What are you thankful for? Cultivating gratitude is an important practice in any aspect of life, and especially in recovery. After all, the recovery journey is full of challenging twists and turns. Practicing gratitude in recovery can help you stay focused, resilient, and positive through it all. So what does gratitude in addiction recovery look like day by day?
Why is Gratitude Important in Recovery?
VerywellMind.com describes gratitude as a positive emotion that elicits thankfulness and appreciation. Practicing it means feeling grateful for something or someone and responding with warmth, kindness, and generosity. You’re aware that something good has happened to you, usually as a result of someone else, nature, or even a divine being. Gratitude may arise spontaneously, and it can also be cultivated as a regular practice.
But why is gratitude important in recovery? As mentioned earlier, recovery can be a hard road. While it’s entirely worthwhile, recovery can be filled with challenges, setbacks, and tough adjustments as you transition from a life of addiction to a life of sobriety. The real world is also filled with addiction triggers, so each day requires intentionality and discipline to stay the course with your recovery goals. It gets all too easy to dwell on these challenges each day.
Cultivating gratitude in recovery helps you reframe your recovery experience in a positive light. Instead of being consumed by its challenges, gratitude helps remind you of the progress you’ve made. You become more aware of the good things recovery brings your way in spite of its hardships. You begin to see your circumstances differently and cherish the blessings in your life.
According to Psychiatry Journal, research shows an association between gratitude and an overall sense of well-being. As you practice gratitude in addiction recovery, your self-esteem increases over time, as you’re dwelling more on the things you have than the things you don’t. Cultivating gratitude can also increase your optimism, improve your relationships, reduce anxiety and stress, and even improve your physical health, shares Harvard Health Publishing.
How to Practice Gratitude in Addiction Recovery
Knowing that gratitude is important to both your life and recovery, how can you incorporate it into your regular rhythms of life? Gratitude, like other recovery practices, is a discipline that takes work to excel in consistently. There are a number of exercises you can utilize to cultivate gratitude along the recovery journey, including:
Thank-You Notes
Part of practicing gratitude is showing appreciation for what other people have done for you. No doubt you’ve had a lot of help from loved ones along the way on your sobriety journey. Make it a practice to write thank you notes to specific individuals, whether for how they’ve helped your recovery or for their simple acts of kindness.
Giving Back to the Community
A key practice while navigating the holidays in recovery (not to mention all year), serving the community is an exceptional way to pursue gratitude in addiction recovery. Perhaps it’s volunteering at a homeless shelter or after-school program. Maybe you get groceries for a single mom or mow a widow’s lawn in the neighborhood. Not only does giving back create positive feelings, it also reminds you how good you have it.
Maintain a Gratitude List in Recovery
There’s just something about writing down your blessings in life. First in the morning or before bed, keep a regular gratitude list in recovery of a few things that you’re thankful for each day. Here are a few starter items you could add to your gratitude list in recovery:
- Help from therapists, support groups, a recovery mentor, and treatment programs
- Your loved ones
- A new lease on life
- Freedom from addiction
- Better health
- Your accomplishments
- New jobs, relationships, or hobbies to pursue
- Hope for the future
- Basic needs like food, a place to live, clothes to wear, etc.
- A good recovery day
Meditation and Mindfulness
Mindfulness in recovery, which is also another practice to pursue regularly, can help to increase your awareness of what you have to be grateful for in life. And you can reinforce this awareness with daily meditation, dwelling on the positive aspects of your recovery and your life. This also opens up the opportunity to bring spirituality into your recovery as you can pray a prayer of gratitude to your higher power.
Celebrate Small Wins
Sure, you may have big, long-term recovery goals. But progress toward those goals is filled with small victories along the way. Make sure you celebrate these wins, no matter how small, on a consistent basis. Not only does this cultivate gratitude in recovery, it also boosts your self-esteem and self-confidence.
Jumpstart Your Recovery in New England
Gratitude is a powerful tool for long-term recovery. For more tools that can help sustain your recovery, be sure to seek the help of a professional addiction treatment center. At Sana at Stowe in Stowe, Vermont, our compassionate, holistic addiction treatment programs equip you to finally overcome your struggles. As a result, you’re empowered with the know-how needed to maintain your sobriety for the long haul. To get started, call us today.
