Five Spiritual Practices that Encourage Positive Mental Health

It is pretty common in substance abuse treatment that a solution to addiction “is found in spirituality.”  In this blog I will share an interpretation of what spirituality is and five spiritual practices that encourage positive mental health.    

Defining spirituality- 

Let’s keep it simple.  I once heard-

spirituality defined as the practice of turning one’s attention back towards oneself with the intention of becoming more aware and evolved. 

I like this interpretation because it is very inclusive to a whole host of different beliefs.  The awesome thing about these practices is they are accessible to everyone, available at all times and they are completely free.

Five spiritual practices to support your mental health:

GRATITUDE 

We need to train our minds to see what is going right!  Literally, this is like lifting weightings for your brain.  We are hard-wired to look for threats and yes, this is an amazing survival mechanism but, because of all the stimulation we experience, our brains and nervous systems need to be reset multiple times per day. 

Gratitude is the quickest way to get into harmonious alignment with ourselves and the world around us.  

When I got sober, I made a gratitude list every morning and this PROFOUNDLY changed my mindset and by making this practice REPETITIVE- I am creating NEW NEURAL PATHWAYS and changing my brain how cool is that?!  You can do it too!  

If you are new to this- it is simple, create a routine- I like to do it in the morning because it helps me get “my mind right” for the day.  Simply, write down three things you are grateful for and make sure to choose different things each day to help your brain to look for what is going right!! 

DEVOTION/PRAYER 

Find something greater than yourself to communicate with.  

This could be the beautiful Colorado mountains, it could be your “spirit team” (the unseen beings that have your back,) it could be the Cosmos, the Universe, and the cycles of nature that continue beyond human intervention.  This does not have to be “religious.”  

This is an experience where you can “put it out there.”  Through any form of expression: art, dance, words, song- what is important is that it is YOUR WAY with YOUR SOURCE.  

Here’s one example of wording a prayer:  “Thank you in advance oh beautiful mountains, I have faith with all my heart that you will show me the way to my highest good.”  

Another example of prayer, would be to envision sending loving energy in the form of white light to someone you know who needs it.  Just try it and then see how it feels.  It can hurt right?  

MEDITATION/MINDFULNESS

This is where we get quiet with ourselves.  Start small, just 5 minutes per day.  Meditation can help us tap into what is truly going on inside of us.  When we have more of a sense of what is going on inside, we are more available to get ourselves to support ourselves.  Resistance to meditation is the first step and totally normal, the mind does not want to be corralled but when we can train our mind, we experience a whole new level of tranquility and freedom.  Just like everything that is worthwhile, it takes practice.  Commit to 5 minutes per day to sit and observe your breath. The mind WILL wonder and the practice is when you bring yourself back to the present moment and your breath.  You may do this 100 times in 5 minutes, this is THE practice.  The definition of mindfulness meditation by Jon Kabit-Zinn,

“the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally.”

Navy seals train their minds with breath practices you can too.  We all need these practices, start the training now so when you truly need it, it is there for you to lean on.  


VISUALIZATION/MANIFESTATION

  1. Write down in full detail something you are wanting to bring into your life

  2. Sit and really think through all the details, envisioning every step of the journey. Be specific on the timing (August 2020.) 

  3. FEEL the feelings you will have when you get what you want.  Invoke the feelings in the present moment. 

  4. Let it go.  Imagine sending this detailed desire into the cosmos to flourish. 

  5. Trust it will happen.  

Athletes do this to prepare for their challenges.  We can too!  


FAITH

Find the complete trust that things will work out and HOWEVER they work out is in the best interest of you, no matter if you understand it or not.  This is the faith part. 

Control what you can control and let the rest go (in faith.)

If you want to build a business, put in the work, take the action steps, show up, and then TRUST.  Cultivating a mindset of TRUST is an action step too! What you can not control (the outcome) is none of your business, what matters is that you do the work and have confidence that what is FOR you is coming to you.  The timing of things is not in our control, just put in the work and BELIEVE.  

If you only find that one of these resonates with you, great!  That is your starting point. 

Remember, one day at a time. 

Repetitive actions add up over time and it is in the continuous small, daily steps where true changes amount in due time.  If you want support in making your desired changes, please reach out. Getting started is easy! 

Loretta Miller