How Religion and Spirituality Can Improve Recoveryh | The Recovery Village Video Resources

How Religion and Spirituality Can Improve Recovery

Estimated watch time: 2 mins 05 secs

Summary:

For many people in recovery and those working toward developing resilience, spirituality and religion can play an important role. Both are valuable to your mental and physical health as well. Find ways to develop a practice on your terms. This module explores questions you can use as you develop your personal path.

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Transcript:

u003ch3u003eReligion u0026amp; Spiritualityu003c/h3u003ernu003ciu003eReligion is defined as a personal set or institutionalized system of attitudes, beliefs and practices. It is the service and worship of God or the supernatural.u003c/iu003ernrnSpirituality is an experience of connection to something larger than you. It is about living one’s life in a reverent or sacred manner. It is a way of experiencing one’s connection to self and others.rnrnBoth religion and spirituality help build resilience and improve physical and mental health. For religious people, regularly attending religious worship tends to build a sense of optimism and meaning. This also creates a sense of community and tends to guard people against acting in more self-destructive ways. There is a sense of feeling protected and guided. Spiritual practices can have the same impact.rnrnMany find the practice of prayer or meditation helps to quiet or calm the mind which can lead to less emotional reactivity during tough times.rnrnThere are many ways to develop a religious or spiritual connection if you desire to do so.rnu003culu003ern tu003cli aria-level=u00221u0022u003eYou may decide you want to find a place of worship to attend or simply read books or writings about religion.u003c/liu003ern tu003cli aria-level=u00221u0022u003eYou may decide to do a daily prayer or meditation practice.u003c/liu003ern tu003cli aria-level=u00221u0022u003eYou might develop a more physical practice of spirituality such as yoga, taking mindful walks, tai chi or a martial art.u003c/liu003ern tu003cli aria-level=u00221u0022u003eYou may decide to join a group that worships or practices spiritual principles together.u003c/liu003ernu003c/ulu003ernWhat is important is that you choose something that you feel works for you. There is no “right” answer about religion or spirituality. You can build your resilience by choosing your own path.rnrnu003cbu003eQuestions:u003c/bu003ernu003colu003ern tu003cli aria-level=u00221u0022u003eDo you have a religious or spiritual practice?u003c/liu003ern tu003cli aria-level=u00221u0022u003eWould you like to develop one or become more deeply involved in what you already have?u003c/liu003ern tu003cli aria-level=u00221u0022u003eWhich of the above ideas on how to develop a religious/spiritual connection might work for you?u003c/liu003ern tu003cli aria-level=u00221u0022u003eHow can you get started?u003c/liu003ernu003c/olu003e

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Transcript:

Physical Fitness

As you’re likely aware of the array of benefits physical fitness offers within both general and mental health, it may come as no surprise that a common characteristic among extremely resilient individuals is a regular exercise routine. Research has shown that not only does exercise reduce risk for a variety of diseases and disorders, but also engages neurotransmitters and hormones that have been associated with improved mood and memory, increased energy, reduced anxiety and depression, and overall increase in quality of life. Additionally, regular exercise helps to manage weight, enhances sleep quality, increases libido, improves attention, boosts recovery after trauma, and has been associated with reduced neurological disorders that develop later in life. That said, it may be difficult to start and maintain a regular exercise regimen, and we get busy with the daily aspects of life’s demands, right? So, here are a few tips as to what might be helpful to consider as you are thinking about developing or reevaluating your physical fitness plan:

Educate yourself: the physical goals don’t always come first, if we aren’t sure what they should be given our current physical and mental health status. Learn what will be best for you and how it will impact your health and well-being.
Talking to your doctor may help clarify some of these questions, especially if you have specific questions or concerns given your history or goals.
Working with a trainer or group can also help to clarify some of these questions, but may also hold you more accountable and create more motivation toward maintaining a regular fitness schedule.
Trying different types of exercise may be warranted if you’re not sure what will be the best fit. Similarly, if you’ve found yourself plateauing or becoming bored with your current routine, it may be time to change things up!
Make physical fitness a part of your routinewhether it’s more social with friends, family or coworkers, or during a scheduled time on a regular basis, make it easy to say yes and hard to say no.
Gradually increasing your intensity will help to increase your physical resilience, just as our immune system requires in order to fight off illness and disease.
Also, be sure to allow your body to rest and recover from intense or regular physical exercise.
Establish goals and record your progress. This will help you to feel productive and gives you bench markers for success.
Focus on the positive feelings resulting from the outcomes you experience with physical fitness, as well as increased self-esteem.
Along with your routine, also be sure to practice healthy eating and sleeping habits as this will allow you to get the most from your physical fitness routine. You should be able to feel and see a difference when these aspects are all aligned.
Finally, don’t forget to reward yourself in healthy ways when you achieve goals.
If physical fitness is a part of you and your sense of self, you can much more easily maintain this routine and the many added benefits that come with it!

We encourage you to engage in the next module of related prompts to get you thinking about your physical fitness…

Physical Fitness Questions:

Some of the benefits to physical exercise are:
1. Improved mood
2. Improved sex life
3. Reduction in risks for a variety of health and mental health diseases
4. All of the above
What is the most beneficial result you’ve seen from either your own physical fitness routine, or from someone else?
Do you currently have a physical fitness routine? If so, what does this look like? If not, what roadblocks get in the way of being able to develop or maintain a fitness routine? How might you use a strategy discussed to, in order to reevaluate your physical fitness routine?

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