Preventing Relapse through Mindfulness

Those who have suffered from mental illness or addiction knows how difficult it is to recover, it is never easy. You will always go through moments where you feel like giving up, and that's normal. Recovery isn't an easy road, it's a winding road with potholes, hills and roundabouts. But in the end, it will all be worth it.

Hopefully, this list can help you or someone you know when the urges to relapse emerge.
1)Become skilful at recognising negative thoughts.
This one is a must, to recover you need to know what and how the negative thoughts affect you, I look at my negative thoughts like a parrot in a cage. This parrot won't shut up and all you have to do is put a blanket on it - this can be done using positive affirmations such as: 'don't believe everything you think' or 'you may have to fight a battle more than once to win it'-Margaret Thatcher.
2)have non-judgemental compassion for yourself and others who are struggling,
3)Become aware of triggers and blind reactions.
Triggers can be very different for everyone, and can set off an attack (could be panic anxiety) or it could cause you to relapse. Learn how to ground yourself and/or meditate in these situations. Learning triggers and blind reactions is very important in recovery, as the trigger and/or blind reaction can affect your recovery.
4)Build a mindful lifestyle, including meditation and breathing techniques.
I'll give two examples of breathing techniques and a grounding technique. (I will make a post about meditation and breathing techniques soon too)

• Belly Breathing: Breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose, your stomach should expand.Exhale slowly through your mouth. As you breathe out, purse your lips tightly and keep your jaw and tongue relaxed. 
• The Measured Breath: Breathe in slowly through your nose and count to four, Keep your shoulders down and make sure your stomach expands as you breathe in. Hold your breath for a moment. Release your breath slowly as you count to seven.
• Grounding: To ground yourself, what are the five things you can see? What are the four things you can feel? What are the three things you can hear? What are the two things you can smell? What is the one thing you can taste? This uses all of your senses to help you focus on the things around you.

5) Learn to pause, think and feel before acting out.

I've explained a couple of points that I think need more explanation and have left the points that are quite obvious to do. I hope you liked this post, feel free to follow and like!