Ok, so the way to be free from any addiction first happens with an acknowledgement that there are things that happen through a compulsion to think, do or say them. The acknowledgement brings it to the surface and makes it conscious rather than remaining unconscious and this has you be more aware of it when it comes up next time. From here, you can look at why it is that you set up the addictions in the first place or you can begin to work on finding a new mode of Being so that you become the master of choice as opposed to the no choice in addiction.
It helps to understand why the addiction is there and, but at some point the work required to be aware and forgive yourself when you catch yourself thinking, doing or saying the same old things, is also absolutely necessary. The forgiveness is important because you invariably fall into the old patterns, and that’s ok, the tendency is usually be to beat yourself up over it, and that’s where the forgiveness comes in so that you can let it go and focus on being aware of what you’re thinking, saying and doing.
To truly help yourself here, be present in this very moment, you may be focused on the words you’re reading here, but see if you can also be aware of any underlying feelings while you read. Is there scepticism lurking in the background, doubt, anger, resentment, hope, fear, love, joy, whatever it is simply be aware of it. If there is any discomfort at anytime, that’s a signal that there’s something that needs to be brought to the surface.
For example, look at when you eat, are you eating because you’re hungry or are you eating because that’s what you always do at this time of the day and you “think” that it’s what you “should” do? What are you eating, is it something that you feel is nutritious and feels good eating it or is it something just to get some calories in and it‘s convenient and quick? Other things you can look at are:
· How you dress – do you choose what feels good to wear or is it out of a habit?
· What time you go to bed or get up – are you consciously choosing this or is it habit?
· How you walk – are you aware of your posture or is it out of a habit?
· How you shower/groom yourself – are these conscious choices or habits?
· How you drive – are you on autopilot, listening to the radio or are you fully alert of what’s happening around you?
· How you talk to people – are you aware of the pitch of your voice and the strength of volume in the words or are you concerned about what the other person may be thinking of you?
This list can be virtually endless, but ultimately the aim is to be aware so that the decisions you make come from a place of peace and clarity within, the awareness is what opens the door to choice and ultimately freedom. The old autopilot mode based on old unconscious conditioning has served its time and if you’re reading this now, it’s now time to take the next step.
Remember that we are all constantly making choices, they are either conscious ones or unconscious ones. Unconscious ones come from habits (that are often designed to keep us as an identity, safe). Addictions are often formed out of a need to feel our power and thereby feel “safe”, so you can see that unconsciousness and addictions go hand in hand.
It’s not easy to change the old well worn path but if you’ve had enough of being controlled by impulses or finding yourself in situations that either don’t feel good or doesn’t support you, then it’s time to work on being more conscious – through AWARENESS.
Finally, if you remember nothing else from these articles, remember that you are light and that light will shine through whenever you allow it to. The only reason why the light doesn’t shine through is because you’ve had experiences that caused pain at a some point in your life and this had you place a layer over it, as a way of protecting yourself so that you could feel safe and continue living as best you knew how. Learn to lower your resistances, through awareness and responsibility for what shows up and the light will shine without you having to “do” anything. At that point you and life become one and you do life’s dance.
Angelo Campione is a writer and publisher of Mindfulness related articles. He has real life experience in dealing with emotional pain and now walks the path that has him live a life of Purpose, Joy and Freedom. He is passionate about helping to raise consciousness in the world and runs an online Mindfulness Series Free of charge.
