[madisgram]

since i have been sober the life stuff still can reappear with all it's warts. i am a sensitive person emotionally so some things can really toss me for a loop. it's not easy for me to handle disappointments and hurt. but i continously get better at it most times now. when i feel hurt or harmed i write down a list of what i am grateful for. i know-groan-but it really puts things into perspective. some on my list-my sobriety, my adoreable grandgirls who love me unconditionally, my son-the joy of my life, my pooch cody, sunsets, nature, my house plants, my relatively good health, my faith- knowing i am never alone and i am loved, and AA-the "messenger" that saved my life. here's a helpful article to find gratitude in our daily life even when we feel down.

People tend to take for granted the good that is already present in their lives. There’s a gratitude exercise that instructs that you should imagine losing some of the things that you take for granted, such as your home, your ability to see or hear, your ability to walk, or anything that currently gives you comfort. Then imagine getting each of these things back, one by one, and consider how grateful you would be for each and every one. In addition, you need to start finding joy in the small things instead of holding out for big achievements—such as getting the promotion, having a comfortable nest egg saved up, getting married, having the baby, and so on–before allowing yourself to feel gratitude and joy.
Another way to use giving thanks to appreciate life more fully is to use gratitude to help you put things in their proper perspective. When things don’t go your way, remember that every difficulty carries within it the seeds of an equal or greater benefit. In the face of adversity ask yourself: “What’s good about this?”, “What can I learn from this?”, and “How can I benefit from this?”

http://www.thechangeblog.com/gratitude/

[xrecoveringsoulx]

This is lovely, I'm really proud of you! Keep going, you have this.

Very meaningful and thought-filled thread, Madisgram; thank you for this one, too.

[splitimage]

Thanks madisgram for this post. It's all too ease to forget about the things in our life we have to be grateful for.

I belong to another board - for self harm recovery, and on it there's a thread that's been running since 2002, called "List of positive things today". The idea is to go to the thread and list 15 positive things in your life. I do it a few times a week and it always improves my mood.

splitimage