Those of us with mental health issues and addictions often find ourselves consumed by our painful emotions and difficult thoughts. We tend to compound our sadness, fear, shame and other challenging emotions, often without realizing it. We unconsciously perpetuate our difficulties by dwelling on them and giving them even more power over us. Oftentimes we allow our minds to run unmonitored and uncontrolled, without understanding that it is our thoughts causing us pain. Developing a spiritual practice can help us get back to the truth of our inner peace and strength, the deeper parts of ourselves that we often bury underneath the turbulence of our minds. A spiritual practice can help us move beyond the constraints of our thinking minds and into the vast healing power of our spirits.
Having a spiritual practice means intentionally setting aside time to devote to strengthening our connection to our spirit. What is our spirit? Some would define it as our connection to our inner selves and our higher power. It can take practice to cultivate this connection. Much of what we do in our daily lives disconnects us and distracts us from our spirits- school and work, our responsibilities and obligations, how we communicate with one another, how we treat ourselves, social media, entertainment, etc. Problems with our mental and emotional health are often a manifestation of this lack of connection. We feel disconnected from ourselves. We feel separate and distant from other people. We don’t feel like we know our higher power or how to communicate with it. We feel lost, alone, confused and isolated.
Beginning a spiritual practice can be as simple as listening to your intuition telling you what your spirit needs to heal. What can you do in order to feel happy, healthy and whole? What will make your spirit feel connected and at peace? Ask yourself questions like these and listen for what your inner voice tells you. One practice you can try is source meditation, where you visualize healing light flowing directly to you from your higher power above. You can meditate using any kind of visualization that feels comforting and healing, such as visualizing your inner light growing and strengthening with each breath. Another spiritual practice is prayer. Connect with your higher power in whatever ways feel most nurturing and empowering for you. You can experiment with creating an altar with crystals, candles, photos, mementos and other favorite sacred pieces. Make time for journaling. Spend time in nature. All of these, and anything else you come up with for yourself, are beautiful ways to implement a spiritual practice. Connecting with our inner selves and our higher power is especially helpful and therapeutic in our healing and recovery.
The community at Vista Taos is here to support you in your recovery. Call (575) 586-5078.
