Inside all of us resides a secret weapon for healing and fostering a positive mindset, known as gratitude. When you practice gratitude, you allow yourself to notice and feel appreciation for all you have in life, not limited to material possessions but encompassing your relationships, opportunities, experiences, and feelings. Gratitude is a powerful tool to utilize in recovery because it offers a simple solution to combating any negative thinking or emotions that may fuel the urge to relapse.
Using Gratitude to Break the Addiction Cycle
Addiction feeds off negative thought loops, but gratitude interrupts this sort of thinking. Someone struggling with addiction carries feelings like shame, guilt, and disappointment, and when they enter into recovery, these heavy emotions don’t just go away overnight.
It is a process to find hope, self-love, and acceptance as you walk down your path in recovery, and gratitude can help foster these feelings within you. By using gratitude to establish a positive thinking pattern, you will be less prone to sliding into negative thought patterns and equipped with coping tools when triggers pop up.
Ways to Invite Gratitude Into Your Daily Life
- Start a gratitude journal. Inside your journal, make a gratitude list every morning or evening and write something different that you are grateful for in your life every day.
- Put gratitude in action. Get involved in your community and give back since you realize how much you have and want to share your fortune with others.
- Pause and reflect. The quiet little moments of everyday life offer us the perfect time to pause and reflect on what we have. Whether it’s enjoying the smell of freshly baked bread, the way the outside world feels so peaceful in the morning quiet, or a friendly smile from a stranger, finding little moments of contentment offers you a moment to be thankful for the present.
- Write thank-you notes. Thank you notes are a great way to bring appreciation to the thoughtfulness of others in your life and spread gratitude to them. Your thank-you notes may even spark others to bring more gratitude into their life.
Practicing gratitude is a simple way to encourage yourself to feel joy and optimism in your life. Allowing gratitude to shape a positive mindset for you will aid you in a smoother recovery. Intentionally begin cultivating a gratitude practice in your life and start experiencing the benefits of well-being and happiness today. If you or a loved one is struggling to get or remain sober, call Avalon Malibu. At Avalon, we offer a continuum of high-quality, integrated care that meets the many needs of our patients. Our staff of professionals is devoted to customizing a treatment plan right for you so that you can find lasting recovery. Call us today at (844) 857-5992.
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