Some individuals who struggle with substance use get into a mental state where they feel everything is against them. This mindset creates a defense mechanism that may be used against them and everyone else. The emotional roller coaster of substance abuse induces isolation and distances the person suffering from those around them. Because of the defense mechanisms created by substances, both humility and gratitude are of vital importance in your understanding of the addiction recovery process. How can you understand gratefulness, and are there ways to make yourself more grateful through the recovery process?
Gratitude and humility are the key elements of various treatment modalities. They are vital to understand due to their effect on the overall recovery path. Throughout the year, there are many holiday events where gratitude is brought to light, but how can you apply gratitude to your everyday life if you don’t understand it?
Gratitude is essentially the thought and emotion of being thankful, along with the ability to express appreciation through various outlets. Being thankful is often a feeling exposed in the recovery path. Gratitude is more than just saying thanks or being thankful inside. There are actions behind gratitude that express its importance.
Sharing your gratitude with others in treatment or in your life is a noble example of what you want to be and how you want to live. The emotion of gratitude isn’t just something you practice; it’s a tool embedded into recovery modalities to provide simple reminders and observations of your life. Gratitude involves actions and emotions to express and respect yourself, deepening your understanding of how to relate to and respect others.
The core elements of gratitude begin with adjusting your mindset and adopting particular behaviors. If you realize that gratitude is a valuable skill or tool, you can use it to grow yourself and encourage others in your recovery journey.
Humility and gratitude start with a perspective shift. You can view humility and gratitude as a negative aspect or shift your thinking toward a more positive lens. Going through the recovery journey is never simple, but with a perspective shift on gratitude, you can become more thoughtful and productive in your life.
As you go through recovery, there will be various coping mechanisms that address your mindset on gratitude. They will push you to practice appreciation of the small things in life. You may ask yourself what makes you love and laugh or whether you are prone to showing acts of kindness. When you dive into the notions of gratitude, you understand the concept deeper and take joy and happiness out of the little things surrounding you every day.
Some individuals who struggle with substance use feel as if they are trapped and may not understand gratitude in the early stages of recovery. However, taking the initial step of being in recovery can open the door to optimism and the opportunity to develop your gratefulness during recovery.
Recovery gives you another chance at life with new hope and growth. It allows you to be a better person and express gratitude and love towards the ones that you care about. As you continue through treatment, it’s easier to understand gratefulness. You will first notice there is vital importance in helping those around you, even if it’s a small helping hand.
You can practice different types of gratitude throughout your treatment to help yourself succeed and help those around you stay accountable for practicing their gratitude. Some activities in recovery that focus on gratitude and humility are meditation, cognitive behavioral thinking, journaling, mindfulness, energy-boosting activities, stress-reducing therapy, goal creation, and a focus on the present and the future.
Through recovery, you learn that nothing comes without a challenge. Regardless if you’re sober or not, life throws difficulties at you to test you and make you a better person. You can overcome living with substances. Recovery builds your tolerance and establishes self-sufficiency while working on your mental state, improving your resilience and understanding of humility and gratefulness.
Understanding gratefulness and making yourself more grateful on a day-to-day basis will push your journey of recovery in a positive direction. Practicing gratitude with your loved ones or those around you in recovery is a testament to the sort of kindness that can go a long way. It also helps build a foundational block to transforming yourself and releasing harbored feelings that you may have.
There are various ways you can make yourself honest and thankful when you have reclaimed your life with recovery. You can make time for different activities to practice your gratitude during the recovery process, encouraging self-reflection on your actions and emotions and ensuring that you always stay mindful during the steps of your recovery journey. By doing small, action-based practices, your gratitude will start developing through treatment. This will make it easier to accomplish and maintain once treatment is over. If you or someone you love feels everything is being stripped away in your life, whether it’s your commitments, happiness, or relationships, or you just need help to understand how to embed gratitude in your life, NorthStar Transitions is here for you. We want to help you practice gratitude and humility in recovery to make sure that you find ways to use them in your future. To learn more about gratefulness or substance treatment guidance, call us at (303) 558-6400.
