At a time of the year when our minds are focused on giving thanks, the attribute of gratitude comes into focus in the form of traditions surrounding food and family. Traditions that have expanded to sporting and entertainment events, and more recently, shopping for that next big holiday. But have we become accustomed to skipping over the heart of the celebration? Are we missing an opportunity for healing and increased wellness in our lives? Gratitude is more than just counting blessings once a year before turning on the game or getting in line for good shopping deals. Gratitude can help us heal.
The Gift of Gratitude
Gratitude is more than just an admirable trait. Gratitude actually has many personal benefits that can improve our own lives and even our mental and physical health. In an article entitled “An Attitude of Gratitude: What This One Little Emotion Can Do for Your Life” published by the Huffington Post in December 2013, Dr. Tian Dayton cites research about how gratitude can be a gift that we give to ourselves.
Being grateful can look like demonstrating gratitude to others, but is also very powerful when we sit down and make a list of things that we are grateful for. Researchers have found that people who are grateful have more satisfaction in their lives, are more optimistic, and enjoy more happiness than their peers who do not actively display gratitude. There is power in counting our blessings.
Looking Outside Ourselves
One of the benefits of gratitude is that it helps us look outside of ourselves and gain a different perspective. Instead of focusing on our own problems or getting into our heads and distorting reality, we can look around us to see the good in our lives. This perspective changes our attitude from one of dissatisfaction and stress to one of satisfaction and fulfillment, which helps exponentially in the healing process.
Where we focus our thoughts and emotions has an impact on how we respond to our world on every level; it affects our own outlook, how we interact with others, and how we manage our problems. When we have an “attitude of gratitude,” we are more likely to find positive solutions to our problems, and people are more likely to want to be around us because we are more likely to have a positive attitude. We also have more empathy toward others when we are not as focused on our own problems, which helps us to be more relatable and increases our ability to love and serve others. When we look outside of ourselves, we improve the outlook of our entire lives and improve the lives of those around us as well.
Reducing Stressors
Actively practicing gratitude helps to reduce the level of stress in our lives and those who are grateful to report lower instances of depression, as well. Why is this? So do grateful people have fewer problems? No. Gratitude does not change our circumstances or decrease the amount of stress we are exposed to, it simply helps us to have more positive emotions surrounding all aspects of our lives, which works to decrease the amount of stress and depression in our lives. Gratitude works like an antidote to stressful situations.
This does not mean that we ignore our problems or pretend that they do not exist. It simply means that we become more resilient and capable of managing our problems and the stress that comes with them. By focusing on the positive things in our lives, the things that are going well, we put into balance and perspective the things that cause us stress. Lowered stress and increased resilience help us to heal from substance abuse.
Improving Self-Esteem
Being grateful can help us to feel better about ourselves. Those who are grateful can accomplish more of their goals, including mental and physical health goals such as exercise. Grateful people exhibit more motivation, enthusiasm, and even alertness compared to those who are not grateful. Grateful people are less likely to compare themselves with others and less likely to desire material things that they do not have. All of these traits lead to better self-esteem because we are able to accomplish more with gratitude than without and we are happy with who we are and what we have.
Counting Our Blessings, A Wellness Practice
Gratitude leads to satisfaction, which leads to more motivation, better health, improved self-esteem, and more resilience. It is no wonder, then, that gratitude helps to heal us. All of the emotional blessings of gratitude lead to mental and physical benefits. As we are working to recover from substance abuse, remembering to practice a little gratitude can help us to heal in a lot of different ways.
Healing from substance abuse can be difficult, but using gratitude can make it a lot easier. Gratitude is more than just a good character trait or something to do once a year at Thanksgiving. Those who practice gratitude regularly have more satisfaction and happiness in their lives than those who don’t. By listing the things that you are grateful for on a regular basis, you can improve your outlook and change your perspective by looking outside yourself. Actively practicing gratitude also helps reduce stress, improve your self-esteem, and increase empathy for others. You can be happier and healthier just by one simple change in your life. At Rancho Milagro Recovery, we believe in practicing gratitude. Call us at (951) 526-4582 to find out how gratitude can enhance your recovery. Our beautiful Temecula area ranch provides the perfect setting for your recovery. Come find out for yourself how healing gratitude can be.