Service users embraced the practice of Mindfulness in their relapse prevention group work session at New Beginnings as part of the Structured Day Programme.
The session involved introducing the concept of Mindfulness and how to apply this in their recovery journey.
Recovery Practitioner Terez Nagy said: “If you spend much of your time worrying about the future, dwelling on past events, or even if you’re just looking for a way to improve your physical and mental wellbeing, then Mindfulness is for you.
“It’s a way of paying attention to the present moment, using techniques like meditation, breathing and yoga, and helps us become more aware of our thoughts and feelings so that instead of being overwhelmed by them, we’re better able to manage them.”
One of the activities during the session was to individually create a piece of art using the practice of focus and awareness, which was collated to form a larger piece of artwork. Service users then reflected on their work and identified any feelings and responses that arose during the activity.
Terez added: “Service users gave examples of how they could use some of the techniques they’d learned in their daily life – such as meditation to help them through the day.
“They also scored how they felt before and after the session – with some fantastic results, so we’ll be running more sessions in the future!”
