Are you ready to rewire your brain for positivity and happiness? In a world that often feels chaotic and overwhelming, finding moments of gratitude can be a place of peace.
I really pondered writing an article on gratitude. Finding the words to explain gratitude or what it means to me was even harder. Maintaining a grateful heart in the chaos of society is no easy feat.
I struggled for a long time to do it on my own. It wasn’t until I started leaning more on the grace of the LORD that I was able to appreciate the things he has allowed into my life.
I’m writing this article to share those experiences with you as well and hopefully bring you to a place where you can also share the joys of gratitude.
Personal Experience
Becoming a person who was able to express gratitude was a beautiful journey for me. Showing me what I already had was enough. Not only was it enough, but it was more than enough. Which created an abundance mindset and led me to the belief that we live way beyond our means.
I personally remember being angry and agitated everyday. I always had so much to do, no one ever helped. My home seemed as if it was always a mess.
Does this sound like you, too?
I would just sit in those feelings everyday and the more I thought about them the more I became filled with those feelings. Until I was no longer feeling like myself. I was unrecognizable to my children. This isn’t the loving mother they loved to cuddle underneath.
I hated feeling that way.
Practicing Gratitude
Everything I felt led me to practicing gratitude. I would just wake up and list off all the things I was grateful for. Turning complaints to appreciation.
Everything stopped seeming like a huge emergency.
I didn’t have to have my house clean and spotless for me to be grateful that I had a home. Nor did I have to have an overkill stockpile of clothes to feel like I had something to wear. I didn’t need a refrigerator full of food to feel like my kids had enough to eat.
I started living well within my needs instead of beyond them and realized I had more than enough and the LORD continuously provided for me.
Ways I practice gratitude:
Reading the Bible
Reading my Bible every morning helped me practice gratitude because it allowed me to be thankful for everything the LORD has blessed me with.
Why and how can I complain about blessings in my life? He has provided me with everything I need and everything I have asked for whether I realize that or not.
I can not match that with ungratefulness.
It helped me to see I was exactly where I needed to be and my life is already planned for me. There is nothing more for me to do but to follow.
Keeping a gratitude journal
Keeping a journal allowed me to keep track of all the beautiful things that manifested in my life daily. Writing this all down allowed me to always go back and reflect. I also used positive affirmations and journal prompts to help create reflections that I could look back on when I had negative thoughts.
Grab your free Gratitude Journal
Having positive thoughts helped create feelings of gratitude
It can be somewhat easy to slip into a negative mindset. And at times harder to keep a positive one.
I have a short little story to explain what I mean.
Around Christmas time I was in a Target parking lot. It was busy, no parking can barely get out of the parking lot. Cars are back to back. I’m sitting at a right turn trying to ease my way into traffic so I can get out of here and head home.
No one is letting me in. And I mean NO ONE. I’m starting to get upset. In my head I am cursing them and for a split second I stop. I think to myself, roll down your window and ask this next car to let you in. I did just that. They let me in just like that.
Sometimes that is all it takes to not create this negative madness in your own head. I could have still been sitting at that stop sign, or maybe I could have forced my way into the line and caused someone else to get upset and further frustrated.
But, instead I chose positivity and I chose to politely ask to let me in.
Releasing anger
There are so many factors that can easily upset us during the day. Some linger longer than others. My general rule of thumb is to not stay upset longer than 5 minutes.
I noticed that if I stay upset longer than 5 minutes then it usually will stick with me all day and cloud my judgment.
I start to change the story, make assumptions, point and blame. None of these things help me at all.
So all within those 5 min I will analyze myself instead.
What am I upset about? Is there a way for me to help the situation? Am I the one at fault?
I found this beautiful post on Huffpost “ Why stay angry” and it represents exactly how I feel. Take a minute to check it out here.
Learning to release my anger or not become angry at all helps me retain my gratitude throughout the day.
Slow living
Through gratitude I was able to live slowly. I showed appreciation throughout the day for small things. And for the small things that I had.
I stopped rushing because I found there was no need to. I was exactly where I needed to be.
This allowed me to complete tasks at a slower pace which helped lower stress and anxieties I had about invisible deadlines. What I mean by invisible deadlines is cleaning the entire house in 2 hours because I just had to.
I started waking up early in the morning at 4:30 am to be exact and taking long hot showers. Stepping outside and enjoying the dark and quietness.
It helped me listen to my body. I was able to rest when I needed to and not work myself into a burnout. Which I was definitely prone to.
It helped me set boundaries and say NO more often to things that did not align with my well being. Including saying no to myself and creating a disciplined life.
Starting a garden can invoke gratitude
I don’t think any of us truly appreciate the beauty of plants growing until we grow them for ourselves.
Learning to garden created a very high sense of gratitude because it allowed me to see something through from start to finish and reap the benefits.
It amplified my thoughts and practices in living life slowly. And gave me patience in all areas of my life. While also helping me become a more calm parent.
This small aspect in my life created such a sense for gratitude and appreciation for the convenience of everything. We go to the store to buy our food and have little to no thought on the time and care it took for it to be readily available to us.
In addition, I became even more grateful for the wonders of God and his creation how a tiny seed can become so much. Also, coming to a realization that we are very similar to plants and connected.
Stopped using certain possessive nouns
I used mine and yours a lot when speaking. I made distinctions to what was mine and what belonged to me.
Not realizing that those simple words can create a division in your house and with people you care for. Even if it is only on a subconscious level the division is still there.
I don’t care if I did make it on my own or purchase it with my own money. It was ours, it belonged to us.
The more gratitude I generated in my life allowed me to see that nothing was ever actually accomplished on our own. It was done with his will.
We have been allowed these things and obtained it with the LORD’S help. That made me appreciate any and everything that came in my life. Whether it be good or bad.
It was meant for me to help me grow or to learn from. I took my teachings and blessings as they came. Now, here I am sharing them with you.
In conclusion
Gratitude has been a breaking point in how I view life, people, and things. As well, as how I choose to treat life, people, and things. I share these words in hope that you will also choose to live a more grateful and positive life.
Choosing to live within our means and knowing that what you have is enough. Love life and laugh more!
Please take the time to sign up for ‘Sweeten Ya tea’ which is my Free resource library. You can click on this link here. I’ve created a Gratitude Journal that you will have access to once you sign up.
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