You may have noticed that the benefits of gratitude described above are related in various ways. For example, gratitude reduces stress and helps you sleep, which improves your physical health. It also improves your relationships, which reduces your stress and increases your positive emotions. However you look at it, gratitude is an https://ecosoberhouse.com/ important node in a complex web of benefits. Feeling socially connected is one of the single most important aspects of a strong recovery from addiction. Much of the depression and anxiety that puts you at risk for depression in the first place stems from feelings of alienation, loneliness, disconnection, and perhaps even shame.

We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses. Having a recovery plan that you can always fall back on gives your recovery some structure. If you aren’t sure what to do, stick to the plan – and update it as your recovery progresses.

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Then, if you’re having an especially difficult day, read over some of the things that have filled you with gratitude. There is nothing like seeing families express gratitude in a real and meaningful way. For many, this is the first time in a long time that communication has been this real and honest. If you are anywhere near Tampa, Charlotte, Raleigh, Peachtree City, or Atlanta I would highly recommend attending this meeting. It could make a difference for you and your family on this very important holiday. We’re much more likely to treat the people in our lives with kindness and patience, because we become keenly aware of what we have to lose.

• It can take a daily mindful effort to focus on gratitude, but you will find over time that such practices can just become part of your life.
• Not everyone gets a “second chance” at life, so it is important to be grateful for your opportunity.
• Get you or your loved one help for addiction or mental health issues today.
• Sleep becomes less turbulent, allowing for longer hours asleep, waking refreshed.

Practicing gratitude is all about being grateful and thankful for what you have. When you focus on all the things you don’t have, it creates an attitude of ungratefulness and fosters negative emotions like jealousy and anger. Negativity can be detrimental to your recovery and make a life in sobriety seem dark, empty, and lonely.

The Importance of Gratitude in Recovery

This perspective can help you stay motivated and committed to your recovery goals, even when times are tough. A really great thing about practicing gratitude is that it can become infectious easily. Whether it’s just our basic drive to be competitive, or something much less cynical, practicing gratitude can lead those in close proximity to becoming better versions of themselves. When people see others practice gratitude, or are the recipient of someone’s gratitude expression, it often leads them to begin practicing gratitude themselves. This can have a snowballing effect that can brighten hundreds of lives in a short time.

The flip side is being resentful and seeing what’s wrong in life, not what’s right. And no matter which way we choose to look, there will be plenty to be found of both. Better Long Term Outlook — When we are grateful, we are less likely to relapse into damaging behaviors.

Life after Cocaine: Navigating the Challenges of Recovery

Or, things such as the satisfaction from doing your work well, from cleaning your home and taking care of yourself, from taking a hot bath, or putting time and effort into learning a new skill or hobby. These 8 ways gratitude in recovery to maintain an attitude of gratitude in addiction recovery will put you on the right path to staying focused on what’s important. Those who struggle with addiction may also struggle with the idea of gratitude.

At its essence, gratitude is feeling joy for the things you have in life. This isn’t limited to material possessions, although of course you can be grateful for the things in your life, too. Gratitude encompasses everything in life, including people, states of being, feelings, opportunities, and emotions.

This selfish line of thinking can cause any sort of recovery to diminish over time. Fighting addiction can make it difficult to see that we’re using this idea that anyone and everyone is against us is solely a defense mechanism. Especially in early recovery, there are a lot of emotions that surface that are no longer being numbed by drugs or alcohol, and these emotions can sometimes feel overwhelming.

With gratitude on your side, you can be a positive force in the world. Gratitude isn’t just a nice thing to do — it’s a key component to long-term recovery. As you focus on being grateful even when things go wrong, you’ll find that there is still so much you can be thankful for. Gratitude is can be defined as “feeling thankful about something or someone.” It is expressing or feeling emotion for that thing or a person you have in your life. If you are struggling with addiction, it may seem like there is no end to it.

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Whether you have a lot going on in your life or almost nothing, you can likely find even something to be grateful for. Taking stock of what you’re grateful for should be about stepping back and taking stock of what you appreciate, what has gone right, and how things have gone better than they could have. Every day, take just a moment or two to write down a few things that make you grateful. It could be spending an afternoon with a friend or watching the sunrise.

One of the simplest and most effective ways to practice gratitude is to keep a gratitude journal. Each day, take some time to write down a few things you are grateful for. It can be anything from the big (e.g., “I’m grateful for my sobriety”) to the small (e.g., “I’m grateful for a sunny day”). Other studies have also shown that practicing gratitude can lead to increased feelings of well-being and a more positive outlook in life.