It is really important to allow yourself to reflect on what you have to be grateful for.
Why?
Quite simply, it is for your own well-being, if not for anyone else’s.
It is also paramount when you are feeling under any stress or strain which is quite normal in this pressurised society we live in.
When you allow your gratitude in, this feeling will permeate every cell in your body (and it only takes a moment or two to do this), and you will have stepped back from the busyness of life.
You will have given a gift to yourself.
It is such a simple act and I highly recommend you do it daily or nightly or whenever you choose to do it.
Examples:
Here are some of the things I’m grateful for when I look through my day now:
- I am alive
- Someone, out of the blue, gave me their unused parking ticket when I had no change
- 2 strangers asked me about my response to the Scottish vote when they heard my accent, and were pleased that I wanted us to be united
- I chose my updated book cover finally
- I put on my Blog myself in the Blogging Group after my struggle earlier
- I ate my lunch whilst sitting in the garden on a beautiful sunny day
- I read the newspaper in peace and quiet
- My ‘rest your head on my shoulder and receive my holding’ was accepted graciously
- I danced my heart out at my Zumba Class and felt fantastic (even though dripping in sweat and like a red tomato)
- I enjoyed the fun and banter there too
- I have gratitude for the women who have signed up for my Day Workshops (another today)
- I celebrate my life
You don’t have to write them down,and it has great benefit as you are able to see just how much you are grateful for. Seeing your list, you may be able to say, quite simply like me – I am so lucky and have much to be grateful for – and there’s even more than my 12 I’ve listed.
I do this every evening when I go to bed. It is up to you how you do it.
I want to encourage you to do it though! The large and the small.
Enjoy x
Hi Irene,
I loved reading what you are thankful for. I do a similar thing in my prayers and journaling. I find it particularly useful on hard days, to help keep my focus on the goodness too 🙂
I recently did the Gratitude Challenge on FB I promised myself at the time I would start a Gratitude Journal and failed. Your post has given me a good reminder so I have started one today 🙂 Thank you.
Thanks, Anita, for your words. Yes, me too as I can so easily forget. Irene x
Really pleased, Jenny, that my blog re-ignited you. Irene x
Gratitude has become a large part of my life and I’m so happy to see this post from you. I attempt to write a gratitude list every week on my blog and link it to Laurel Regan’s Linkup at her blog called Alphabet Salad. Perhaps you could do that too?
Thanks for reminding me of the importance of gratitude Irene. Sometimes it is easy to overlook it on a day-to-day basis. I always make a mental note of it but you have re-inspired me to also start noting it down on a daily basis. It will be lovely to look back on 🙂
Thanks, Nicky for your kind words. And we will meet up xx
I’ll have a look, Corinne x