For me, a lack of thankfulness shows up as a sense of being disconnected from myself and my higher power. I start to get mired in what is going wrong in my life or the world. Sometimes fantasies of impending doom or victim stories play through my mind. If I let it go too long, it can turn into depression.
I don’t know what to call it, but I think you might know what I am talking about.
What I do know is that when we start to fall into this trap of negativity, the quickest path back to our true selves includes a return to gratitude.
Focusing on gratitude reminds our heart, mind, and soul of the blessings that surround us. Our narrow focus on what is wrong widens to reveal a world full of love, light, and hope.
We can shift our moods and lives from from black and white to full color again.
Most everyone has journaled gratitude at some point thanks to Oprah and other thought leaders who spoke of it’s virtues in the past. But, sometimes a gratitude practice can start to feel stale after awhile. Or, we get busy and let it drop away without realizing what we are doing.
We forget that the focus on what we are grateful for was programming our brain and creating new positive neural pathways that lead to happiness and a sense of peace. We forget that thankfulness is the path toward what we really want.
So, when you start to hear a pattern of negative thoughts running through your brain or notice that your focus is on what is going wrong – return to gratitude.
When you feel disconnected from yourself, God, or nature – return to gratitude.
And, any time you want to improve your world view and recognize the truth of what is – return to gratitude.
In my experience, writing your gratitudes down seems to work best, but it doesn’t always need to look the same. Switching things up can keep your gratitude practice interesting and fresh.
You can write in a journal or take meaningful photos that represent:
- 5 things you are grateful each day (the classic)
- Magical moments
- Daily blessings
- Anything that inspires and lifts you up
- Beautiful things, people, or moments
- Heart shapes you find throughout the day
- Write letters of appreciation to send or keep close to your heart
The choices are endless. What really matters is that you return your focus to what feels good instead of what feels wrong. Gratitude is a powerful tool that is available to you in every moment. All you have to do is remember to return to it.
If you are feeling stuck in your life or have a challenge to navigate and are interested in working with a professional coach, I would love to support you. Contact Linda
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Thanks for the reminder. Gratitude is really a powerful antidepressive, just have to remember bringing it up before the negative waves engulfe us.
What a timely reminder, Linda; thank you. And thank you also for suggesting that people write heartfelt letters of appreciation (and including the link to my books on the subject). Writing those letters is so gratifying to both sender and receiver, and, yes, it does bring one’s thoughts back to a place of peacefulness too.