Finding Gratitude in the Darkness

Let's just say it, we are going through some really dark times right now. It is tough for everyone, across the globe regardless of age, race or gender. We are experiencing heightened fear and anxiety as individuals and as a collective.

As creatures of habit, we tend not to like when something throws our normal structure off and we certainly don't like uncertainty. During these uncertain times, we need to be flexible and do our best to take care of our mental and physical health. 

If you have been around a while, you know I talk about gratitude ALOT! I truly believe that gratitude is something that can be life-changing...and I have a whole branch of Psychology to back this up!

If you are feeling worried, fearful, anxious, uneasy, uncomfortable or any other negative emotion, I challenge you to adopt a gratitude practice. I suggest this to most, if not all, of my clients. This can help anyone! Keep reading on to find out how to start a gratitude practice and stick around to read about how you can apply it to the situation we are experiencing right now amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Here's my simple 4-step method to begin a gratitude practice:
1. Pick a time during the day that you can commit to doing this practice. All you need is 5 minutes.
2. Get a journal and a pen and dedicate it to be your gratitude journal. (Writing this in the notes section of your phone is ok too, and do this if you feel you can't commit to this practice using a physical journal. If you can, I would highly encourage you to use a physical journal and actually write this out...it just does something different for our brains!)
3. Challenge yourself to write down at least 3 DIFFERENT things each day that you are grateful for. It is crucial that you find DIFFERENT things each day. It doesn't take much effort on our brain's part to rattle off a list of things we're always grateful for (ie: family, pets, health, friends...). The purpose of this practice is to begin to train your brain to think more in terms of gratitude. When we take the effort to do this practice, we begin that process and begin re-wiring our brain. 3 things may seem impossible, but I can guarantee you that no matter who you are, no matter what you're dealing with, you can find 3 things each day. 
4. REPEAT DAILY!

Now, how can you work on gratitude in a time as dark as this? I know that this can make it even more challenging, but...still not impossible. We are being forced to slow down at this time. There's so many things in our daily life that we can easily overlook because we're simply too busy. Now, you are being given an opportunity to slow down and observe the things around you. 

Can you take some more time to truly enjoy your first cup of coffee in the morning? Are you happy that the weather is getting warmer and we're starting to see the first blooms of Spring? What about the extra time you have to spend with your pets? 

Another way I've been looking at gratitude lately, in my personal life, is having a renewed gratitude toward the things I, all too often, take for granted. Things are different now and I didn't realize how much I take for granted. Some things include:

• The drive to and from the office where I can clear my mind and listen to the podcast that's calling out to me that day
• Being able to order my groceries and have them in stock and at my doorstep as quickly as 2 hours later
• Amazon Prime deliveries actually arriving within 2 days
• Knowing I can get on a plane or get in my car at any moment and theoretically go anywhere I want
• Going to restaurants
• Freedom to go anywhere at any time
• Not worrying so much about everything I touch
• My routine

I could go on and on, but I wanted to get you started on thinking about what do you take for granted? How can you view this from a place of gratitude? While I miss all of these things, I am trying to view it with a renewed sense of gratitude. These things will return, and having had a chance to miss them, I know I'll be so grateful once these return to my life. Silver lining maybe?

How can you find gratitude right now? 

I send out newsletters every week and I include a list of some of things that I have been grateful for over the past week. If you'd like to get in on this, sign up or my E-mail list here.

I will be posting more on my Instagram and offering my support there! Be sure to check it out and if you have any questions or would like some support, feel free to comment here, DM me on Instagram or send me an E-mail!

I wish you and your family health and wellness on your way to finding your State of Balance!

You can also check out my YouTube channel for more inspiration!