Facing Addictions with Choice

A gentle talk on breaking common addictions many of us have. Make better choices, with awareness, moment by moment. Call in help to assist being mindful when it counts the most. The meditation to accompany this talk will follow shortly.

If you have a serious problem affecting your wellbeing and those around you, please seek professional advice.

Transcript

Facing Addictions We have all had addictions at some point,

Whether they serve us or not.

Habits become addictions when we feel we have to have it and not much else in that moment could replace the feeling we long for.

When was the last time you stopped to consider if your daily habits are really helping you live a healthy,

Connected,

Bountiful life or not?

You are empowered with the gift of choice and can realise you have different options.

Sometimes it can be as simple as being mindful in that moment and really consider if the choice you make serves you at a mind,

Body and spiritual level and in the longer term.

Just because you think it's good for your body,

Does your higher self thank you for consuming or participating?

What if your higher self longs for you to find that fulfilment in your heart instead?

Sometimes though it can be a tougher choice.

The addiction is ingrained.

The voice in our head longs for the relief or enjoyment it would give us and badges us to get on with it.

The taste buds may be tingling or the adrenaline pumping knowing how good we feel when we have that thing.

Or maybe it's a matter of escaping your mind and reality for a while.

It may only last a few moments,

Minutes or hours though your mind tells you it is totally worth it just to feel better,

To focus elsewhere other than being with your thoughts and feelings for a while.

If you have any sense of any addiction is out of control and are having a major detrimental effect on your wellbeing and those around you,

Please seek professional help.

These words are to help those just on an everyday basis to improve the quality of their life.

When we stop to consider why we have addictions,

It's always because we think we can't have the fulfilment within ourselves and it has to come from an external source.

We crave the next fixed of caffeine or food,

Nicotine or alcohol,

Drugs or even screen time.

The habit may not be out of control.

It could just be a one cup or glass a day habit.

You still feel you need it though because you long to feel differently.

Now without making anything right or wrong,

Let's just consider a few commonplace addictions briefly.

Do you feel you can't function without your morning coffee?

Perhaps your mind would prefer decent relaxation and rest rather than being wired up and energised simply to cope with information overload and busyness of your day.

What about the glass of wine of two each evening?

Could it be your mind simply longs to switch off or feel like your problems or worries melt away just for a little while that wine seems to do so well for you?

What if meditation has the same effect?

Or if you enjoy alcohol to be social,

Could you create some fun dabbling in some new teas or mocktails?

Or for those evenings where getting drunk seems such a good idea,

What amazingly fun activity could you do instead?

It's easier when you realise you are worth thinking and caring about.

Perhaps cigarettes or other narcotics could be your nemesis.

When I quit smoking after 15 years,

The thing that got me through the most effectively was realising it's the oxygen hitting your brain on the first drag that gets you high.

It's not the nicotine which takes 7 seconds for it to hit your brain.

So could perhaps taking some long,

Beautiful,

Deep,

Slow breaths help you in that moment of choice?

And keep breathing until the craving passes?

Maybe you seek comfort from food.

It's your body's way of telling you it wants filling up.

It's looking to fill a gap.

What if you could learn to fill up on love,

Joy and connection instead,

For yourself?

What if you could love yourself just enough to drink a big glass of water instead of the soda?

How could that make you feel?

Worthy?

Proud?

Confident?

Lighter and clearer?

Yes,

To all those things.

What about the modern day addiction of social media?

We all long for a sense of connection and stare at our screens,

Hoping to be inspired or perhaps learn the latest news or gossip or find escapism in shopping.

Comparing ourselves to how others lead their lives.

Finding entertainment and reading what others have to say,

Scrolling,

Scrolling.

Ads that prompt feelings of inadequacy sometimes,

That we don't know enough or aren't good enough yet so you need more training or another course and you're being sold to continuously in your relax or downtime as you believe.

How could you feel if you met someone face to face or on the phone for a real conversation from the heart?

Or even invite them on to Messenger or another texting service where you could have a one to one communication and connection without worrying what everybody else thinks and feels and says about it.

Could you sense the tangible connection from a face to face connection,

The invisible threads that link you together,

That simply can't be transmitted with the same effect across the internet for all to see?

