ACT NOW!
Phone Rehab Guide on:
0845 600 7566
Spirituality
What is the definition of spirituality?
Spirituality is a journey of self discovery. Connecting you to different relationships from family and friend to a higher power. There are certain things in our lives that we are able to control and definitely things we have no control over. We all need guidance and help over the things we cannot control and it is at this time that our connections with our higher power, whatever it may be, could play a vital role in our recovery from addiction.
Circle of Influence (Steve Covey adapted)
- Fear, anger and guilt
- What can I control and influence and what can I not?
- To not Judge and live in someone else’s upset
Ask yourself the following questions:
- What relationships are important to you?
- Where have you previously found peace in your life?
- Where have you previously found hope and joy in your life?
Now take a few deep breaths and focus only on your breathing, and ask yourself the following questions:
- How can I find peace in my life?
- How can I give up trying to control the things I have no control over?
By answering these questions you are opening up your channel of awareness. This is the starting point to your spiritual being. Every morning when you wake up, ask yourself these questions. Answering questions like these will help you identify the most important people, moments and experiences in your life. Armed with this information, you can focus your search for spirituality on the relationships and activities in life that have proved to have real meaning for you in the past. These helped define you as a person and will continue to inspire your personal growth.
Spirituality gives our life texture and color, but at its core spirituality helps to give our lives a sense of purpose or context, if you will. It gives our life meaning. It comes from your connection with yourself and with those around you, as well as the development of your own system of personal values, and the search for meaning in life.
Spirituality can act as the connector from the sense of being alone and isolated as we have been with addiction, to a sense of connection that occurs in recovery.
How can spirituality help you in addiction recovery?
1. Focus on personal goals. Cultivating your spirituality may help uncover what’s most meaningful in your life. By clarifying what’s important to you, you can eliminate stress by focusing less on the unimportant things that can sometimes seem to consume you.
2. Connect to the world. The more you feel you have a purpose in the world, the less solitary you feel even when you’re alone. This can lead to an inner peace during difficult times.
3. Release control. When you feel part of a greater whole, you realize that you aren’t responsible for everything that happens in life. You can share the burden of tough times as well as the joys of life’s blessings with those around you.
4. Expand your support network. Whether you find spirituality in a church, mosque or synagogue, in your family, or in walks with a friend through nature, this sharing of spiritual expression can help build relationships.
5. Lead a healthier life. Some research seems to indicate that people who consider themselves spiritual are often better able to cope with stress and heal from illness or addiction.
Cultivating your spirituality
Spirituality begins with your relationship with yourself, is nurtured by your relationships with others and culminates in a sense of purpose in life. Realizing this, two of the best ways to cultivate your spirituality are to improve your self-esteem and to foster relationships with those who are important to you. This can lead to a deepened sense of your place in life and in the greater good.
If you liked this article, please share it. Others may find it useful.