Did you know that the simple act of feeling grateful can change your life? Just by focusing on all the things you are blessed with, no matter how small changes your brain and can relieve anxiety, physical pain, stress, high blood pressure, just to name a small number of benefits. Gratitude attracts more things to be grateful for and can improve relationships with others.
Every morning during my meditation I practice gratitude. Instead of focusing on those things in my life I wish were different I choose to focus on those things I consider blessings such as my home, my healing practice, my health, family, and friends just to name a few.
But gratitude was not always my friend, in fact nothing made me angrier than someone saying they were grateful. Why? Because I was so ungrateful and miserable, I did not understand the concept of gratitude. What did I have to be grateful for?
Most of you know that I battled alcohol and drug addiction and one thing I remember most about recovery was people telling you to write a gratitude list when you were feeling sorry for yourself or negatively. I would have maybe three things on my gratitude list: my home, my job, my family and other than that I didn’t feel grateful. In fact, I was so miserable and felt as if life were a punishment and I knew all the things that made me miserable I couldn’t do anything about.
It wasn’t until my sponsor at the time in recovery asked me to go home and write a gratitude list and she wanted at least 10 items on the list, well I came up with my usual three items and went blank. That’s when I decided to show her and do a misery list. Well, my misery list was three pages long and I remember thinking this will show her. I was wrong! Instead, what I saw was that everything that was making me miserable I could change. Wow was that an eye opener for me and suddenly, I had hope that I didn’t have to be so miserable after all.
I started to work on my misery list one item at a time and change it and as I did that my gratitude list grew and as my gratitude grew, the happier I became and the happier I became the better person I became. It was a domino affect and one day I woke up and my anxiety was lessened, and my depression was gone, and I was smiling more and laughing more, and I wasn’t so angry at the world anymore.
Today practicing an attitude of gratitude comes to me automatically, it lets me see the magic around me and all the good that we have in this world and this thing called life. So today I want to challenge you to practice gratitude and focus on those blessings we all receive daily. Keep a gratitude journal or a gratitude jar. Look at the things that make you unhappy, are they things that you can change? If so, then be grateful you can change them.
Today, I am grateful for all of you! You have all touched my life in one way or another and I am blessed. So here is wishing all of you more gratitude and blessings during this holiday season.
Namaste!
Pat
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Namaste
