How Meditation Defeats Ruminating Thoughts
For those who are having issues with ruminating thoughts, medication alone is not always the most effective treatment option. Many health practitioners suggest that some individuals may find reduced stress levels by practicing mindfulness and meditation. This can be especially beneficial for individuals who are facing certain challenges with addiction or co-occurring mental health conditions. Some facilities offer a dual-diagnosis treatment program.
There are several different meditative practices to explore. Each meditative practice is made up of unique techniques to guide one toward a peaceful path forward. Everyone deserves to reach a healthy yet steady recovery. Moving forward with Restoration Recovery can be an effective path toward defeating the negative effects of rumination.
What Is Meditation?
As stated by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), several meditative techniques started in Eastern traditions. The history of meditation dates back approximately a thousand years or more. Meditation is defined by a number of techniques that specifically focus on the mind, body, and soul. The different practices intend to help individuals calm their minds and increase their sense of well-being. Overall, meditation can be a complementary treatment used to help individuals clear their minds from negative thoughts and focus better on day-to-day tasks, priorities, and relationships.
How Meditation Defeats Ruminating Thoughts: The Negatives
Ruminating thoughts can get the best of some individuals. This can make it especially challenging to stay on track. Having a negative mindset can greatly interfere with an individual’s work ethic, personal relationships, and self-esteem. Therefore, it can make it difficult to meet life-weighing expectations or meet future goals. A negative mindset can feel demotivating, leaving an individual feeling mentally isolated or overall depressed – metaphorically, writer’s block in real life. Rather than focusing on the negatives, practicing mindfulness and meditation can help an individual focus on the present, and develop an increased sense of creativity, and a higher level of confidence. Meditation can help one pay attention to what is ahead rather than fixate on the negatives.
How Meditation Defeats Ruminating Thoughts: Benefits of Meditation
According to the aforementioned NCCIH study, mindfulness and meditative practices typically come with various health benefits. Based on recent studies, some individuals have found that after practicing mindfulness and meditation, their quality of life has significantly improved over time. Research has investigated different practices that have helped individuals manage their mental health. The benefits of meditation have been clinically proven to improve an individual’s ability to focus, including thinking more positively rather than being swamped with ruminating thoughts. Some advantages may include:
- Improved blood pressure
- Reduced stress, anxiety, and depression
- Mitigated pain levels
- Improved sleep quality
- Reduced substance cravings
- Decreased post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms
- Improved mental health for individuals facing challenges with different forms of cancer
- Weight control and regulated eating behaviors
How Meditation Defeats Ruminating Thoughts: Different Types of Meditation
According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), it is common thinking for some individuals to assume meditation is just stationary thinking in a peaceful scenic area. Although this is a popular form of meditation, there are various types of meditative practices for one to explore. Different meditative techniques can be used to help suppress painful inflammation in the body, alter an individual’s immune system, and regulate the body’s natural response to life stressors. Meditating on a daily basis also works to decrease mortality rates and the rate of disease over time. A few effective types of holistic meditation may consist of:
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
- iRest Yoga Nidra
- Transcendental Meditation (TM)
- Mantram Meditation (MM)
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
How Meditation Defeats Ruminating Thoughts: What Is MBSR?
As determined by The U.S. Forest Service (USDA), recent research has presented that MBSR can help promote creativity and improve an individual’s memory, decision-making, and ability to concentrate overall. This type of therapy helps individuals manage a range of stressors through science- and medical-based techniques. For example, an individual may start by analyzing their body’s different sensations. One may practice mindful movements, basic meditation, and different tasks to increase overall effectiveness.
Choosing to take a more complementary care path forward can make a world of difference to those who are facing major challenges with their mental health. Depending on the facility one chooses, a practitioner can develop an individualized care plan to better tailor their services to their client’s needs. Therefore, they receive a more personalized approach with additional support.
Moving Forward With Restoration Recovery
Different types of psychotherapy and medication can be quite beneficial for some individuals who are facing problems with their mental health. MBSR with Restoration Recovery can be a highly effective complementary choice to other forms of mental health care. Choosing to move forward with Restoration Recovery can significantly improve an individual’s well-being. Our health care team works hard every day to help clients manage their ruminating thoughts and peacefully recover from addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders.
Ruminating thoughts can increase an individual’s level of stress, exacerbating an existing mental health condition. MBSR can not only be highly beneficial but effective for those facing challenges with their mental health. Restoration Recovery Center offers an integrative health approach to drug and alcohol addiction treatment and includes holistic services designed to support the recovery process by healing the body, mind, and spirit. Depending on the level of care the individual is in, MBSR can be a helpful form of treatment. Holistic services can help people in addiction rehab develop a stronger sense of self-identity, self-esteem, and self-confidence. If you or a loved one is in need of additional support, call Restoration Recovery at (888) 290-0925 to learn more.
