Cultivating Space and an Attitude of Gratitude
Have you ever felt completely overwhelmed with life?
Ever felt like the world was pressing down upon you?
Have you felt like nothing at all was going your way?
Have you ever felt that things were continually spiralling downwards at a fast rate?
Have you felt that all your efforts are coming to naught?
Have you found yourself confused in long-drawn out situations and circumstances beyond your control?
Have you felt low on energy, starting to feel hopelessness and despair?
You are not alone in this. At any given moment in time, we all go through the difficult moments, due to various reasons, some external and totally beyond our control and some stemming from our own responses to the situation.
Creating Space for oneself and developing an attitude of Gratitude can be two key practices to aid us in flipping over these sensations of overwhelm and negative thought-pattern loops. Both of these have had a massive impact on my life.
We are like ever expanding, elastic vessels, which can only hold so much at a time, until we expand further. We also need a good, thorough scrubbing, washing, cleansing and drying out-in-the-Sun from time to time. To do this, we require moments of STOP for REST, RECHARGE and sometimes time off for necessary REPAIR.
When faced with deadlines, a lot of us will plod through and trudge along at drastically reduced efficiency, in a weary effort to ‘FINISH’ and then crash out red-eyed in a wrinkled, dehydrated organism due to the inhuman effort undertaken. This can be useful at times, but is more often than not counter-productive in my experience.
As I grow older, I have learned to place things in perspective and push the STOP button when things start getting overwhelming. It gives me time to clear out the cobwebs and allow all systems to cool down well before restarting the project with a fresh perspective and renewed energies. This SPACE created around myself to take care of my own wellbeing is essential to function well and get great results on whatever it is I am working on.
The other key practice is that of Gratitude, which has become a constant today.
We are bound to take things for granted in the daily distraction of life, forgetting to be appreciative of the blessings both big and small. An outlook of wonder, acknowledgement and gratitude brings grace into our lives. You can start with a Gratitude Journal by your bedside and write down 5 things or more that you are grateful for in your, each evening before going to bed. These can include things like:
- Something that brought a smile to you in the day or made you laugh.
- Something good and positive that you noticed during the day.
- Something that you enjoyed about the day.
- Someone you are grateful to have in your life.
- Something beautiful in your surroundings. Beauty lies around us everywhere!
- Something that saves you time and drudgery.
- Something gifted to you by a friend, well-wisher or loved one.
It can even include people and relationships that support you and which you are grateful for. It can be gratitude for having a body that houses you and functions to the best of its abilities.
It can sometimes be a bit slow to start the list, but as you start focusing on what all you can be grateful for, you will find your hand rushing to scribble it all down as more and more things come to mind.
The list of blessings you have in your life is endless, and you can begin to notice, acknowledge and jot things down, no matter how big or small. Continue adding to your journal every evening and whenever you feel like it throughout the day, everything that you can be and are grateful for. Review the list often, trying to add new things, situations, events, people every evening.
Make a decision to be intentional and focus on and be aware of all the things in your life, with particular attention to the good .
To truly root in the habit of Gratitude, you must write the blessings down and not just think about them. Writing creates neural pathways between our brain and body, deepening the grooves of how we experience things.
Also, while we boost our system through Gratitude, we are also in-training for those darkest times, which invariably roll around in cycles, where it becomes most difficult to remember the things that are good and we are pulled by our circumstances, to focus on the negative. When we have a written Gratitude Journal, we have something to hold on to during the tough times. It becomes a beacon of light to focus upon, to reflect on when faced with the dark. It makes us realise that everything is temporary in life, and it is never as bad as it seems in a bad moment. A Gratitude Journal reminds us of the good things in life and can have a huge impact on the quality of our lives. I keep mine near my bed, to jot down thoughts before sleeping off or to simply browse through to get a rush of genuine appreciation and divine blessings constantly available to me.
We have much for which we can be grateful. It is simply a question of acknowledging it.
As a mindfulness practitioner and life-design coach, I help clients focus on well-being and personal growth and make life choices that prioritize their mental and emotional health. This leads to personal freedom and independence allowing the person to blossom and manifest the life they deserve. If you’re looking to expand your horizons and/or overcome issues, connect with me.