EXPRESSING GRATITUDE IN RECOVERY

Gratitude can come in many shapes and sizes depending on what we are feeling grateful for. In recovery, this is something that should be exercised more frequently to help us stay grounded and to remember where we came from. Below, Can-Am Interventions has listed some tips and guidelines that may help us with the importance of gratitude and how to apply it in our recovery.

  1. Take stock of what you’re grateful for

Whether you have a lot going on in your life or almost nothing at all, you can likely find something to be grateful for. For example, if you are in recovery, you can be grateful that you made it this far, that you had the willpower and perseverance to achieve clean time, for the people that have helped you, or even for the roof over your head. Taking stock of what you’re grateful for should be about stepping back and realizing what you are grateful for, what has gone right, and how things have gone better than they could have.

  1. Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness is a practice that is increasingly used in holistic addiction treatment, but also something that can help you to be grateful separately from recovering from an addiction. Mindfulness is the simple practice of living in the present, paying attention to the present moment, and letting thoughts go rather than focusing on them. This follows the principle that most people spend about 50% of their time worrying, resulting in anxiety, depression, and less enjoyment of what they’re actually doing.

  1. Notice the little things

While there are many things that you can be grateful for, many people spend a considerable amount of time looking for big or important things that have meaning. It’s important to keep in mind that things don’t have to have any significance for you to be grateful for them. The sun could be shining, someone could have wished you a good day, you could have a good book, have woken up happy, or any number of other seemingly insignificant things. Think about little things that make you happy on a day-to-day basis. For example, the taste of coffee or your favorite dish, your favorite TV show, and learning something like a joke. The important thing is that you take stock, recognize where things contribute to making your life better, and give those things a moment of attention so that you know that they are there.

  1. Contribute and help others

Most people tend to be happier and more satisfied with life when they contribute to others and help them with their own lives. This applies whether you’re volunteering to help others, doing things that make your friends and family happy, or working in a way that contributes to your community and surroundings. Volunteering actually triggers the reward system in our brains, causing us to feel happier and more satisfied. This happens because most humans are wired to benefit from social good, including helping others. When you do good things you just feel good, which will help you to feel better.

  1. Accept imperfection and life as it is

One of the biggest threats to being happy with what you have and being grateful for what you have is consistently trying to measure yourself against a standard of perfection. You’ve gone into recovery, life should be perfect now right? Unfortunately, life will always have its ups and downs, you will always have your ups and downs and you will always have things that don’t go as planned. Whether those things are slip ups and relapses, problems at work or in your personal life, or even small things like traffic lights, you need to learn to accept them and be grateful for life anyway.

  1. Forgive yourself and others

Suffering from a substance abuse disorder can cause you to do things you aren’t proud of. Many people experience shame and guilt regarding their addiction. However, a substance use disorder is a disease, it’s often the result of choices you made, by choices you made without the intention of becoming addicted. You may have made mistakes but you are trying and you are in recovery and getting better. Recognizing that and working to forgive yourself is an important step. At the same time, you should work to both forgive others who may have made things worse for you or said harsh things while you were addicted and work to reach closure with them.

  1. Express gratitude to others

Most of the time, our friends and family constantly do small things for us that may not seem like much but are a consistent and constant sign of love. Even if you don’t have any close friends and family, you do likely have sponsors, peers at your self help group, counselors, and new friends you may have made on your way to recovery. Taking the time to recognize what others are doing for you, no matter how small, and expressing gratitude to them, will help you to recognize their efforts and how much you are appreciated and cared for.

  1. Make space for things that make you happy

It’s difficult to be grateful for everything if you’re constantly working and struggling. Many people jump out of recovery and into trying to get their life back on track, which may include long hours at a job, spending time with children, or even going back to school. No matter what you’re doing with your life, it’s also important that you take the time to create space and moments for yourself to just relax and do things that make you happy without drugs or alcohol. For example, you can spend time with friends, go swimming, go for hikes, go see your favorite movie, get a massage, or anything else that makes you happy. It’s always good if you have hobbies that you truly enjoy, and if you don’t you can always work on developing some. Why will this help you stay grateful? Taking time out from our busy life will give us perspective, time to take stock and see what you have, and room to enjoy your life.

Help?

Learning the tools of life and recovery such as Gratitude are important but not always easy at first. It is important that we be patient with ourselves and to persevere when exercising this skill. This may come easier to some than others, but the importance of obtaining this skill is life-changing. Can-Am Interventions understands the importance of this skill and how beneficial it is for the success of our recovery and relationships. If you or someone you care about needs assistance, or can benefit from guidance on this matter, please reach out to us. We are here to help with all the needs recovery requires and will provide direction and treatment as necessary. If you are reading this, then you have already completed the first step of being aware there is a problem. The next step is a phone call away. We look forward to the opportunity of helping you.

For More Information:

E: patti.pike@canaminterventions.com 

W: www.canaminterventions.com

1-800-638-1812 Toll Free Internationally

415-827-3725 Cell /Text

415-578-2875 Office

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