Mental Health Talks: Gratitude

This past week was Thanksgiving and I’m thinking a lot about gratitude. Of all the healthy mental habits I’ve practiced, gratitude seems to come the hardest to me. It may come as a surprise to most people but I tend to focus a lot on the things I don’t have. I try to focus on the good. In the past, it’s been easier but the past year and a half has emboldened that negative voice in my head. I used to have moments of “why me” periodically but since Elizabeth, that train of thought has gained more and more steam. My ego has more evidence to prove its case. BUT that doesn't mean I’m giving in.

Amid the negative self-talk that seems to be taking over, I am more determined than ever to see the good in my life. I have my bad days but I have to say, for the most part, I’ve been able to find some semblance of gratitude in the simple things. It truly is the simple things in life that I feel so damn grateful for. The sunset, a tree, the sky, food in my belly, my husband, my son, my family’s health, and so much more. It’s never the things you think you need like money, or clothes, or success.

That’s the advice I want to give you today. Step back and look at the whole picture. When you need some gratitude, stop and look at the most basic of things. Your health is a great place to start. I think it’s really easy to take it for granted, especially if you’ve never been without it. Since losing Elizabeth, I’m so painfully aware of how precious and fragile life is. How one tiny misstep in the development of a heart or lung could change everything for the worse. It’s impossible to really feel this unless you’ve been there and unfortunately, I believe we will all know this to be true at some point in life. I always knew how precious life was, but now I can feel it. 

I also want to remind you that practice indeed makes perfect. I always felt like I was a failure because I had to practice gratitude. It made me feel like I wasn’t a good enough human being, but then I learned that it’s a predisposed human condition. Our brains focus on the bad more than the good. It’s part of our evolutionary skills that kept us from being eaten by dinosaurs. Our minds hold onto the bad things to keep us alert and alive. To fix that, we all need to create a gratitude practice.  I love the Five Minute Journal. It’s beautiful to look at and only takes 5 minutes. If you don’t want to buy anything, just keep a running tab of things you’re grateful for on your phone or random notebook. It works just as well.

Life is already hard. Don’t make it harder.  When you start looking for the things you’re grateful for you, will see them more and more. The law of attraction confirms this. What you appreciate, appreciates. 

All my love,

jodi x