By Jeanette Palermo, Greater Good Magazine, February 4, 2022
I learned about the practice of gratitude when I was in recovery from an eating disorder.
In my mid-20s, I was broadsided by anorexia and bulimia. Part of my recovery process was to keep a gratitude journal for a month. I was assigned to find three things I was grateful for each day and write them down in a journal. At the end of the week, I was asked to reflect on what I noted and write about how the practice helped me.
I was able to find gratitude in a hot cup of coffee, the perfect song, or a walk with a friend. Taking time at the end of the week to reflect and journal allowed me to witness the good. When I hit my tenth year in recovery, I wrote and sent a gratitude letter to my therapist. Writing the letter allowed me thank her for giving me something tangible to hang on to when my life was in chaos.
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