can help you connect with something larger than yourself, such as a higher power or nature, which can provide a sense of higher meaning and purpose.
Creates a Healthier Life
Because spiritual practice leads to a healthier life overall, it can help you work through the negative emotions that may accompany your struggle with addiction and overcome any hardships you may face due to substance abuse.
Types Of Spiritual Recovery from Addiction
There are a variety of different methods to practice spiritual wellness ranging from mindful meditation to more active strategies like yoga.
Meditation
Meditation is important in the practice of spirituality because it is a technique that can help you reach a state of mindfulness. Mindfulness helps you notice new things about the aspects of your life that are most familiar to you, and mindful meditation is a way of training your attention to reach a state of concentration and positive emotion, which can impact your recovery journey and overall wellness.
Gratitude
Gratitude is all about being thankful and showing appreciation for what you have. There are many benefits that come from being grateful, including improved mental and physical health, stronger social bonds, resilience, increased optimism, and improved overall well-being. Practicing gratitude is easy. It can begin before you even get out of bed in the morning by focusing on the day ahead of you and what three things you are grateful for today.2
Devotional Activities
One of the most important aspects of spiritual wellness is engaging in regular devotional activities. This can be anything from attending religious services to spending time in nature, reading spiritual texts, or meditating. People in recovery often find that these activities help to connect them to something larger than themselves and provide a sense of peace and calm.
Additionally, devotional activities can help recovering addicts develop a more positive outlook on life and feel more connected to their community. Regular participation in devotional activities can also help recovering addicts develop healthier coping mechanisms for dealing with stress and triggers. For example, rather than turning to drugs or alcohol to cope with difficult emotions, they may instead turn to prayer or meditation.
Yoga
Yoga is an excellent modality for promoting relaxation and mindfulness and is a complementary treatment in recovery. Yoga helps one focus inward, toward one’s own health and wellness while helping you recognize that you are a spiritual being. The self-awareness learned through yoga targets multiple psychological, physiological, and behavioral means connected to addiction and relapse.3
How to Improve Spiritual Wellness in Addiction Treatment
Spirituality and wellness are important aspects of addiction treatment. Below are some ways to improve spiritual health in addiction treatment and recovery.
Connect With Your Sense of Purpose
There are many ways to connect with your purpose. One method is to create spiritual habits that help you to be more aware of your inner thoughts and feelings. Having a definitive purpose in life is a predictor of treatment outcomes among adults who use substances.4
Create Spiritual Habits
Incorporate spirituality into your daily routine through practices like meditation, journaling, or prayer in order to become more mindful and in tune with your thoughts and emotions.
Adopt an Attitude of Gratitude
Be thankful for the things you have, even if they seem small. Expressing gratitude can help shift your focus from negative to positive thoughts.
Take Time to Meditate
Meditation can help clear your mind and connect you with your innermost thoughts and feelings. It can also help reduce stress and promote relaxation.
How Spirituality Helps People in Addiction Treatment
If you’re struggling with addiction, improving your spiritual wellness may be just what you need to get on the path to recovery. If you’re looking for a more holistic approach to recovery, consider incorporating spiritual wellness into your journey. It just might be the key to lasting sobriety. Talk to your treatment provider about incorporating spiritual wellness activities into your plan.
Pursue Spiritual Wellness at Essence Healthcare
If you or your loved one is ready to pursue spiritual wellness in your addiction recovery journey, we are here to help. Don’t hesitate to reach out today to begin healing.
