Back to Practising Gratitude
AFF Newsletter on Substack #6
Welcome to the AFF Newsletter on Substack.
Another important tool in recovery is practising gratitude, and like staying active and being out in nature, it’s something I am reintegrating into my life.
I’ve started a Twitter thread to publicly share my gratitude but am also doing one in private.
The reason for the public one is simply just to keep myself accountable and act as a reminder to write my offline list until the time comes that it’s second nature again.
https://twitter.com/AFFathers/status/1650797874567847938?s=20
In early sobriety, I practised gratitude every day. It was a great tool to have when I felt low or potentially thought about reaching for a bottle of beer/vodka/whiskey.
But over time I let the practice slip. It’s not that I haven’t felt grateful, because I definitely have. It’s just that I allowed life to take over.
However, I would rank practising gratitude up there with some of the most important tools we use in recovery and it is something that I am getting back to doing.
This subject is something I have written about before.
In one of my old newsletters, I wrote about the importance of practising simple gratitude and I outlined seven benefits of creating a gratitude list.
1. Puts life into perspective
2. Illuminates your achievements
3. Helps keep track of where you're at
4. Highlights areas you need to work on
5. Keeps you humble and honest
6. Focuses on the positives in life
7. Great for flipping negative thoughts
These still hold true today.
I’m grateful to even be able to write this for you today.
Having access to a computer, the internet and a wonderful audience is a blessing and something I know I shouldn’t take for granted.
Practising daily gratitude will only highlight this even more.
Take care and have a great day,