How to Practice Gratitude This Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is supposed to be a holiday where you take stock of your life and be grateful for what you have, but many people lose sight of that purpose amid all the stress of planning, cooking, cleaning and hosting. Being grateful requires a mindful and intentional approach, which is why it can be such a beneficial practice for people in addiction recovery.

Why Can Thankfulness Help You?

Research suggests that developing a habit of gratitude not only makes you feel happier, but can also improve your health. However, many people overlook the need to be grateful every day. Instead, they focus on the negative things that have happened to them that day – the barista got their morning coffee order wrong, their meeting at work ran an hour longer than it was supposed to, their dental checkup revealed a new cavity.

Being aware of, and taking the time to appreciate, the small blessings that make up each new day is an integral part of minimizing stress and helping you build a solid foundation for success in addiction recovery. What are some easy things you can do to bring more gratitude into your daily life?

1. Don’t Try to Be Perfect

We’re all human, and part of being human means you will occasionally slip up. Perhaps, for example, you have a day where you decide to skip your regular recovery group meeting because you had to work late. Instead of berating yourself for things you believe you did “wrong,” think back and focus on all the things that went well. Maybe in staying late at work, you got yourself ahead of the game in preparing for a major presentation. Use this positivity to focus more fully on your recovery plan.

2. Write It Down

If you have trouble accentuating the positive, start a gratitude journal. Buy a dedicated notebook, or go digital and create a new file on your computer. Every day, make time to write down something you’re happy or thankful for, no matter how small. For instance, “Today, my co-worker helped me when I was struggling, and it made a big difference in the rest of my day.”

3. Bring Mindfulness to Every Day

Whether you’re eating a meal, taking your dog for a walk or going to sleep, there are plenty of ways to incorporate forms of mindfulness into your daily activities. Being more mindful can also be a tool to build your gratitude and sense of inner peace.

Benefits of Gratitude in Addiction Recovery

As a recovering addict, you can and should be grateful for your sobriety and the progress you have made. Working toward a positive mindset will help you be more resilient when setbacks occur, so you can meet the obstacles head-on, instead of allowing them to pile up.

The stressors and various family pressures associated with the holiday season can present a unique challenge for people in addiction recovery. However, with the right mindset, you can welcome the opportunity to practice your gratitude – not only on Thanksgiving Day, but year-round. You will be amazed at how quickly the right attitude can change your life for the better.

At Complete Harmony, you can discover the benefits of holistic addiction recovery at our beautiful facility by the sea. Contact us to learn more about starting your journey toward healing.

5 Ways to Sneak Meditation Into Your Day

It’s hard to find a habit with more benefits than meditation. The practice creates a profound sense of self-awareness that can not only make you more mentally healthy and stable, but can also help you follow a lifestyle that improves the world around you.

For many people, the word “meditation” conjures an image of sitting still for hours at a time until they achieve a state of inner peace. This idea can turn some away from the practice because they believe it requires dedicating hours of time and effort every day.

The truth is, meditation is something you can do almost anywhere and anytime without having to rearrange your schedule or isolate yourself from the world. Here are five easy ways to sneak meditation into your daily life.

1. Greet the Day

One of the most straightforward ways to meditate is when you first wake up. Set your alarm five to 10 minutes earlier than usual. When your alarm goes off, sit up and take 10 deep, slow breaths. While you’re doing so, think of things, people or situations you’re grateful for, and linger on each item for a moment. This practice will help you start each day in a positive state of mind.

2. Mealtime Meditation

Before sitting down to a meal, take the opportunity to meditate. This practice is excellent for helping you feel thankful for what you have and improving your relationship with food. Either aloud or in your mind, say, “I’m thankful for this meal and for the nourishment it will provide my body.”

Then, take a moment to notice how your food looks and smells before you take your first bite. This practice is beneficial for helping you think about food in a new light, instead of mindlessly cramming meals into your mouth without noticing them.

3. Walking Meditation

Anytime you are walking for more than a few minutes, take the opportunity to do a walking meditation. This practice is an excellent way to live in the moment and contemplate the sensory experience you are having while you move.

Start by bringing your focus back to your breath. Then, shift your attention to how it feels to move your body through space. Finally, transfer your awareness to your surroundings. How does the sunlight feel on your face? Is there a breeze blowing through your hair? Can you hear birds chirping? What colors can you see? Notice all these small details.

4. Waiting Meditation

Use this meditation next time you’re waiting for something or someone. Instead of reflexively checking your phone or looking around for some other distraction, stop and take a few deep breaths. Again, check in with your body and see how you’re feeling. If you are holding tension anywhere, consciously release it.

Are there people around you? If so, how do they make you feel? You can learn a lot about yourself by observing how your surroundings affect your emotions.

5. Bedtime Meditation

Bedtime is one of the best times of day to sneak in a brief meditation session. As a bonus, this practice can help you fall asleep faster.

Start your nighttime meditation by writing down anything that’s on your mind, whether it’s a to-do list or a nagging worry that’s been following you around all day. Once you’ve gotten it all on paper, close your eyes and picture yourself placing these burdens under lock and key.

Mindfully take 10 deep breaths here, and tell yourself your worries are safe and they don’t have to follow you into sleep. This practice will help you enjoy a more restful night.

Achieve Balance at Complete Harmony

Complete Harmony provides a well-rounded alternative to traditional drug and alcohol rehabilitation. At our beautiful healing center in California, you can discover a new way of life without the burdens of addiction weighing you down. Learn more about our innovative treatment program, and reach out to our recovery advisors to start your recovery journey on the right foot.

Meditating for Warmth and Gratitude This Season

We’ve talked about the importance of meditation for addiction recovery. To recap: A few of the many benefits include: 

• Better focus
• Increased self-awareness
• Improved impulse control
• Reduced anxiety
• Deeper spiritual connection

But did you know that meditation can also help you ward off the winter blues? Studies show that meditation can help improve connections in the brain to help us process emotions. What’s more, the right type of meditation can provide warmth and gratitude – the perfect combo to brighten your mood and help you feel abundant during the winter months.

NBC.com recently published meditation and mindful tips from Dina Kaplan, founder of The Path Meditation, designed to channel gratitude – even when you’re cold and sad. Below is a summary; give it a try or use it as a starting point to create your own. 

• Take your focus off the parts of your body that are cold (like your hands or feet) and turn your attention to an area that feels warm. For example, if you’re wearing a cozy sweater, feel the warmth of your arms. How does it feel? Examine the sensation.
• Now take a moment to be grateful for your warm sweater and be grateful for yourself for putting it on this morning.
• Engage your sense of sight. Do you see holiday decorations or leaves on the ground or an ornate architectural detail you’ve never noticed? What colors do you see around you? Admire the beauty of any nature or craftsmanship in your field of vision.
• Now take a moment to be grateful for all nature, colors and details and your fortune to notice and admire them.
• Tap into your sense of smell. Can you detect a nearby house fire or coffee from a café? Again, be grateful for all the delicious smells in your environment.
• Now go back to your sense of feeling. And ask yourself the following: What does your warm clothing feel like on your body? What does the ground feel like under your shoes? What do your shoes feel like on your feet? 
• Let the warm sensation of gratitude fill you up as you continue to light up your senses and enjoy the holiday season.

Finding Holistic Treatment for You
At Complete Harmony, we encourage the use of many different cutting-edge techniques to help clients heal the mind, body and spirit, including mediation. To learn more about our treatment center and our approach to addiction recovery, call today: 866-930-4673.