Gratitude, also known as being grateful, is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. Gratitude is a practice, it’s something you can do on a daily basis. It’s easy to get caught up in life and not be grateful for all the wonderful things you have. With awareness and a little work, you can incorporate gratitude into your recovery. Overcoming substance abuse is a huge accomplishment and recovering addicts have a lot to be grateful for.
Learning How to be Grateful in Recovery
When you become grateful for your life in recovery, you have a much better chance of remaining sober. You can be grateful for material items such as your house and clothes, and you can also be grateful for intangible items, such as your health, and your relationships. People who are grateful tend to have stronger relationships with family and friends and are more likely to be successful professionally. There are a few specific things you can focus on when practicing gratitude:
Focus on What You Have
It’s important to focus on what you have, instead of what you don’t have. Addiction is a terrible disease and probably impacted your life negatively in numerous ways. While addiction did rule your life at one point, it no longer does. A great way to become grateful is reminding yourself that you’re now happy and healthy. You should be proud of yourself that you worked hard to get sober.
It’s rare for someone to get sober alone. While getting sober you probably had at least one person who supported you. Remind yourself once a day to be grateful for that. There are people in the world who have no support but you do.
There isn’t a single person on this planet that has everything in life. If you spend time focusing on what you don’t have, you’ll spend countless hours every day thinking negative thoughts. Don’t be surprised at how much of an effect appreciating one good thing a day will have on your mental health.
Stay Present
Living in the moment is a great way to remain grateful. Life can get complicated when we think about the past and what we would change. Life can also get super complicated when we try really hard to plan for the future. Whether you’re stuck in the past or trying to control the future, you’re definitely not thinking about all of the good things currently going on. There’s going to be a lot of things you can’t control in your new life of recovery, like someone else’s reaction to a situation, or a pandemic such as the coronavirus. By taking a deep breath, and reconnecting to the present moment, you’ll have a much easier time staying positive and grateful.
Give Back to Others
A big component to gratitude is returning kindness that’s been extended to you. While getting sober, there was probably at least one person who extended kindness to you. Maybe it was a therapist during treatment who let you go five minutes over your session because you were having a bad day. Maybe someone picked you up at home after treatment to take you to an AA meeting because you didn’t have a car. Now that you’re sober and happy it’s time to give back. There are plenty of people out there in the world, experiencing the same hopelessness and despair you once felt. Not only will you feel good about being able to give back to someone, but you’ll also be grateful you no longer feel the hopelessness and despair they’re feeling.
Why Being Grateful Is Important in Recovery
Being grateful will help you stay sober. Recovery is a lifelong journey that you have to work at every day. By practicing gratitude, you’ll stay happy and positive.
Let Us Help You Find the Right Addiction Treatment Option
At Rise in Malibu, we are a state of the art luxury drug rehab program in the gorgeous area of Malibu. We are located just off the cliffs of the Pacific Ocean. The landscapes that you can enjoy as you receive addiction treatment and get sober is unparalleled. Our programs can help you with the recovery process as you pursue your long-term sobriety. Our professionals will be able to provide you with the tools you need to be successful on your journey. To learn more about the benefits of our unique addiction recovery program, please contact us today! We look forward to helping you!
