I read as a daily meditation every morning. If you don’t already have a daily meditation that works for you, I highly suggest you find one. A daily meditation can give you a direction for the day and a practice for your life that can cultivate into a better relationship with a higher power, yourself, and the world around you. Anyways, I am not here to sell you an overall daily meditation thing. That is up to you. I am here to create a daily meditation by speaking on the daily meditation I read once a week in addiction to recovery at an addiction recovery center.
The meditation was on growth. “Flowing water never grows stagnant. A moving door hinge never gets rusty.” And it got me thinking.
How am I continually growing in my life and in my recovery in an addiction recovery center near me.
It’s a good question because if I am not growing, if I am not flowing, I am becoming stagnant. If I am not moving I will get rusty. If I give up growth I am declining. We have all heard the saying about resting on our laurels. It gets us in trouble. That is why no matter how much you have accomplished and no matter how old you are, you must keep growing. You must keep exercising all parts of yourself. Your mind, your body, and your spirit.
So, I ask you, how are you growing? How are you exercising all parts of yourself today? With that, here are some tips to enrich all parts.
Your Mind
- Get your hardest task on your to-do list done and over with ASAP. Solve a challenging problem early in the day, so it’s not weighing you down the whole day. Whether it’s completing a big work project or something personal, just grit your teeth and get it done early and out of the way. You’ll thank yourself later.
- Start developing that skill you’ve always wanted to have. We all have things that we wish we could do, and we can. So get moving on it! There is no better time than now, especially if it is something that has been a goal of yours. Want to learn a new language? Get a language program or take a class. Want to play an instrument? Start taking lessons. It’s worth it if it’s improving your mind in a way you have always dreamed of.
- This one should be obvious. Read. Read. Read. And read some more. Even if the books are fiction novels, books teach you so much. They can teach you about different times, different cultures, different ways of thinking that you would have never known otherwise. Want to be transported to a different world? That can happen too. Want to enlighten yourself—yep books do that too. Reading is one of the greatest sources of exercise for our minds.
Your body
- Start incorporating some resistance exercise or body weight exercises into your daily routine. Instead of needing a gym, weights or machines—use your own body for resistance and as weight to get that workout in. Squats, push ups, dips, crunches, planks, you name it your body can do it. Your body is the home for your spirit; take care of it!
- Do some food replacements. So you like chocolate? Try some fruit instead. Doritos, how about a bag of carrots? I know, I know, it’s not the same. But you will thank yourself later. Keeping your body in tip top shape requires you giving it the best fuel possible. Cleaner fuel, means a better running body.
- Take a class. I’m a fan of Muay Thai, self-defense, and fighting classes. They train my mind as well as my body. Either way, taking a class will not only be great for your body it will also be great for building awesome new friendships! Whether it’s Zumba or a spin class—get it!
- Hydration! High quality H2O. I struggle with this one, but I am working on it. I try to drink my weight in ounces each day. My minimum is half of that. I keep a 50-ounce bottle on my desk and I am constantly refilling it. The more hydrated I am, the less caffeine I need throughout the day and the more energy I have. My body is literally thanking me for giving it what it needs to function. Most of us walk around severely dehydrated, so if you are feeling crummy, you might want to take a look at how much water you are drinking each day.
Your Emotions
- Encourage someone else! Nothing is more invigorating for the spirit than helping out someone else. It truly works when nothing else does. Happiness is contagious, share yours with the people around you. It can be as simple as giving a compliment on a new hair cut, outfit, or just saying good job!
- Smiling has numerous health benefits and it can release endorphins, which can make you happier. Even if you force a smile for a period of time, you will start to feel it. Next time negative feelings are trying to take control of you, just combat them with a smile.
- You know how great it feels after a good belly laugh? That’s because of those lovely endorphins I just mentioned. Make it your goal to have a good laugh at least once every day, even if you do that by watching your favorite stand-up or forcing a laugh.
Your Spirit
- There will always be things in life that we want, but don’t have. It’s important to focus on your life goals, but there’s no point in sulking. Remember: there is always someone who is happier with less than what you have. By practicing gratitude, you are focusing on the things you do have, which will help you value your life and your choices. At the end your day, write down one thing you were thankful for that happened that day. Focus on the positives, and you’ll grow spiritually.
- Life has its nuisances, its issues, and its sorrows that can feel all-encompassing and overwhelming at the time. It can be difficult to look past these things and see the big picture, but remind yourself that these problems will not matter to you in a year, let alone at the end of your life. You only have one life. Make it count.
- Practice everything else we have talked about!
If you have any questions about recovery, especially at an addiction recovery center, please contact us today at Gatehouse Treatment. Give us a call at (855) 448-3588.
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