Gratitude is an immeasurable quality in human beings. It’s something that can’t be proven or tracked without a significant degree of trust. If someone claims that they are grateful, we have to take their word for it. When it comes to our own gratitude, we have to be honest with ourselves with regard to understanding whether or not we are truly grateful for the positive aspects of our life. Like recovery, gratitude is entirely up to us to maintain.
The Role of Gratitude in Recovery
No one can force us to be grateful. No one can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are not grateful. When it comes to gratitude, it is entirely up to us how much of a role it plays in our lives. That said, gratitude can play a tremendous role in recovery. In almost every circle of people who contribute to the world of recovery, gratitude is one of the most highly recommended attitudes we can adopt for our own well-being.
Scientifically, gratitude is difficult to track. As mentioned before, you have to take someone at their word when they say they practice gratitude regularly. However, despite the barriers to accurate tracking, studies have shown that those who profess to make gratitude a part of their regular regimen in recovery have better success in maintaining their recovery. In short, practicing gratitude makes us more likely to maintain our wellness.
Why Does Gratitude Help?
Gratitude can be a spiritual factor in our lives. Believing in and thanking a higher power can provide some of us with a sense of purpose. The world can be a terrifying place. However, the belief in a higher power that cares for our well-being can provide a wealth of support and goodwill to our lives. While in recovery, having something greater than a human being to lean on can be beyond comforting and help contribute to our success.
However, gratitude can serve a purpose even without the belief in a higher power or spirituality at all. Being thankful requires us to acknowledge that there are positive aspects of our lives. Taking a moment or two to be grateful every day helps us focus on the positive aspects of our life that we don’t often take the time to appreciate. Focusing on the positive helps alleviate stress and even reduces the power of triggers that could potentially lead us back down the road of self-defeating behaviors.
Regardless of whether or not you subscribe to the spiritual aspect of recovery, practicing gratitude can have a practical, positive impact on every single day. The world doesn’t hesitate to throw negatives in our path. Our best defense against that is taking the time to appreciate all the positives that may not be as obvious.
We tend to notice the red traffic lights in our lives much more often than we do the green lights. For some of us, the negative aspects of the world are just so much more obvious than the positives. However, there are many things we can be grateful for on a daily basis when we’re on the path to recovery. There is never a better time than right now to begin to erase all the negatives and embrace the positives. If you want more to be grateful, call The Guest House at (855) 483-7800 today.