10 days | 10 thanks
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, or more. It turns denial to acceptance, chaos into order, confusion to clarity. ”
10 days | 10 thanks
The reason I want to hold myself accountable to listing 10 things that I'm grateful for on a daily basis is because it brings me joy. It starts my day off on a lighter note, and raises my frequency, putting me in alignment with all things that please me. it's that simple. Gratitude elevates my energetic vibration (total hippy dippy speak, i know) and it gets me out of tough mental spirals i sometimes find myself in.
Join me in this 10 day challenge!
We spend all our lives trying to be happy. Looking towards the outside to bring internal peace. There are so many beautiful things happening in any given moment. And gratitude allows us to live in that world, instead of the "woe is me" crap that we all know so well. We all allow ourselves to get caught up in our negative spiral. We talk to our friends about it, rationalize it and focus so intensely on it, that sometimes its all we see.
Easiest way to get out of that funk? Just get grateful.
I have written some simple tips on how to incorporate gratitude to your daily routine. Give it a shot! And enjoy the unfolding of this experince.
Keep it simple
Look up, look out, move your head a little more to the left or right. Find a color you love. Maybe listen for a sound that brings you joy. A latte being made, a bird perched on a parked car outside. Do you have your health? Are you having a good hair day? Did you eat a breakfast that filled you up this morning?
As a sufferer of major and anxiety and depression, this stuff used to seem so mundane. Thinking "I'm thankful for my ability to walk" seemed pointless. But its not. The simpler the gratitude, the more you incorporate it in your life, the bigger the thanks, the better you feel.
Write it out
Purchase yourself a fabulous journal. Spend the time with this. I prefer lined notebooks with nice thick paper. I'm not a fan of spiraled books cause they get caught and snag on things in my purse. My favorite pen to use is a pilot - for some reason my hand writing just looks better. And because i enjoy the act of writing with this pen, i write for longer. Typing it out perfect too. Make a folder on your desktop and just add a new word (or google) doc, dating them every day.
set out the time
It doesn’t have to take long at all. I like to spend 10 minutes with my morning coffee and my journal. If i'm running late, I bring the book with me and get to it in the parking lot if I have a minute. Incorporating a morning ritual that sets your day up for success is incredibly helpful when battling anxiety and negative thoughts.
You can also up-level your gratitude by saying thanks for the best thing that happened that day, while lying in bed before going to sleep. Going to sleep with clear and joyful mind is helpful in waking up clear, and joyful. Makes sense :)
Meditate
In mindfulness meditation, we focus on our breath. Sometimes our mind gets caught up in thoughts, you gently come back to your inhale and your mind is back at it. Focusing on an anchoring thought, a word you tell yourself, can be very helpful.
I like to inhale “thank” and exhale “you”. My mind immediately goes towards gratitude and my emotions follow suit.
remember...
it isn't easy.
I remind my students all the time.
I’m in front of my notebook many times a day. I’m at my computer for hours at a time. I scroll through Facebook, read blogs I wish i’d written, look at pictures of people doing things I wish I was doing.
Stopping this cycle, after all the years of letting our mind go strait to negativity, judgment, victim hood, is hard. Complaining is like scratching an itch for me. I will complain to anyone who will listen. But it will only get me to the next issue I can complain about.
Remember you have a choice. We can get caught up in the crap or we can stop it, shifting our thoughts towards something more positive.
"Just think happy wonderful thoughts, and up you go" - Peter Pan.
have fun
Thinking about what you have as opposed to what you don't have, should feel good. It might take a while to bash down that wall of self doubt, unworthiness, the negative spiral. All that is your not-so-friendly ego. Let that voice get quiet for a minute, and remember all the incredible things you get to experience.
The warmth of the sun hitting your skin. The sounds of nature. A cookie. When you think of things that make you happy, you feel happy. Have fun with it.
like attracts like
This is the fun part. We get more of what we pay attention to. Being grateful for the present moment, for everything you've had in your life, and what you want in your life, is the secret ingredient to creating your best life. The more you focus on that high frequency thought and feeling, why you're so happy you have this in your life, invite the feeling to take over you, and let the universe do its magic.
xx, LrM
