A gratitude journal can be a powerful tool for a person in recovery from a substance use disorder. A common approach to a gratitude journal involves writing down three things you are grateful for each day. Many people like to do this in the evening so that they can reflect on the day they have just experienced.
Anything at all is fair game for your gratitude journal. Some of the things that end up in your journal might be big: a promotion at work, a new relationship, your ongoing sobriety.
But many times, you could find yourself jotting down things that are comparatively small. You might be thankful for a compliment you received. You might be grateful for your pet. You might feel gratitude for coworkers or for a nice sunset or for the chance to watch your favorite movie.
There is a decent chance you will list some things frequently. For example, you might find yourself expressing your gratitude for a good friend—especially one who stands by you as you work to maintain your sobriety. Or you may discover that a favorite meal makes its way into your gratitude journal every time you make and enjoy it.
All of this is wonderful and appropriate for your gratitude journal. Being intentional about writing down things you are thankful for is a great way to support your sobriety because it brings to mind the many reasons—big and small—that you have for staying away from drugs and alcohol. That is good in and of itself.
But you can also take your gratitude journal a step further.
Reflect On Your Role
In a recent edition of the New York Times morning newsletter, Melissa Kirsch wrote about her decision to compliment herself more—not in a conceited way, but in a way that reminds her of the things she does well on any given day. She writes:
At the end of the day, I try to write down as many things as I can think of that I appreciate about myself. It might be how I handled a difficult situation, or that I checked something off my to-do list that I’d been putting off. It might be something witty I said, or the way I reframed how I was thinking about a situation. Some days there’s not much content to work with, and I might just appreciate that I made the bed even though I really didn’t want to, or that my hair looked kind of good.
A purposeful recounting of positive moments is a great way to battle our general tendency to dwell on things that have not gone well during the day—that snarky comment you shouldn’t have made or the mistake you made on an important project or what have you. It can also be a powerful practice in combination with your gratitude journal.
For example, you might write an entry like this in your journal:
I was a little annoyed early in the day but was able to moderate my reaction and find a compromise. Also, I offered encouragement to a frustrated co-worker. These reactions to situations can be mindfully managed when I give myself time and space.
Similarly, you might right something akin to:
Ate healthily today and have been walking more over the last few days. These are two things in my control that are good for my mental and physical health.
This practice can be useful even if the thing you are expressing gratitude for is something that at first blush appears to exist wholly apart from you.
I noticed the leaves changing color on the tree outside my window today. I’m grateful for the beauty and the reminder that things are always changing. I’m also glad that I took a few moments to enjoy the view today rather than missing in it the rush to get things done.
The goal here is to identify something you feel grateful about and then to name the ways in which your decisions or actions or thoughts helped make that feeling possible. Remembering not only that there are good things in your life but also that you can help create more good things in your life (and in the lives of others) can make your gratitude practice even more robust and significant to your ongoing recovery.
We Are Grateful for the Opportunity to Help People
At The Aviary Recovery Center—located near St. Louis, Missouri—we are especially grateful for the ways in which our work can make a decisive difference in a person’s life. We provide personalized treatment for substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders, and that work is always grounded in evidence, expertise, experience, and empathy. If you are struggling with drugs or alcohol and are ready to make a change in your life for the better, we are ready and able to help.
