The thing about gratitude is that it has the capacity to change everything. Literally. It is a deal changer, a mood lifter, a feelings transformer, a mind shifter, a humours mover, an emotions elevator, a perspective changer, a game winner. Really? You think? Well I do. I have noticed in my own life and in the lives of many others, that a subtle shift in focus from the hard things around us to the little things that can be appreciated, actually brings about a mental as well as an emotional shift. Things can be going horribly wrong and we can feel ourselves slipping down a very negative path but by if that process is interrupted by the conscious noticing of something that we appreciate, then our journey is actually altered – our destination changed from the land of more gloom to a brighter sunnier place entirely! Please know, when I am speaking of mood elevators and things that can shift our entrenched feelings, I am not implying that all moods can be thus altered. Seriously, if you are struggling with a significant mental health disturbance like bi-polar or clinical depression, a little injection of gratitude is not going to be enough of a remedy. There are clearly times when we need to seek professional assistance and there is no shame in that. But if you are just struggling with some dark feelings, gratitude could well be your new best friend. My encouragement to you is to make gratitude a habit. Make it something you bring into your daily life routines, as common place as brushing your teeth or making your bed. To do this I recommend using a journal or diary. I have tried using mobile phone apps, but I still find that the cognitive process of actually physically writing something down is more significant and I do believe better. All you really need is a notebook. Or a calendar or your diary. Write down one thing each morning, maybe as you eat your breakfast, one thing you can be thankful for or grateful for. Do this every day for the next month and you will be well on your way to developing a new habit…..a habit that has the capacity to change your life. I encourage this because I know it works. We all have hard days, we all face challenges, we can all get stuck in gloomy moments. It won’t change you overnight but I can promise you this, that if you do it CONSISTENTLY every day for forty days you will look at your life differently. If you ARE struggling with a clinical or diagnosed depression it can still help you keep your life on a more even keel, but please seek the advice of your trusted medical professional. A change to your medication levels may be helpful. I am grateful today to be writing this post on gratitude. I did not wake up feeling bright and cheerful but writing this has reminded me too that there is so much in my life that is good. In fact to focus even for one moment on the things that aren’t going right when so much is fantastic is such a waste! So how about commenting to me, to encourage everyone else here, and me too, with one thing you can be grateful for right now, as you read this……what’s your one thing? Love and hugs ~ Sue
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 22:10:00 +0000
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