The Sober Grit

Gratitude is truly a way of living, and the more practice you give yourself, the more fulfilled your life will be. Our brain is naturally trained to focus on the negative in situations, which can ultimately affect your outlook on life. It is up to you to train your thoughts to be filled with gratitude for the good and let the negative thoughts dissipate elsewhere.

“The grass isn’t always greener on the other side” can be used as a direct response from lack of gratitude. Especially in this day and age with social media, one can so easily fall into the trap of comparing your life to all of the perfect picture snapshots of people’s lives. These pictures don’t show the real life struggle behind all of those pictures, the same struggles that most of us have. And for those whose grass is actually greener, they are taking the time that is needed to water and manicure that lawn which takes time and patience. 

Comparing our life to others we forget about the things that we do have and that brings us joy. Gratitude is learning to appreciate all that we do have, even down to the simplest of things. But what if you are not grateful for anything and everything in your life sucks? What if no matter what your life just keeps giving you all of those unasked lessons? It is this time that you pull in whatever you can and focus on what you do have, even the most simplest of things. This can be the pillow that you slept on last night, the coffee cup that someone special gave you full of coffee, and more importantly, the breath that you have in you that allows you to keep going. 

Now being grateful is only part of the solution. Being mindful is another huge factor in allowing more happiness into your life. Being mindful is simply being aware, present, and conscious of your surroundings and feelings. Nobody can change the past or predict the future so why spend most of our time there? Because that is where our thoughts naturally go. To stay in the moment is a practice that always needs refreshing. I know for me, it is something that I have to remind myself on a daily basis and use it when the committee in my head is starting to get too loud. I also constantly remind myself to stay mindful throughout the day in prevention of ruminating thoughts about past experiences or ones that have not even happened yet. 

Making a conscious effort to practice gratitude and mindfulness will in turn lead to a more fulfilled and joyful life not only in sobriety, but your overall wellness in life.