Gratitude - the quality of being thankful; readiness to show
appreciation for and to return kindness. The state of being grateful.
Gratitude
List Directions:
Come up with at least one thing that you are grateful for under each category.
If using telehealth participants can use separate list on paper
Family/Loved Ones - Meaningful
relationships and relatives
Friends and Others - Things
about other people you are grateful for outside of your family
Self - Things
about you (Qualities, strengths, experiences, achievements, etc.)
The Big Picture –
Things you are grateful for in the bigger world outside of you and your
immediate view
The Small Stuff -
Little things that may seem insignificant, but you are still grateful for them
Life in General – Why
are you grateful to be alive?
Activities/Actions –
What things are you grateful for that you are able to do?
Future –
Things potentially in your future you are grateful to look forward to
Past Experiences –
Things you have done or experienced that you are grateful for
Current –
Things in your life today you are grateful for right now at this current
time, right now.
Gifts –
Things others have given you, done for you, taught you, shared with you, that
you are grateful for
Knowledge and Insight –
Things that you are grateful to know and understand
Other – Come
up with one more thing that has not been mentioned yet
Discuss your gratitude lists
as a group
Strategies for Increasing
Gratitude
Turn
on your “gratitude radar” – Look for gratitude wherever you can find it. Let
yourself be attuned to it – search for it – find it – “Stop and smell the roses”
in life – You will be happier as you are more grateful
Flip the script on the
negative – Reframe negatives to consider the bright side – Some
examples:
“I got
flat tire today- At least I didn’t get a blowout and crash my car”
“I
failed a test – At least I have a chance next test to study harder and improve
my grade”
“My girlfriend/boyfriend broke up with me – At
least I know I will find someone else someday who may be even better”
“I lost my job – Maybe this is a doorway to an
even better opportunity for me”
“I
relapsed – Still, if I face it honestly, I can learn from this and be even more
prepared in the future”
Daily
Gratitude list-
Start or end each day either writing or speaking out loud 5 things that you are
grateful for each and every day – This is time tested and works for increasing
gratitude
Don’t
compare, but if you do - Compare down, not up - “Comparison is
the thief of joy,” is a saying attributed to President
Theodore Roosevelt and others, which can be very thought provoking and can
instill a strong sense of gratitude. If we compare ourselves to others, we may
be left with feelings of inferiority or superiority, both of which are
unhealthy and have the potential to block feelings of gratitude. Instead avoid
comparison altogether whenever possible. If you can’t help comparing, then
think about the many people in this world who may have it worse than you – Some
examples below -
Involved
with Drug Court? – Rather than comparing yourself with people who have no legal
charges, compare you life with what it would be like to have to serve the years
in prison you may have been facing had you not been accepted into the Drug
Court program
Addicted?
– Don’t compare with people who can use socially – Think about the person who
is at their bottom and how much better you are today even if you are still
struggling. That person may even have been you. Think about how much better you
have it now
Poor/broke
or unemployed? – That is stressful but imagine what it’s like to live in a
refugee camp or a country where people struggle daily just for clean water or a
bowl of rice to eat. Think of the potential opportunities awaiting you in life
if you do not give up
Never
forget the basic building blocks of human gratitude – As long as you are
breathing, you have hope to get better – It can always be worse – If you are
alive then each day is a blessing and an opportunity to change for the better
and build the life you deserve, even if its little by little, each day matters.
Hope can sustain you if you keep it alive in your heart and mind.
Ø Surround yourself with
positive, hopeful, and grateful people - Avoiding negative, critical, complaining,
and self-destructive people can drain you of your sense of gratitude
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