Active Gratitude

One of the most important things I have learned in recovery is gratitude.  That's right, I learned to be grateful.  I don't remember being grateful much at all before I got into recovery, although I must have been thankful at least occasionally.  If you are not spending part of every single day being grateful, then you can and should learn to practice active gratitude.

What is active gratitude?  We all know that being grateful is being thankful or appreciative.  Active gratitude involves really working at being thankful for the many blessings in our life, no matter what our life looks like at the moment.

Why?  Active gratitude promotes happiness and well-being.  And who doesn't want to be happy?  The research of Dr. Robert Emmons, who considers gratitude to be a human strength, has found that grateful people are less stressed and depressed, have more positive emotions, are more optimistic, and are more satisfied with their lives.

Although gratitude can be associated with one's religion, one doesn't have to be religious to practice active gratitude (although I would consider it to be an aspect of spirituality).

Strive to make active gratitude a daily habit of mind.  I list the things I am grateful for shortly after a rise in the morning.  Your gratitude list can include big important things, like a spouse, friend, or financial security, but also more mundane and fleeting things like a sunny day or light traffic.  If I'm feeling snarky, off the beam, or just have the blahs, I try to add some new things to my list.

I've found a couple really excellent links to websites that talk about what active gratitude is and how you go about practicing it.

5 Reasons to Practice Gratitude - mindbodygreen.com

Practice Active Gratitude | BJ Gallagher - Huffington Post

Having trouble feeling grateful?  Feeling like your life stinks at the moment?  All the more reason to work actively at being grateful.  I would contend that no matter how bad your life seems, there are always things to be grateful for.

You have cancer? Sure, pretty bad, but having health insurance is something to be grateful for, as is having family or friends to support you through it.

Not in the romantic relationship you'd like to be right now?  Ok, loneliness is no fun, but do you have food on the table?  Are you healthy?  Is there a roof over your head?  Then there are three important things to be thankful for.

Count your blessings.  If your life is wonderful right now, then you have a lot to be grateful for.  Enumerate those things every day and let others know how grateful you are.  But if your life seems not so great right now, if you are struggling, it is even more important for you to identify what you are grateful for.  In other words, use gratitude to change your attitude.