You inventory what's in your kitchen cupboard and take measures to shore up you supply of must-have items. Similarly, you should consider taking stock of your mental and emotional stores.
Having these psychological reserves will bolster you during the dark periods. They'll keep your lows from being so low, so frequent, so hard to recover from. They'll guide you toward focusing on the sweet things that recall lighter days. They help you identify your priorities, organize some of the chaos, and start thinking up creative solutions to various challenges.
They can be buoys or lifeboats. Reflections or calls to action. [Thankfully] It's all good.
A Gratitude Practice is finding open windows when doors close.
And if this post is too long for ya to read right now, check out the TL;DR highlight video. You can come back to this post for more detail later. When you have time. Oy, life! 😉
My Personal Perspective
For me, Gratitude with big "G" is many things. It's noticing and delighting in the small things — often thought of as "simple pleasures." It's pleases and thank yous and demonstrating courtesies to others. It taking a beat to appreciate life, my life, so that I don't take stuff for granted. It's trying to reframe things to the positive and banish the negative.
I Have a Little List....
Ok, here's 50 things I'm grateful for right now. Like RIGHT NOW. It's pretty random, but then so are many aspects of life. So it's fitting, perhaps.
Anyway, I can't pick favorites and coming up with the list items was a serious stream-of-consciousness escapade. So I just organized it alphabetically to neaten it up a bit. (Maybe all this is a bit obvious?)
Ability to do to yoga/TRX/spin classes
Beautiful desktop/browser tab wallpaper images
Being my own boss
Calls to/from loved ones
Coffee
Comfortable, safe home
Conveniences (like dishwasher and W/D!)
Cozy beds
Creative outlets
Diverse work experience
Eating out once in a while
Exposure to many cultures
Flexible work/life
Free — and really kickass amazing — stock photography
Funny coffee mugs and t-shirts
Great childhood
Having lived abroad
Hobbies
Iridescent sparkly nail polish
Learning opportunities
Lots of great content online/TV (articles, blog posts, shows, videos, podcast, etc.)
Mentors, partners, collaborators
More daylight hours/light out when I get up
Music and playlists
My peeps (family, friends, clients, etc.)
Natural beauty of my area
Opportunity to follow dreams
People reaching out, taking care of each other, connecting in virtual-but-personal ways
Really hot showers
Relative abundance (food, clothes, etc.)
Relative good health
Sarcasm/snarkasm
Seeing others enjoying themselves (like kids running around at the playground)
Sense of curiosity
Someone to love
Stardust
Sunny days
Support from loved ones
Traveling
Walks to the park to see the duckies
Webconferencing tools
YTT
YouTube channels
An Open Invite
In the most heartfelt way, I invite you learn about and do your own Gratitude Practice. There are tons of ways to do it: dot or guided journaling, meditation, visionboarding, vlogging, etc.
Find an approach that resonates with you. It may take a few (or several) false starts to hit upon a method that's comfortable, authentic, and sustainable.
But, no worries. This is an exercise just for you. (So be sure it's also something you find fun and relaxing or cathartic.)
Need More Inspiration?
Check out this wonderful 8-minute meditation on Insight Timer. It's relaxing, yet empowering. And, the guide's voice is balmy and soft. By the end, perhaps you'll be in the frame of mind to do your own gratitude exercise.
Stay Tuned
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