Tag: gratitude

What to do when there’s too much to do?

Photo from http://www.notesonproductivity.com

A very wise therapist once told me to always make my bed in the morning because at least then I’ve achieved something that day.

It’s said that recovery is about going back to basics and re-learning how to live. It’s why, I guess, in rehab they had us do things like make gratitude lists, set goals and do different (if seemingly unproductive) activities like art and walking.

I don’t know about anyone else but I really struggle with not doing anything that feels productive. So in early recovery, as soon as I start to feel the slightest bit better I start trying to find things to do/clean around the house, reasons to go out, just something to do. Then I wear myself out and guilt trip myself over not being able to do more.

My to-do lists are endless and scattered. One of them even has ‘find last weeks to-do list’ on it. How ridiculous is that?! But it can be really overwhelming at times, and off-putting (here comes the guilt trip again) to stare and a long old list and try to even crack the surface.

I saw a journal the other day and I really should have got it. It had space for three ‘to-do’s’ on each page, ranked by priority and then space fore a few lines on what went well for you that day.

Keeping things simple.. What MUST be done, followed by what COULD be done…

It makes sense to have all the to-do’s in one place, and prioritising is key, as I recently read online in a post by software designer Burak Bilgin.

He writes….

It doesn’t matter how many tasks you start, neither how many tasks you carry out in parallel. What counts is how many tasks you finish.

Bilgin advises:

  • Write down all the tasks that need to be completed.
  • Start with the most important and urgent task at hand.
  • Focus on a single task at a time.
  • Assign a duration to the task and challenge yourself to complete it within that duration.
  • Promise yourself some downtime.
  • If you feel like procrastinating, break that feeling by completing a small task.

And his page also includes this really interesting diagram, which admittedly took me a while to get my head around but I think I get the general gist!

https://ideavisionaction.com/personal-development/how-to-deal-with-an-overwhelming-to-do-list-and-overcome-procrastination/

Goals and gratitude in recovery

From https://www.psychologytoday.com

I’ve been thinking about some of the things we did in rehab that I didn’t always truly understand the reasoning for, such as making goals and gratitude lists so I did some research and came across this from Greater Good Berkeley:
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_gratitude_is_good

Physical Benefits of Gratitude:

  • Stronger immune systems
  • Reduced aches and pains in the body
  • Increased interest in exercise and health
  • Lower blood pressure
  • Better sleep patterns and longer nights of restful sleep

Psychological Benefits of Gratitude:

  • Higher levels of optimism and positive emotions
  • Increased awareness and wakefulness
  • More joy, pleasure, and happiness overall

Social Benefits of Gratitude:

  • Increased desire to be generous, compassionate, and to help others
  • More forgiving and accepting
  • Higher level of self-confidence and outgoingness
  • Reduced feelings of loneliness and isolation
  • Stronger relationships as a result

The Turnbridge Addiction Treatment Center blog explains it up pretty well:

“What does this mean for those in addiction recovery? Gratitude in recovery promotes healing, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It also promotes a positive attitude and enables a person to be fully present and immersed in the recovery process. Though recovery can be difficult, maintaining a sense of gratitude helps mitigate the petty annoyances and negative feelings that too often bog us down – impatience, judgement, resentment, anger, self-pity. Gratitude in recovery helps us connect with others, and build lasting, meaningful, sober relationships with our peers and with the world.

“In addition to a better state of mind, gratitude can also teach you to focus on your long-term goals and on what you want. We all know recovery is a journey. We all know that there are obstacles and bad days that arise along the way. During these times, it can feel easy to lose hope or give up. It can feel easy to focus on your downfalls. With gratitude in recovery, however, you can learn to move past them. You can be grateful for the opportunity to change, to heal, and for the immense support around you. With gratitude, you can regain the strength and momentum needed to work towards your goals.”

https://www.tpaddictiontreatment.com/news-events/latest-articles/gratitude-in-recovery#

So here’s my list for today, starting with gratitude…. I’m grateful for my family, friends and loved ones, for being on the road to recovery and (although it’s a tad colder today) the sunshine we’ve been unexpectedly having.

My goals:

  1. blood test
  2. appointment with my recovery keyworker
  3. eat three meals and no alcohol

And anything else will be a bonus!