5 Ways Gratitude Can Change Your Life!

If we had a detailed recipe for creating a happy and fulfilled life, there’s no doubt that gratitude would be one of the main ingredients. For those of us in recovery, gratitude is especially important.

Attitude Absolutely Matters

Cultivating a positive outlook can help you in a number of ways. For example, gratitude gives us an empowering sense of confidence, which leads to an increased sense of self-reliance. When we believe in ourselves, it’s much easier to wade through life’s difficult moments and ensure the success of our recovery.

Conversely, adopting a negative attitude can lead to a lack of hope and potentially spark a relapse. When we feel hopeless, it’s hard to muster up any kind of motivation. Before we know it, a dark sense of depression sets in and our sobriety is hanging on by a thread. Make no mistake; doubt and negative feelings are normal, but the trick to combating negativity is to avoid getting consumed by it. Instead, we must acknowledge our feelings, determine if we can improve the situation and choose to become more grateful for the good things we have going on.

Benefits Associated with Gratitude

When you’re able to change your thinking and become more grateful, there are countless benefits that come with it. With that in mind, here’s a look at five of the ways gratitude can change your life:

#1: Increased Happiness

There’s no denying that gratitude is associated with greater happiness. It helps you embrace positive emotions, cherish happy experiences and build solid relationships. In fact, studies cited in the book Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier reveal that practicing gratitude can increase your levels of happiness by up to 25 percent!

#2: Better Mental Outlook

A research project led by Robert Emmons of the University of California – Davis found that gratitude journals were a powerful recovery tool. Research participants who kept a daily list of things for which they were grateful reported higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination and energy than those who did not.

#3: More Social Capital

The term “social capital” is just another way of saying that people who practice gratitude end up making more friends and improving their current relationships. In fact, two longitudinal studies found that increasing gratitude by as little as 10 percent led the average person to a 17.5 percent boost in social capital.

#4: Improved Sleep

It’s been documented that gratitude can help aid with fighting insomnia, improving your overall sleep quality and reducing the time it takes to fall asleep. For example, a study published in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being revealed that writing in a gratitude journal for 15 minutes before bed helped participants worry less at bedtime and sleep longer and better afterward.

#5: Motivation to Exercise

Gratitude and the treadmill may seem like two different things, but a study of 96 Americans found that the participants who actively practiced in gratitude exercised 40 minutes more per week, compared to the participants who didn’t.

Okay, next Sunday will find us easing our way into the month of Septembere-a good month for recovery! I have no idea at this moment what my blog will focus on then, except it will definitely be recovery related!

Be well,

-Coach