What is Gratitude?
What is Gratitude?
I always saw myself as being a “grateful” person but I’m not sure I understood the practice of daily gratitude and the EXTREME benefits it would have on my life. Back when my daughter was in the throws of home bound instruction due to her depression, I found myself slipping down a rabbit hole of negative thoughts and feeling sorry for myself. The world around me seemed to be carrying on…..as mine seemed to be falling apart. My thoughts as soon as I opened my eyes were:
“Will I get my daughter out of bed?”
“What hurdles will we face today?”
“I feel alone and nobody understands how hard this is!”
It was safe to say I was not that fun to be around during those months. Stress is a very powerful emotion and it can really change your whole persona and who you once were before challenges hit.
One cold early morning 4 years ago, as I was letting my dogs out……. I remember thinking to myself, “Say 3 things you are grateful for!”. This was never a normal practice of mine, not to mention I was miserable and didn’t see the good in my day to day at that time but…..there I was talking out loud to myself. Hmmmmmm…..3 things…….3 things…..
“I am grateful for my kids”
“I am grateful for my husband”
“I am grateful for my dogs”
Then I really thought about what I had just said….
"I am GRATEFUL for my kids, GRATEFUL for my husband and GRATEFUL for my dogs who showed me unconditional love and happiness. I remember thinking that those thoughts in that moment felt GOOD. Even though my life on that very day had numerous challenges, I had just created thoughts that were GOOD FEELING thoughts. I am not kidding when I say that a light bulb went on in my head and for the first time in months a tiny spark of hope was ignited.
Here is the part I can’t wait to share with you! YOU are in control of your thoughts! YOU can reprogram the way you think and the way you see things! YOU have the power to let the blessings pour in if you unlock the power of GRATITUDE.
Starting your day thinking about what you already have instead of the things that you don’t have is a stroke of magic to the brain. Your brain begins getting signals to raise your energy level and your mind and body focus on the good things in your life that already exist. Then…..the good feelings start rolling in. You feel your physical body relax and your breath slow down and in that moment you feel more peaceful than you did just moments before. I’m not going to lie, in the beginning it was not easy to do. Self doubt, insecurity, worries and stress still creep in to this day. The difference is…… as you practice, you start catching your negative thoughts and become proactive about them. That is where the magic is. YOU begin catching your negative thoughts before they spiral. For me it was the beginning of a type of self care that I never knew existed.
What I know now….4 years later…..is that gratitude is a super power! Once you unlock it……you will never look at life the same again and your days will be so much more peaceful and happy! :)
XOXO 🦋
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