Gratitude

This weekend has been quite busy.

Yesterday, my parents flew into town; Friday was Valentine's Day, Monday is President's Day, and Sunday is my partner's birthday (can you guess what day I'm writing this)?

I thought I'd be more stressed out with all this going on.

On the contrary, I just had the most pleasant day in a while.

Gratitude is a skill I have been developing for some time now.

Life changes unexpectedly, and I quickly feel overwhelmed by the unknown. Feeling grateful has helped me manage the volatility.

When worries occupy my head, it's difficult to recall how far I've come.

Shifting away from rumination feels like my brain has been running a marathon and just stopped to rest. That restful feeling is mindfulness, and it's restorative.

Mindfulness can be tricky when we have a mountain of responsibilities.

I've identified time during my day for mindful moments, such as taking the bus.

Taking the bus has done wonders for my mental health. Time to myself, when I don't have to talk, move around, or work on anything, leaves me present.

I'll read a book, listen to music, rest my eyes, or people-watch, and I can give my mind a break before I start class.

Another time is during my nightly routine. Right before I close my eyes, I'll envision my day from start to finish.

Once I've done this, I'll do it again and identify three things I'm grateful for. This gratitude practice will help me stay in a positive mindset before I fall asleep.

A movie that beautifully depicts the power of gratitude is About Time by Richard Curtis. The story follows a young man (Tim) who has inherited his father's ability to travel in time. In the movie, he uses this ability to better his future.

Towards the end, Tim's father shares a genius piece of advice.

He tells Tim to live every day one time without time traveling, experiencing all of the ups and downs like everyone else.

Then, travel to the beginning of the day and do it again. This time, recognizing all the moments that remind him how precious life is.

The secret is that when Tim does this, he doesn't survive the negative moments, he thrives in them. He does this for two reasons.

Reason number one: He's seen first-hand that the bad times will pass.

Reason number two: Almost any negative can be flipped into a positive.

With this knowledge, how could Tim sweat the small stuff?

This was a shorter post, but yesterday, I spent time with the people I care about most, and I'm grateful for them.

I wanted to give you this opportunity to be grateful.

This week, commit to exploring a gratitude practice that resonates with you.

With the conclusion of this article, I attest that gratitude is powerful.

I'm forever grateful for my life, and if you aren't already, I know you can be.