Mindful Awareness Practice

Today I had an opportunity to use what I consider to be an important future SMART Recovery tool and that is mindfulness or as I call it mindful awareness practice or MAP. 


I had a very important meeting – one that had taken a great deal of time and effort to schedule. I had a late start and was way behind and felt it was very clear that I was going to be late for this meeting. Unfortunately I did not have any contact information or my cell phone with me so I could not call anyone. As I was driving along I got behind a school bus, which seemed to stop at every other block. Time was ticking. I was getting frustrated and feeling great stress. I also was getting angry at whatever was going on, including at the school bus. I was cursing at the driver and the kids who were taking so much time to get off.

 

However, I then said, “Hey, wait a minute. What's going on here? You are getting all stressed over something that hasn't happened yet.” I turned to a mindful awareness practice. I took couple of deep breaths and then focused on the moment and accepted the fact that I was behind the school bus. I looked at the moment and became aware of the fact that I was here and the time was now and that the meeting was in the future at another place. I was here and now in the present. That was there and then in the future. I settled into the moment, focused on it, and became aware of what was going around me. As I drove further along, I became aware of the school bus and the little children who were getting off of it.

 

The stress eased and almost went away.  The anger went away entirely.  I felt peaceful and I drove in comfort to the place of the meeting. And, in actual fact, I got there right on time.

Posted by Bill Abbott at 2/26/2013 8:30 PM
Categories: uncategorized
 

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  • 2/28/2013 4:59 PM Anneb wrote:
    Mindfulness is a great tool. Going to challenge you a bit, how do you use it in a profession where you have to be looking towards what could be happening in the future?
    Reply to this
    1. 3/29/2013 7:53 PM Matt Robert wrote:
      Being mindful, and in the present moment doesn't inhibit planning for the future. It means one must make use of all the possibilities in the present to bolster future outcomes. If one starts in the future, projecting plans and their outcomes— second-guessing, hoping and worrying — it obscures what is happening in the present moment. If thoughts are residing in the future, they make limited use of what is in the present that may enhance future planning. It narrows the possibilities in the present moment, and in turn, the future. One state is more obsessive, the other calm, open and deliberative.
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      1. 4/1/2026 7:50 AM Bill Abbott wrote:
        Oh yes this is absolutely correct. It would be impossible to live in today's world wthout planning and I for one in SR strongly urge people to plan for every contingency. 

        So its not so much living in the present all the time but rather centering or anchoring oneself in the reality of the present experience.

        This is a very complex issue for which there is no one or simple answer

        BillA



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      2. 4/28/2013 9:50 AM Bill Abbott wrote:
        Hello readers

        I have decided , in addition to writing here a bit more often, that it would be good to open this blog in two ways

        The first is to ask for guest bloggers to contribute thoughts, ideas, commentary, or info on important subjects related to what we do in Smart Recovery. This may be or not science. I will maintain a role as " editor" if you will to ensure that submissions are reasonably on topic ( as in we wont post gripes about gun control or lack thereof as topical as it is) and arent blatantly wrong in a harmful sense ( such as a claim that laetrile cures addiction ) .Criticism is fine but bashing is notl 

        Second Im going to broaden the scope from the specifically science based posts to other things that I find of interest too . such as a  commentary on the recent publication on the status of addiction in the US weve already seen in several other SR posts but linked again here 

        Ive used the link from The Fix. This is a pretty good source always keeping in mind its slant towards 12 step ideas and I read it regularly with an open but critical mind .

        Stay tuned and lets hear from you 



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  • 3/2/2026 6:34 PM Randy Larrivee wrote:
    What a breath of fresh air this post was. I didn't read it right away as I wanted to take time to make sure I understood it. When I saw the quote "acceptance" all I could think about was that famous "page 447 in the big book" Where is says "everything in God's world is just as it should be", which says that I can't change ANYTHING. Here Bill talks about not trying to change something that would be dangerous or impossible to change. Not to be confused with not changing something that would be dangerous if NOT changed. I love this post,thanks Bill.
    Reply to this
    1. 3/6/2026 10:25 AM Bill Abbott wrote:
      Thanks Randy-- Short but practical mindful moment at work...
      Bill

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