pg 22, Mindful Recovery: A Spiritual Path to Healing from Addiction.
You can get overwhelmed by memories of the past, worries about the future, and other distractions. When that happens, you may be in danger of relapse. By bringing a gently, compassionate awareness to your surroundings, your thoughts, and your feelings, you will discover that your need to engage in addictive behavior diminishes.
Seeing the magic of the ordinary.
"The foundation of happiness is mindfulness. The basic condition for being happy is our consciousness of being happy if we are not aware that we are happy, we are not really happy. When we have a toothache, we know that not having a toothache is a wonderful thing. But when we do not have a toothache, we are still not happy."
-Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace Is Every Step (1991)
I've often heard in the rooms of recovery, "If you have one foot in the past and one foot in the future, you are pissing all over today." I know that is a nasty analogy, but it does make one think!
pg. 28
Enlightenment is not some thing that you can grasp and claim like a trophy. Enlightenment is being where you are, being present. Right here. Right now.
To be mindful is to be gently aware....Mindfulness heals the past and cares for the future in the only time in which it is possible to do this: the present moment.
pg. 29
Human beings are hardwired to avoid pain and seek pleasure....Addicted individuals see the easy way out. They learn to turn off their pain by dulling it, rather than face it, learn its lessons, and do something to make things better.
Mindfulness is quite different. Mindfulness is detached in the sense that our focus is not narrowed solely by our desire to seek pleasure and avoid pain. It is a warm, caring awareness.. it is compassion toward self and others. It is an awareness that finds dealing tin what is, and is not so completely occupied with what we think it should be. It is an awareness that is soft an open.
pg 30
Mindfulness is fundamental to the wisdom of the Buddha. In fact the word Buddha itself means "one who is awake," one who is mindful. The rest of us, who are awake only at times, are part-time Buddhas. Though there are many people who have moments of clarity and mindfulness, a true Buddha is one who is this way continually, moment after moment. The more awake you are, the more you can melt frozen behavior patterns that keep you stuck in repetitive, negative cycles.
Practice Returning to Now
Be aware of your breathing
Urges: Handle with care - an urge is a signal: something is wrong, out of balance. There is something in your life that needs attention. Once you are aware, you have choices that were not possible when you were unaware.
Facing Life - it is painful at times to look at what is and be present with it. whether "what is" means uncomfortable feelings, or a sense that one has had enough of something that brings pleasure. Because of this, we seek distraction, diversion, entertainment, or some sort of project--anything to move away from the painful awareness that what is not what we want it to be.
Reclaim the Magic
Drugs don't have the magic, you do - I have the magic to relax, to be sociable, to be a sexual woman.
Establish Moments of Mindfulness
In absolutely every 'chore' throughout the day, be present.
Stop Making Hope an Obstacle
That is part of the future thing....I will be happy when....BE PRESENT!!!
Recognize Enough
Devote at least one day to mindfulness of when you have had enough of something, and as much as practically possible, stop the activity at that point.
Big Idea: Remember the Miracle of the Ordinary
