Having a mindfulness practice can be an integral part of recovery – whether that’s recovery from a substance use disorder or from secondhand drinking | secondhand drugging. But it can seem a daunting task – clear your mind and focus on the present – HOW?! Especially when your mind is bouncing from thought to thought the way it does in the throws of early recovery. Today’s guest author, Paul Garrigan, offers his suggestions on developing the mindfulness practice of just looking.

Paul Garrigan is a registered nurse specializing in addiction treatment. His interest in this area is driven by an almost two-decade history of alcoholism. Paul overcame his addiction problem using a mindfulness approach and discovered the same tools were effective for dealing with recurrent episodes of depression and anxiety. He now manages the mindfulness program at Hope Rehab Thailand.

The Mindfulness Practice of Just Looking by Paul Garrigan

Memories of Beach Walking with a Workaholic

Guest author, Paul Garrigan, shares his thoughts on the mindfulness practice of just looking.

It took a of lot convincing to get my wife to agree to a move from Bangkok to the coastal province of Rayong. I grew up beside the sea (albeit the cold Irish Sea), and I always feel a bit unsettled if I’m far away from the coast. I felt sure Rayong would be a nicer place to bring up our son, but the main attraction for me was the opportunity for regular walks on the beach.

Beach walking holds a special significance for me. My dad was a bit of a workaholic, but he always found time for his daily walks, and when I was old enough, I would go along with him. When I think of my dad, it is usually a memory of the two of us walking along the beach together. He seemed happiest when he was out on his strolls, and I grew to share his enthusiasm.

Walking in Thailand

I have lived in Thailand for 17 years, and I have been sober for the last ten of them. I love living here, especially now that I’m not drinking, but it is not the best country for walking enthusiasts. It gets too hot during the day, and there is a severe limitation of walking opportunities in most parts of the country, and don’t get me started about the traffic.

I did try to walk regularly when I lived in rural Thailand, but it was hard to go 10 steps without some kind-hearted local offering me a lift on their tractor or motorbike (they understandably could never grasp the concept that someone might choose to walk in the blistering heat).

Moving to Rayong meant 10km of stunning sandy beach within easy reach. It was perfect for walking in the early morning or evenings. I felt privileged to live beside a tropical beach, and during my first year living here, I would go for at least on hour walk every day.

During those early months of beach walking in Rayong, my attention was naturally drawn to my surroundings because everything felt so new. It was a type of meditation because I could so easily focus on my environment and the physical act of walking. Going for a stroll meant a bit of a break from habitual thinking, and I always returned home feeling peaceful and happy. After a few months, this all started to change as the novelty value of walking on a tropical beach wore off.

The Art of Mindlessness – What Happens When We Stop Looking

Within a year of moving to Rayong, these beach walks felt more like a chore than a privilege. As far as my mind was concerned, I had been there and done that, and there was nothing new worthy of my attention. There were now days where I could spend the whole walk lost in a daydream – I could leave without hardly any memories of being on the beach.

The problem was that I had stopped looking. Over the years, my brain developed a bias towards thinking, so if there wasn’t something interesting in the environment, it would revert to habitual thoughts patterns. It wasn’t that I was solving important problems or writing my next novel when I stopped noticing my surroundings – it was mostly negative stuff about the things I wanted and didn’t have and how badly my life was going.

My beach walking rock-bottom came after I spent almost two weeks obsessing about what I would do if I won the lottery. I must have wasted at least ten hours worrying about how I would spend the money, and how I would share it. It completely stressed me out, and I would return from these walks in a bad mood that would last for hours. It was completely ridiculous because not only had I not won the lottery, but I don’t even buy lottery tickets!

Looking as a Mindfulness Practice

Beach walking became less satisfying when I wasn’t engaged in my surroundings. Then the solution came to me. My brain is easily drawn to novelty, so what would happen if I deliberately directed my attention to stuff I hadn’t noticed before. I began to play a solo version of ‘I spy with my little eye’, and it was like being on the beach for the first time again. I couldn’t believe some of the stuff I hadn’t seen before (e.g. I had been walking past a museum for a year without even noticing it), and every time I walked I would see new things – it was endless.

I teach my clients at Hope Rehab Thailand to practice just looking. It’s a wonderful mindfulness practice that we can do anywhere and anytime. It gives us a break from our thinking, and it can be particularly useful if we are feeling anxious or obsessive. It’s simple. Just look at your surroundings and find ten things you have never noticed before. Even if you are in a space you are very familiar with, you still should have no problem finding new things.

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