Brina Patel

How the Serenity Prayer Can Support Mental Health

The Serenity Prayer is one of the most ubiquitous lines of wisdom, frequently mentioned in pop culture, faith-based practices, and mental health spaces. According to Leah Young, LCPC, Clinical Manager at Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center, the Serenity Prayer “is a way of challenging our emotional reaction, allowing us to empower ourselves over the things we have control over, and letting go of what we don’t. It helps us to be realistic and not be driven completely by our emotional reactions.” 

The prayer’s origins can be attributed to the American theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971), who spent most of his career as a professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. It’s believed the prayer was written in 1932.

Though the Serenity Prayer is most frequently linked to faith-based practices, it’s also become relevant within addiction recovery, popularized widely by organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous. Mental health frameworks such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) also rely on the Serenity Prayer. According to David Campbell, DSW, MA, LMFT, Clinical and Program Director at Recover Together Bend, says the prayer reminds people that “the only reliable thing we can control is ourselves. This awareness stops [us] from wallowing in suffering,” which can perpetuate problems.

To develop a full understanding of the Serenity Prayer, let’s examine its components and the ways in which it can be used to support our mental health. 

What Is the Serenity Prayer?

The Serenity Prayer reads as follows:

“God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change
the courage to change the things I can
and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time,
enjoying one moment at a time.
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as he did, the sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it.
Trusting that he will make all things right
if I surrender to His will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
and supremely happy with Him forever.”

Components of the Serenity Prayer

The three main components of the Serenity Prayer are serenity, courage, and wisdom. Let’s take a look at each in greater detail.

Serenity

When we accept things just as they are, we can find contentment with our circumstances. Young reminds us that “acceptance does not equate to approval. Instead, it means you don’t have to fight the challenging things—accept them as such and be present in the moment.”

Courage

“Change takes courage,” Young says. “Most of us don’t love change—it comes with many question marks and unknowns. At that moment, we can’t be certain the changes in front of us will lead to positive things.” Therefore, making these changes requires a deeper trust in ourselves and the outcome. Though it’s intimidating, it can ultimately bring many positive returns. 

Wisdom

Dr. Campbell describes wisdom as “the ability to know what can and cannot be controlled, a realization that frees up energy for what can be changed.” For example, we may not be able to change the fact that we’re sick with the flu. However, we can change the way we think about it. For instance, we can see it as a time to rest, reflect, and revisit hobbies. This perspective shift keeps us from ruminating on what’s beyond our control and accepting what is.  

Historical Background and Adoption in 12-Step Programs 

Young states that the Serenity Prayer has long been used in tandem with mental health treatments, especially once its popularity rose in the mid-1930s to 1940s. Given its ability to be applied to a wide variety of circumstances, the prayer can help people facing all sorts of issues, including substance abuse.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) adopted the Serenity Prayer in 1941. An AA member discovered it in The New York Herald Tribune, and persuaded then-secretary Ruth Hick to have wallet-sized copies of the prayer printed. The printer strongly resonated with the prayer and ended up sending 500 free cards to Hick. The Serenity Prayer soon became a core element of AA, and is now typically recited at the start and end of each meeting.

The Serenity Prayer is widespread in other 12-step programs such as Co-Dependents Anonymous (CODA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA). The prayer “is used in [these] programs as a daily reminder, a moment’s pause in times of stress, as a reminder, and as a means of empowerment,” says Young. 

The Serenity Prayer and Mental Health

The Serenity Prayer can also be a key component in our mental health journeys. Here are a few of its possible applications beyond 12-step programs:

  • Using the Serenity Prayer to Deepen Faith: If we consider ourselves spiritual or religious, the Serenity Prayer can help us connect more deeply with our faith. The Serenity Prayer can help us free up mental space, take responsibility for our actions, seek wisdom, [and] inspire us to operate differently and more effectively in our lives,” says Young.
  • Using the Serenity Prayer for Meditation: The prayer can also aid us in scenarios separate from faith or religion. Eric Reinach, of Ads Up Marketing, says he uses the Serenity Prayer as a mantra, specifically for when moments feel overwhelming, or I am struggling to accept a piece of news, setback, or some form of loss.” He says the prayer helps him speak up when social anxiety flares up, with “the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference being key in those scenarios.”
  • Using the Serenity Prayer to Accept Life Circumstances: Certain life circumstances, such as dealing with a physical or mental health condition, can feel impossible to accept. Rachel Abbassi, creator of the Recovery Daily Podcast, says the prayer has been pivotal in both helping her remove alcohol from her life and coping with stroke-related disability in the fifth year of her sobriety. “After having to walk away from a career I loved due to my disability, I was faced with a matter of acceptance,” she says. “I leaned heavily on the wisdom gained in sobriety to focus on what I could change and what I couldn’t. I found the courage to fight for my well-being and the acceptance that my life has changed forever.”
  • Using the Serenity Prayer to Build Trust: So much of recovery—whether it’s from a mental health condition or addiction—involves trusting ourselves, believing we can overcome our challenges. The Serenity Prayer can reinforce to us our own power and sphere of control, allowing us to build resilience in the face of obstacles.  
  • Using the Serenity Prayer to Seek Guidance: The Serenity Prayer can help us find courage, wisdom, and guidance from a source beyond ourselves, especially when we feel hopeless or powerless. This guidance may come in the form of 12-step programs, therapy, or a mentor. Dr. Campbell says leaning on the prayer can more easily help us “recognize the boundaries between what [we] can influence and what [we] must release.”

Conclusion

The Serenity Prayer can be a powerful tool on our mental health journey, whether we’re dealing with depression, anxiety, addiction, or any other challenging circumstance. While the prayer’s origins lie in faith-based practices, it can easily be adopted for everyday use in non-religious contexts. 

When we remind ourselves of what we have the power to, we free ourselves to focus solely on what we can change. This allows us to break free from cycles of rumination and powerlessness, thereby creating more acceptance and peace in our lives.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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  2. Alcoholics Anonymous. Origin of the Serenity Prayer: A historical paper.

  3. de Abreu Costa M, Moreira-Almeida A. Religion-Adapted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review and Description of Techniques. J Relig Health. 2022;61(1):443-466. doi:10.1007/s10943-021-01345-z

  4. Archdiocese of Saint Paul & Minneapolis. The Serenity Prayer.

Brina Patel

By Brina Patel

Brina Patel is a writer from Sacramento, California. Prior to writing full-time, she worked as an applied behavior analysis therapist for children on the autism spectrum. She leverages her own experiences researching emotions, as well as her personal challenges with chronic illness and anxiety, in her storytelling, with the hope of inspiring others to take better charge of their overall wellness and understand themselves on a deeper level.


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