It is impossible to be grateful and unhappy at the same time.
Dr. Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston, conducted thousands of in-depth interviews examining the causes and underlying factors of happiness, and she found one primary difference between happy people and unhappy people. That difference? Happy people are grateful for what they have, and unhappy people aren’t. Dr. Brown further found that people who are grateful for what they have tend to focus on their strengths rather than their weaknesses, are more hopeful, are less stressed out, are less likely to wallow in shame and depression, and are more likely to recover from serious life issues (such as addiction and serious illness).
Task for Today
Find a person with long-term sobriety and ask that person to share his or her most recent gratitude list. Are you grateful for some of the same things?