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Expressing gratitude to those that support you can be one of the most rewarding efforts you will ever make in recovery. Gratitude is also one of the foundational virtues in the creation of happiness. When you can exercise gratitude on your road to recovery, you are less likely to relapse because you are more self-confident and empowered to move forward. A grateful attitude also helps you when challenges arise that threaten and trigger your most negative impulses. Suppose you have not been practicing gratitude and are struggling to move forward with the transition to becoming the fully-realized self that you envision. In that case, it might be time to shift your perspective and outlook and begin expressing gratitude to yourself and those that support you.
Self-Gratitude
In early recovery, you likely have many emotions that surface that are no longer being numbed by drugs or alcohol. Sometimes these emotions are overwhelming and can leave you focusing on only the negative aspects of yourself. Such feelings may include guilt, shame, and remorse. However, practicing gratitude helps you look outward to the beautiful things that surround you, and when you can begin to recognize these things, you can then begin to forgive yourself and heal yourself from within.
You can start with small things like taking the time to appreciate a beautiful day, a nice meal or, a good conversation with a friend. Taking moments out of your day to stop and focus on what is good around you helps build gratitude and helps place you in the present. It also enables you to view things from a logical and rational perspective – rather than worry about an imagined future that has not happened yet.
To further establish your efforts, you might try keeping a gratitude journal or list. Taking time to record in a journal or list each day, whether in the morning or evening, helps implement a positive outlook. You can begin small by writing down three to five things each day and building from there. In addition to building positive self-esteem, it is also a great way to track your progress to see how far you have come.
Write Letters to Others
Sometimes it might be difficult to practice gratitude by looking at yourself and the good things in your life; however, you might easily identify the good in others. Writing a letter of gratitude to someone in your life that made a difference can bring out your healthiest of positive emotions. Start by thinking of a person you want to write to: is it a friend, family member, or sponsor? Next, think about the difference they made in your life: is it something they said or did that inspired change? The intent is to express what this person did to add more meaning and happiness to your life. If you are not the type to write longhand, you can use email, or for a less formal feeling approach, you can create an online space where you and your closest friends and family can go and share messages of gratitude.
Sharing these honest and personal feelings helps enhance empathy and reduce aggression. When you practice this kind of gratitude, you are more likely to become prosocial even when others behave less kind. Acquiring such attributes can help you overcome the people and challenges in everyday life.
Volunteer
A great way to experience the benefits of gratitude is by seeking volunteer opportunities in your community. Helping others in need reach their goals can be very rewarding. Volunteering can help connect you with others and continue to build and strengthen your community and support system. The best part about volunteering is that you do not need any experience - there are many different ways to get involved. Sometimes your willingness to help will be the only qualification required.
Despite these uncertain times with COVID-19, you can seek volunteer opportunities from home. There are plenty of online options to get involved in a volunteer project, such as Volunteer Match. You might also look locally to discover what is available for you to help out safely. While volunteering is a selfless and kind act, it can sometimes lead to career opportunities with the organization or someone associated with it. So, if you are passionate about what you're doing, you might get out of it the desired career opportunity.
Giving Back to the Community
Just as your support system has welcomed you in and helped you endure difficult times, it will come the time when you can take someone under your wing and help them. If you have been managing your sobriety, you might consider becoming a sponsor for someone just beginning their journey. Such a position is a commitment to practicing positive behavior, a belief to empower and improve another person's life, a willingness to share experiences, including expressing your weaknesses, and the opportunity to learn from another. Remember, being sober is only one element to recovery; staying sober is the goal and requires you to continue to learn and grow from others' shared experiences.
Likewise, giving back not only helps you see how far you have come but how valuable the efforts of others in your life have been. Recognizing this helps to appreciate and strengthen your connection to those in your support system. Seeing how much people care about you is something to feel fortunate and grateful for each day, and you might express as much the next time you talk with them.
The recovery journey is about recognizing how far you have come, how much you have gained, and how important having friends and family to help you along the way is. Showing gratitude has a profound way of helping you feel appreciated, improving your health, and exceeding even the highest expectations of yourself. At START UP Recovery, we believe that everybody can cultivate gratitude. Taking the time to focus on what you have rather than what you do not have is a great way to help you decipher between what is true about yourself vs. what you think you “deserve.” Self-transformation is a life-long pursuit filled with magical people and experiences. At START UP Recovery, we strive to meet each individual in recovery and help build within them the tools and confidence needed to transform themselves and their lives. It all begins with taking the first step. So, if you need help, seek it today by reaching out to START UP Recovery at (310) 773-3809.