If you are on your journey to recovery from addiction to drugs or alcohol, a gratitude jar can be one way to stay focused on your efforts and on the positive aspects of sobriety.
Addiction can have a significant impact on your health, relationships, finances, and employment status. If you have struggled with substance abuse, it can be easy to focus on the negative aspects of life. You might be tempted to dwell on what addiction has taken from you, rather than celebrating the ways in which you have grown. Reflecting regularly on how far you’ve come in your journey to recovery is one way that you can continue to leave addiction in the past.
Gratitude can play an important role in recovery from drug and alcohol abuse. Spending time being grateful for the people in your life that have helped you, your inner strength, and your continued growth can help you stay on the path to long-term recovery. One tool that you can use as you reflect and meditate is a gratitude jar. This physical reminder of the things in your life that bring you joy and support you in your sobriety can be invaluable. Learn how to make a gratitude jar and reach out to a luxury rehab treatment center near you today to learn more about your treatment program options.
Gratitude’s Role in Addiction Recovery
How can gratitude help you in your recovery? Gratitude is a state of mind that has to do with giving thanks for the things in our lives. It has to do with grace or the idea of receiving things that you don’t necessarily deserve.
Recovery from addiction is not something that you can do alone. Rather, recovery involves support from others. If you’ve been in treatment, you may have gone through a 12 step program such as Alcoholics Anonymous. One of the steps involves giving back and acknowledging that you have received help from others. Now that you’re on the road to recovery, you can return this goodwill by helping others on their journey.
When you spend time feeling grateful, you can reframe the way you see the world. It’s easy to begin to take good things in life for granted. You might not realize what you have until it’s gone, which often happens in the case of health issues, relationships, and jobs. However, this is incompatible with recovery. Having a positive state of mind and realizing that there are always things to be grateful for can help you sustain your newfound sobriety.
What Is a Gratitude Jar?
A gratitude jar is a physical reminder of the things that you are grateful for. Some of the things that you might include in a gratitude jar include notes and pictures that include details about:
- People who have supported you in recovery
- Kind words from loved ones
- Fun sober experiences, like going for a hike, seeing a movie, or trying a new restaurant
- A new job, a positive review, or a raise at work
- Accomplishments at school
- Good news from loves ones
- Accomplishments like reaching a new exercise or savings goal
For those who struggle with mental health issues like depression and anxiety, a gratitude jar can be a useful tool. Anxiety often latches on to negative thoughts, but having a gratitude jar and a mental health treatment program to turn to can help remind you of the positives in your life.
As 2021 begins, a gratitude jar can be an easy new habit that can contribute to an exciting new year. Whenever a positive experience happens, write a short note or take a picture that you can slip into the jar.
5 Easy Steps to Make a Gratitude Jar
How do you make a gratitude jar? There are a few simple steps in the process.
1. Find a Jar
The type of jar that you use doesn’t matter. Try to find a jar that you like and that will go with the decor in your room or house. It also doesn’t need to be expensive–you could reuse a jam jar or mason jar. You could even use a pretty vase or find a jar made just for this purpose online.
2. Label and Decorate Your Jar
Maybe you want a simple jar that won’t stand out, or you want to decorate it with glitter, photos, and a label. No matter what you add to your jar, make it something that you enjoy having in your space.
3. Get a Pen and Pieces of Paper
Having writing utensils and strips of paper pre-made can make it easier for you to add in things you are grateful for as they come up. Using different colors of paper or ink can help you organize the things you are grateful for in an effective way.
4. Put Your Jar Somewhere You’ll Notice It
Your bedside table, bathroom vanity, or dresser can be good places to keep your gratitude jar. No matter where you choose to keep it, place it somewhere where you won’t easily forget it. This can help you make adding to your gratitude jar a regular habit.
5. Add to Your Jar
As good things happen in your life, take note. Add to your jar regularly. Some people find it helpful to write the dates of positive events on the slips of paper before adding them to the jar. Make it a habit that sticks by trying to add to the jar once a week or more.
How a Gratitude Jar Can Support Your Sobriety
Early recovery can be challenging. Staying motivated during your first weeks and months without drugs and alcohol can be difficult, but a gratitude jar could help.
Just as therapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy can help you reframe your thinking around stress and other negative emotions, regularly practicing gratitude can help you focus on the positives in your life.
Contact Westwind Recovery® for Addiction Treatment in Los Angeles
Whether you’ve gone through an addiction treatment program or you are in the beginning stages of your journey to recovery, Westwind Recovery® can help. In our Los Angeles addiction treatment center, you’ll find high-end touches, resort-style amenities, and a peaceful, supportive environment for your recovery. Here, we will help you learn how to incorporate gratitude in your newfound sobriety.
Westwind Recovery® offers a wide array of addiction treatment services, including:
- Drug and alcohol detox center
- Inpatient drug rehab center
- Outpatient drug rehab center
- Sober living programs
- Addiction treatment therapy programs
- Dual diagnosis treatment center
- LGBTQ addiction treatment center
- Chronic pain management programs
Contact our team today at 855.340.8832 to learn more about our luxury rehab center. At Westwind Recovery®, we’ll help you incorporate a gratitude jar into your journey to getting sober.
Dr. Deena is the Chief Clinical Officer of Westwind Recovery®, an award-winning outpatient treatment center in Los Angeles where she oversees the clinical and administrative program and treatment methods. Dr. Deena is a doctor of psychology and licensed clinical social worker since 1993. LCSW #20628. Originally from the East Coast, Dr. Deena has worked running treatment centers, worked as a therapist in psychiatric hospitals as well as school settings and currently has a thriving private practice in the LA area. Dr. Deena has appeared regularly on the Dr. Phil Show as an expert since 2003. She has also been featured on many other TV shows, podcasts and has contributed to written publications as well as podcasts.
