One thing many of us with mental health problems and addictions have in common is our tendency to obsess. We obsess about the argument we just had, or the hurtful thing someone said last year. We obsess about our insecurities and mistakes. We obsess about our drug of choice and how we’re going to get more. Maybe we fearfully obsess about how long we’ve been clean, when we relapsed, and how much longer we can hold out.
Obsessing is essentially anxious and fearful thoughts on a constant playback loop, repeating themselves continuously, causing you tension and anxiety every time they pop up. Perhaps you obsess only occasionally when something is really bothering you. Perhaps your obsessing has taken over your life and you’ve been diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD. However much you obsess, whatever it is you obsess about, there are things you can do to help.
Meditate
Meditating helps you learn how to have more control over your thoughts. It teaches you how to focus on your breathing, which can be critically important when your thoughts feel as though they’re out of control. OCD is considered an anxiety disorder, and there are many wonderful breathing exercises for anxiety, including 1:2 breathing, where you make your exhale twice as long as your inhale.
Repeat Affirmations
What are you obsessing about? Find statements or words that help you to calm down. If you’re obsessing about a fight you had, you could try repeating “we are going to get through this.” If you’re in turmoil about that fight, try “I choose to be at peace within myself, before, during and after this situation.” Whatever you can say to yourself to feel better, say it. The more we can direct our thoughts to peace, the more we will feel at peace. Because our energy helps to manifest our reality, we can affirm the outcomes we want by repeating things like “we will come to an understanding,” and that energy can help us to manifest that desired outcome.
As we practice meditation and repeating affirmations, we often find that our anxiety and obsessiveness begin to calm down. We start to feel more at peace. The mental, emotional and physical nervousness start to subside. As we continue to practice, we start to find even more healing solutions for our mental and emotional challenges and addictions.
Our thoughts can make us feel like we’ve lost our minds, like there’s no hope. Enlightened Recovery can help you figure out ways to heal. Call (833) 801-LIVE.