Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, an old saying goes. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat the rest of his life. We can give people all of the information they need for living. It isn’t as though information on healthy living isn’t available- it is readily available all across the internet and in bookstores. The diet and weight loss industry is a big one, bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars if not more, every single year, as people try to get healthy and lose weight. Simply learning about healthy living is not the same as practicing healthy living, which is why many people find themselves struggling to maintain weight loss or take the actions necessary to fully change their habits in a comprehensive way which promotes a healthy lifestyle. That’s because most diets, eating plans, and information on diets only focus on the knowledge, instead of the skill.
This is a problem true to addiction and mental health treatment, as well as addiction and mental health recovery. We cannot give anyone their sobriety, they have to learn to stay sober and live a healthy lifestyle of recovery. Treatment programs which strictly include group therapy, individual therapy, and psychoeducational lecturing are not as effective as more comprehensive programs which teach those in recovery how to live.
A recent, small study by Penn State found that the use of lifestyle tools like mindfulness are helpful in creating action and change compared to just information. The small sample size of 86 participants included all women who were clinically overweight or obese. For eight weeks the women either participated in a MBSR course or a health education course. MBSR stands for mindfulness based stress reduction, which gives people mindfulness based tools. Following up the study for four months after the initial eight week period, researchers evaluated the drop in blood sugar among the participants, which would indicate a change in lifestyle and dietary choices. Women who only received health education information and had to make changes on their own accord saw just a 3.2mg per decilitre drop. However, the group of women who took the mindfulness based stress reduction course had a drop in blood sugar of 8.9mg per decilitre- both within the period of eight weeks.
Mindfulness has been repeatedly been put under the microscope for its efficacy in creating mental health changes. Studies have found that mindfulness reduces stress effectively and changes the structure of the brain, indicating real changes taking place.
Recovery is about change. It take willingness, action, and a plan to create those changes. If you’re ready for change in your life when it comes to addiction and mental health Hired Power is ready to help you take action by creating a plan. Our recovery services help you plan your recovery each step of the way so you can bring recovery home. Call us today for information: 1-800-910-9299