I am grateful to be alive!
Well it has been forever since my last post. Life has been a little busy lately.
Over the years I have come to learn that when life gets hectic that it is really important to have a few key coping mechanisms to help get you through. As we age, most of us get more resilient, we learn better ways to cope, we have learnt what works best for us and more importantly, what to steer clear of. I know for myself I have a couple of key coping mechanisms that always help. One is to talk; sharing the load to a trusted friend, partner or family member always helps. Another is to be grateful. Studies have shown that those people in this crazy world who are the happiest are those who are the most grateful. Why is this so?
How can something that seems so unassuming be so significant to our happiness? Surely something as simple as being grateful for the blessings in your life can’t make a huge difference……or can it? I don’t know about you, but when I get stressed, I am prone to things like: worrying; overthinking, thinking too far ahead, being unrealistic, comparing myself to others and overlooking the good in my life. Well guess what? Being grateful is like a one dose fits all remedy for all of these problems.
Being grateful grounds you and pulls you back into reality. When you are thinking about what you are truly grateful for, you cannot think about the future or the past. It brings you into the now and focuses you on what you have and not what you don’t.
It puts your issues into perspective and lets you know what is really important in your life. You may be worrying about work issue, but when you start to think about what you are truly grateful for you realise that family, health and love are all far more important than any work issue.
Being grateful only allows for positivity, there is no room for the negative. Being grateful, literally turns pessimism into optimism.
A grateful mindset stops you comparing. Comparing yourself to others is a sure fire way to get yourself down in the dumps. Remember – compare equals despair. When we compare, we invite in self-doubt and negativity. When you are focussing on what you are grateful for all of a sudden what others have or don’t becomes insignificant.
Being grateful allows us to accept that we all have wonderful parts to our lives. What we may have perceived of as lacking is actually okay. We may feel that our house is small or old but when we are truly grateful, we realise that our house is a home. A home that it keeps us warm, safe and is a shelter for our family to grow in. Acceptance stops us feeling that what we have is not enough or not good enough.
So are you truly grateful for your life? Why not give yourself the grateful challenge and every morning, noon and night think of three things that you are truly grateful for and see how your mood shifts? I would love to hear how being grateful lightens your mood and enhances your happiness……….
happyasapiginmud 