Sherry Gaba LCSW, Psychotherapist, Life & Recovery Coach is featured Celebrity Rehab on VH1. Sherry is the author of “The Law of Sobriety” which uses the law of attraction to recover from any addiction. Please download yourFree EBooks   from Sherry’s Enrich Your Life Series. Contact Sherry at sherry@sgabatherapy.com for webinars, teleseminars, coaching packages and speaking engagements. Listen to Sherry on “A Moment of Change with Sherry Gaba”on CBS Radio.

I am a strong believer in the role of meditation in making changing in your life. In “The Law of Sobriety” I discuss the importance of mediation for those that are in recovery from any type of addiction. Mediation is one way to focus, shift our thoughts from negative to positive, and learn about ourselves again. It is also a great way to experience life and learn to look at the details, beauty and world around us in a positive energy and light.

Mediation doesn’t require any special tools, techniques or training. Anyone can meditate on a daily basis, all you need is a quiet, distraction free environment and 10 to 20 minutes all on your own. Some people find that meditating looking at a candle, a flower or a blank wall is helpful while others find that closing their eyes allows them to focus. The key to meditation is to find the focus that allows you to clear your mind of all the negative chatter. In my book I refer to this as “monkey mind”, a common term for those that practice meditation. It is the jumping, chattering, random type of thoughts that run through your mind all the time and lead to impulsive behavior.

To clear your mind of those negative, chattery monkey mind thoughts start by practicing the following:

• Sit quietly and breathe deeply. Control your breathing and focus on taking a breath in through your nose, deep into your lungs, then exhaling through the mouth. Seeing and feeling the air move through your body will help in focusing your thoughts.
• See each thought as a balloon that enters your mind then drifts up and away. Once out of sight the thought is gone, leaving a clear blue sky.
• Think of a particular image that is pleasant to you. This is good option to use a flower, candle, blank wall, leaf or any other type of object to create a focal point that limits negative thoughts or chatter.

There are great meditation videos online plus you can also talk to a therapist or life coach to help you get started. A daily meditation will help you in thinking through issues, limiting impulsive behavior and finding true meaning and purpose in your life.