Expressing gratitude can help you cultivate a positive mindset to help you in recovery from addiction. You might be stuck in a negative thought loop or pattern and struggle with feeling good about your daily life. Monitoring the thoughts in your head can be an important part of your recovery. If you find yourself constantly consumed or overwhelmed with negative thoughts, these may be warning signs that things are going wrong. If you are struggling, remember to get support and help to maintain sobriety. You may need to reach out if you are in danger of relapse. Sometimes, your negative thought patterns may be causing you to have more and more thoughts about relapsing behaviors. To stop this pattern of negativity, you can begin to express gratitude in your everyday life.
Expressing gratitude can help shift your thinking from negative to positive thought patterns. As you start to actively work on thinking about what you are thankful for each day, your mind will begin to look for these things. Recovery takes time and work. Change will not happen overnight and you may need to work daily at new steps to your positive growth. At first, expressing gratitude will take work and reminders. As you begin to build this habit in your life, you will begin to notice a shift in your thinking. You will start to notice more of the good in things and less of the bad. With effort and commitment, these thought patterns will become more and more automatic.
Name Three Things Right Now
When you are feeling low and start thinking negative thoughts, interrupt the pattern by looking for three things to be grateful for at the current moment. Even in the middle of a stressful workday, you should be able to find at least three things to be happy for. You might just be grateful to have a job or a place to sleep. You might be happy about the fun things you are doing on the weekend or for a friend you are going to be seeing soon. You might be grateful for having a lunch break or having water to drink. Thinking of these things during stressful times can help you find perspective. Remember that things are never as bad as you tell yourself. Just work to see the good things you have working for you, no matter how simple or common.
Gratitude Journals
Writing out the things you are grateful for each day can also help you learn to put a positive spin on things. At the end of each day before going to bed, take time to reflect on your day. Think about three things that you are grateful for that occurred during the day. Again, this can be simple and common, such as having a bed to sleep in or having dinner with a friend. When you reflect on your day, you may be inclined to dwell on negative events or circumstances. You may be thinking about everything that went wrong during the day. By looking back on your day and actively seeking the good parts, you will begin to notice these things more and more throughout your day. You can begin to notice the good things as they are occurring. This may take some work and require looking back at first. However, you are retraining your brain to begin seeking the positive things in your daily life.
Write Thank You Notes
Thank you notes can help you maintain your support system by letting people know how much they mean to you. Whenever a friend helps you out, make sure to thank them. Thanking others does not always need to be formalized in a written note. Just remembering to say these things or send a text message the following day can go a long way. You may want to consider writing and sending thank you notes for gestures that go above everyday expectations. For example, writing a thank you note to prospective employers for a job interview or writing a thank you letter to a past treatment program.
Working on writing out what you are thankful for in your relationships and interactions with others can help you reflect on the positive people in your life. Being thankful for others can help to remind you that you are not alone. Other people are in your life supporting you, providing opportunities, and helping you in your recovery. By expressing your gratitude, you are letting them know that they are helpful and important to you. Often, when you express thanks to others, you hear positive things back. You may be surprised at the positive impact that you have on others!
Expressing gratitude can help you learn to seek the positive things in your daily life. Looking for the positive when we are in a negative state of mind may be difficult. However, the work that we put in will pay off. In recovery, we need to help our brains heal to find the good things in life. As we practice gratitude, our brains begin to seek the positive things in our lives. You may be surprised at how your mind can develop a new habit with some daily work on your end! Be sure to express thanks to the important people in your life. Let those supporting you know how much you appreciate what they do. This will help to maintain relationships and keep your support group invested in your recovery. If you are seeking additional support, call Everlast Recovery Centers at 866-DETOX-25 today!
