Mindfulness; Helping Cope with Early Sobriety Stress

Parisi House teaches our moms mindfulness techniques while with us to help them cope with the stresses of early sobriety and learn healthier ways to regulate emotions. Counselors lead groups to teach them breathing techniques, lead them in guided meditations, and encourage them to journal their reflections of these activities. These practices help our moms reduce anxiety and reflect positively on their recovery process. Louise Harding is one of our Parisi House Drug and Alcohol Counselors who helps guide our moms through mindfulness exercises. She says it is “amazing” to see “the comfort and guidance they appear to derive from these morning meditations” and says, “I have heard the women express having a new hope, strength, as well as being able to begin to forgive themselves and others.”

The exercises our moms learn here help them calm the mind and learn to regulate and process emotions through healthier outlets. These tools also help them heal and rebuild their lives. We have seen firsthand how it can calm our moms’ anxiety and center them when they feel moments of stress. While we can all benefit from mindfulness techniques in our lives, these tools are incredibly impactful to our moms. These are practices they can carry with them well beyond their time with us which can help them remain successful in their continued sobriety long after they leave Parisi House.

Mindfulness; Helping Cope with Early Sobriety Stress

Mindfulness has become a major buzzword these days. The practices of meditation, breathwork, journaling, and being more consciously aware of the present moment are incredibly beneficial for de-stressing from daily life. One study from the University of Waterloo noted that “practicing just 25 minutes of Hatha yoga or mindfulness meditation per day can boost the brain’s executive functions, cognitive abilities linked to goal-directed behavior and the ability to control knee-jerk emotional responses, habitual thinking patterns, and actions.” These practices are also extremely helpful in recovering from drug and alcohol addiction because these cognitive functions in the brain are often impacted by long-term chemical dependency.

Parisi House teaches our moms mindfulness techniques while with us to help them cope with the stresses of early sobriety and learn healthier ways to regulate emotions. Counselors lead groups to teach them breathing techniques, lead them in guided meditations, and encourage them to journal their reflections of these activities. These practices help our moms reduce anxiety and reflect positively on their recovery process. Louise Harding is one of our Parisi House Drug and Alcohol Counselors who helps guide our moms through mindfulness exercises. She says it is “amazing” to see “the comfort and guidance they appear to derive from these morning meditations” and says, “I have heard the women express having a new hope, strength, as well as being able to begin to forgive themselves and others.”

The exercises our moms learn here help them calm the mind and learn to regulate and process emotions through healthier outlets. These tools also help them heal and rebuild their lives. We have seen firsthand how it can calm our moms’ anxiety and center them when they feel moments of stress. While we can all benefit from mindfulness techniques in our lives, these tools are incredibly impactful to our moms. These are practices they can carry with them well beyond their time with us which can help them remain successful in their continued sobriety long after they leave Parisi House.