Practicing mindfulness is helpful to recovery. Step 4 and 5 are what REALY helped me to learn mindfulness. Specifically, as I turned my mind in a calm way to my character weaknesses, systematically inventorying them, and then confessed them to another human being – it was as though I was stepping outside my sins and weaknesses and observing them as something I DO – not something I AM. So as result of these steps 4 and 5, I have become more aware when my weaknesses come to knock on my door. With this awareness, I can slow my reaction down sufficiently to turn to God and allow His Spirit to fill me instead. This is a mindfulness process – of nonjudgmental observation and compassion for self and others and staying in God’s peace….My peace and sense of self and connection to God can then be like a chessboard – Consistent and unchanging….and emotions and events are simply moving pieces on the chessboard that I am patient with….I am not unduly influenced by the pieces, however full of sound and fury they may strut and fret their little parts.
