The phrase living life is something that comes up frequently in religious scriptures. However, it doesn’t necessarily have to be looked at from a religious perspective. It does not refer to needing to be wealthy with many possessions. Instead, it is the sense of having peace of mind, the fullness of joy, and the strength of body and spirit. To live abundantly can involve truly focusing and making the most of what we have instead of what we don’t have.
At The Ho Tai Way, we consider abundant living to be such an essential part of the recovery journey that we consider it one of the gifts of sobriety, along with prosperity, wealth, and joy.
What Does It Mean to Live Abundantly Outside of Substance Misuse?
Substance misuse steals our ability to live life abundantly by causing us to feel as if we need alcohol or drugs and allowing them to control every aspect of our lives. We may feel weak or vulnerable without them. Substance use depletes us instead of building us up. But through seeking recovery, we can help establish genuine and lasting freedom. This sort of freedom comes in the form of independence and the ability to accept the gift of abundance.
Part of living life abundantly involves broadening our mental or emotional horizons. This can be done through education and self-reflection. It can also be done by learning more about what addiction really is and what the recovery journey looks like moving forward.
There are many reasons why someone may turn to substance misuse in the first place. This reason is referred to as the root cause of addiction. It is critical that we determine this cause and address it in order to heal from it and avoid relapse. For many people, their root cause could be an undiagnosed mental health disorder such as anxiety, bipolar disorder, or depression. For others, it could be grief, past trauma, or current life problems such as financial instability or a toxic relationship. By desiring to heal from these things, we can begin the process of living abundantly.
What Does It Mean to Seek an Abundance of Mental Health?
Strong mental health is one of the most important gifts we have to receive in life. Sound mental health allows us to make good decisions, handle stressful situations, and tackle difficult challenges that may come our way. When we seek sobriety, we take the first step toward having strong mental health that is not clouded by the use of drugs or alcohol. But this is just one step. We must continue to put in the work toward improving our mental health regularly.
We can do this by incorporating daily habits into our lives to improve our mental health. One way of doing this is by fostering gratitude. This can be done by keeping a gratitude journal and writing down three things we’re grateful for daily. This can help us truly appreciate the many gifts we have that are often overlooked.
Another great way to foster good mental health is to engage in self-care. Some examples of self-care include:
- Practicing mediation
- Doing yoga
- Taking a break from social media
- Spending time in nature
- Listening to calming music
- Breathing exercises
- Learning new stress management techniques
All these things can help promote a better sense of balance and allow us to experience mental health abundantly.
What Does It Mean to Focus on Quality Over Quantity in Recovery?
When we think of the word abundance, we may think of having a large quantity of something. But when it comes to living abundantly in recovery, quality is often better than quantity. For example, having a few close friends is far better than having a large group of friends but not being close to any of them. Similarly, making a modest income while working at a meaningful job you love is better than being very wealthy while working at a job you dislike.
Thinking this way can really help to put life in perspective. We are given only a select number of days on earth. It is up to us to make sure that we make them count and don’t squander them away. When you start your recovery journey, you also get the gift of time. This is the time that you once spent engaging in substance misuse. You can now take this time and spend it in a meaningful way. This could be by spending quality time with friends, learning a new skill, helping others, and doing what you love. Having an abundance of not only time but quality time can transform your life and allow you to begin living the life you were meant to live.
You’ve probably heard the term “living abundantly” before, but it doesn’t necessarily mean what it sounds like. Living abundantly isn’t referring to having a lot of possessions and being extraordinarily wealthy. Nor does it mean having a ton of friends. Instead, it means having peace of mind, the fullness of joy, and the strength of body and spirit. Addiction to drugs or alcohol depletes us, but recovery allows us to take our lives back and become the best version of ourselves. We are given the gift of self-awareness, time, and gratitude. If you are struggling with a substance use disorder, our team at The Ho Tai Way wants to help you. Call us at (714) 581-3974 today to learn more.
