Gratitude = Joy

I’ve been living in a “storm” for over a decade now. We all have challenges in life that we’re dealing with. It’s very easy to get discouraged. We often fight our battles alone and to most people we come into contact with, they have no idea what trials we’re facing. It can be really easy for us to get discouraged and down trodden. The one thing I have found that helps keeps me in a positive mindset is making gratitude a daily practice for myself. 

For a long time, the idea of a gratitude journal or any kind of specific “gratitude practice” seemed like yet another item to add to my to-do list and the thought was overwhelming. But there came a day when I was so discouraged and without hope that I decided I needed to make a conscious decision each and every day to count my blessings and focus on every small thing in my life that brought light into my world. 

There are many ways you can practice gratitude. A gratitude journal is a great way to focus on all the things in life you’re grateful for and I have employed this technique from time to time over the years. I have an abundance of journals and lists in my life, so this often falls by the wayside after a week or so of regular journaling. Instead, at the end of each day as I’m getting ready for bed, washing my face and brushing my teeth, I go back through my day and think of all the highlights - the people and things that added so much to my life. It helps me to recap my day in a positive way and I go to sleep with positive thoughts rather than stressful, anxious thoughts (those never help me sleep).

We are often so busy in our lives that we simply are moving so fast we don’t even take the time to express gratitude. I find this to be true of my friends and loved ones. I have made it a habit to tell people right away if they have made a special impact on me in a given moment. It might be a phone call, text or email. I just take a quick minute to let them know how much appreciate what they did or just who they are in my life. When we are fortunate to have amazing people in our lives, it’s really important that we tell them. Just think of how you feel when someone reaches out to you with a thankful spirit. I bet it makes your day.

It’s really easy for us to focus on our problems and all the things that are wrong in our lives. That does not make us happy, it makes us pitiful and depressed and not very productive or fun to be around. Instead, focus on the things and the people you do have in your life and you will find yourself feeling so much richer in so many ways. When you catch yourself starting to complain, STOP, think of something that you are grateful for and focus on that. 

Get yourself a journal, use the notes on your phone or tablet or just set aside a few quiet moments each day to go over in your mind all the blessings in your life that you are grateful for. The mental shift when we make gratitude a habit is absolutely life changing!!!!