One of the mindsets that I really had to work on changing in early recovery was my tendency toward pessimism. I was a bit of a doom-and-gloom type at the end of my active addiction, in large part because life was difficult and sometimes dark.
I was a single mother without means, and I was starting a brand-new life that petrified me. I think I focused on what wasn't working to protect myself from further disappointment.
I remember a therapist calling me out on my negative expectations and encouraging me to practice finding the good in every situation presented to me. She made me keep a journal and report back to her.
I like to think of that exercise as my first gratitude practice. In any case, it blew my mind, and I learned quickly of the benefit of being hopeful and eventually even confident that things could work out.
Changing my mindset didn't change my circumstances, but it sure helped me navigate them. I love what psychologist Lucy MacDonald, author of You Can Be an Optimist, says about optimism: although optimism can't solve all of our life problems, "it can sometimes make the difference between coping and collapsing." We can't know if things will turn out well or badly, but let's always hope for the best.