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November, 28, 2024
Happy Thanksgiving !!!!!
Not only is today the day of copious amounts of food, but the one day a year most people take a few minutes to stop and think about the things in their life they are grateful for. It's lovely and it's probably my favorite holiday of the year - it's not commercialized or overshadowed by presents, cards, or gaudy decorations (for the most part).
The weight of the word "gratitude" is so much heavier this year than it has ever been in my 37 years. Usually "heavier" implies a burden or something we need to get rid of to feel better. For me, "heavier" means bigger, more profound, and something I can't live without.
If you have already read my previous post, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. The outpouring of love and support was overwhelming, And I couldn't be more GRATEFUL!
One thing I have learned over the last 5 months is that gratitude and darkness cannot reside in the same space. When I stop and think about the things I am grateful for and the blessings in my life, my brain is occupied by that positivity and the negative thoughts that could creep in are deflected.
I view my gratitude as a piece of armor. By polishing it every day and taking care of it, it better serves me in protecting my mind from going to the dark places that I don't trust, and that have gotten me into trouble in the last decade. Practicing gratitude is my version of polishing my armor.
It started with a journal and was pretty daunting at first. When we are asked what we are grateful for growing up, whether it be in a school setting or around the dinner table with our family, we have an audience. We don't want to sound stupid, or superficial, and in some cases, it can turn into a competition. The beauty of a journal - NOBODY READS IT BUT YOU! However, when I started, I had this mindset in my head and as much as I knew what I was grateful for, nothing ended up on the page.
Until one day, a friend of mine gave me some great advice. "Just write ANYTHING down, no matter how simple, and even if you don't 100% feel or believe that you are grateful for it." That's kind of weird. 🤔 Well, if you think about it, it's not weird at all. When we practice anything, a sport, an instrument, learning how to read etc. are we good at it the first time we try? Hell no. Hence why we practice.
SO, I took my friend's advice. I'm pretty sure the first two weeks I wrote " I am grateful for coffee" in my journal every day. I mean it was the morning after all, and I was genuinely grateful to be able to make coffee! What I noticed around week 2 was that the simple practice of writing this down every day was bringing me more into the present moment. (We see memes and quotes and articles everywhere about this concept - but what does it really mean?)
Then I started to dig slightly deeper and started writing 3 things I am grateful for every day. I started noticing a shift in how I viewed negative situations/comments and my reactions to them. I could let them live where they were and didn't feel the need to take them on myself or let them fester. And I felt better. I also started noticing the days it seemed particularly difficult for me to find 3 things I was grateful for. OKAY, why did we wake up on the wrong side of the bed today? It gave me the ability to take a few minutes, check my thoughts and manage my emotions, so I could go out into the day without them weighing me down. Prior to this, I'd unjustifiably lose my shit internally towards someone at Walgreens, not realizing I was carrying something in my head that I hadn't gotten in touch with or resolved.
Like I said before, gratitude and darkness cannot reside in the same space.
I won't lie, I still hide my journal even though I know no one is going to read it. Some mindsets are harder to let go than others.
I also won't lie and say that being grateful is a cure-all for some really hard and horrible things that happen in life.
For me, it's a simple practice I can engage in every day that will help me in battle, with my demons & the ones the world puts in front of me.
Happy Thanksgiving ya'll!!! 🦃🍂
Do you have a gratitude journal? How does it help YOU?
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