Or how about taking time to connect with yourself,

To your heart,

For that is what you truly desire,

That is your own fulfilment,

It's just that your mind may not recognise it.

Is it time for you to consider if you're making the best choices?

How good would you feel if you found another way,

A healthier substitute or a real life connection?

Could you love yourself enough to try,

One day at a time?

Our minds and bodies go off like clockwork,

We don't stop for a moment to think if the morning coffee is a stand in for lack of rest or sleep.

We reach for that chocolate bar or snack when we feel hungry without being mindful of choice.

Pouring a wine is quicker than boiling a kettle.

What if we could have a little voice inside that could cheer us on for a different choice instead of prompting us for the ones that don't serve us?

Could your mind be open to that?

Perhaps you could name it,

Maybe Healthy Choice Angel or The Love Dude,

It doesn't matter.

When you name it,

You name support,

You feel that support,

A voice to support you in a really positive way.

For you to call on whenever those decisions in those moments are hard,

To help empower yourself and remind you of the long term benefits are so much greater than any short term quick fix.

You get to create the terms of your relationship with this inner voice,

What you'd like them to remind you of and when.

Make a commitment to your inner guidance Health Angel,

To do your best to acknowledge and make a different choice.

Sure there'll be moments you won't hear it or you still stick to plan A,

That's ok.

When you understand this inner voice comes with unconditional love,

No matter what ever you do,

You can start to let go of self judgement and realise you can support yourself.

It doesn't need to come from outside you,

The solutions or the help.

You have the capability with in you to make a different decision because your mind,

Body and spirit are worth it.

How good would it feel to know you are finding other ways to fuel your body that really serve you?

Do this in conjunction with finding ways to fuel your heart and spirit.

That will be your key and your fast track to changing your life and breaking your addictions.

Finding pleasure in other ways that really light you up and float your boat.

After all the only reason we have addictions is to get,

Temporarily,

The feelings of release,

Relief,

Energy,

Connection,

Peace and enjoyment.

What could your life look like if you knew how to get them anyway anytime you choose?

That's the conversation for another day.

In the meantime I invite you to listen to my guided meditation to help you connect to your own Healthy Choice Angel and make a commitment together to make a different choice,

Moment by moment.

You are worth it.

Namaste.

Reviews

Thank you for this motivational meditation to listen to my own inner angel.

Nice suggestions for alternatives for sneaky daily addictions. Thank you

Really great perception, a really new point of view, and a idea I have been thinking of here lately but haven't really gotten a name for it yet. Really influences you or pushes you to learn to consider self care on a different standard and be more apt to assist yourself or come to your own aide or beckon at your own call, when it comes to your health.

Very well articulated. Not a single wasted word or phrase. Beneficial from start to finish. I despise woo and hokiness. This is neither of those. Very enjoyable and uplifting.

Effective and insightful

Helpful reminders for recovery from any addiction. Thank you.

It's said everywhere that we are worthy, but with self esteem issues or an inferiority complex it's easy to acknowledge it's truth while simultaneously thinking 'Well it doesn't apply to me" this is rare for me to feel that it's true, that no one is perfect, and that we can accept ourselves with effort. Thank you.

I love the idea of giving your healthy choice angel a name and more to the point being mindful of why not just living in autopilot. Thanks

Thank you for this talk.

This is honestly everything I needed to hear right now. Thank you so much!

Excellent advice and just a great message!

I am beginning my journey to letting go of my addiction to caffeine and nicotine permanently. I've tried various methods, hypnosis patches exercise, e t c., but I realize that the ultimate choice to let go addictive behavior has to come from within. This app is very inspiring and finding connections two others who have already traversed this path is very motivating. Thank you for the inspiring talk and I will incorporate your meditation into my routines. Namaste.

This is an excellent talk. The suggested tool of loving yourself enough to make the right/healthy choice was so simple yet so powerful for me. I will carry this thought with me. Thank you!

Gentle, respectful and inspiring! 🙏🏽

This is a wonderful meditation for all addicts

We all have addictions, this is a great meditation!

Wille research on about some addictions I seriously need to address again. Thanks🙏🏼

Thank you for your helpful meditation 😊

Thank you for reminding me about the power of my choices.

Nice.way to impowerment your day