Tis the season - the holidays are upon us! Thanksgiving is this week, and I was thinking about what it means to be grateful and have a gratitude practice. For a couple years now, I have had a habit of writing out 5 things that I am grateful for on a daily basis. Sometimes, admittedly, life has gotten busy, and the practice hasn't been as dedicated, but more or less since the summer of 2019, I have journaled on a regular basis.
Why write down what I am grateful for? I find that taking the time to put things in writing seems to solidify the thought, rather than it being a fleeting one that I have for several seconds. The things are not big or grandiose most of the time; it's little things like blueberry pancakes for breakfast, or the way the sun hit the mountains, or rocking my not-so-little baby to sleep.
Sometimes writing in my journal just feels like something I am checking off my to do list, but even those couple of minutes that it takes helps gives me perspective on how much I have actually been blessed with in my life. It is really easy to get stuck in the negatives of "I wish this...." or "when this happens then I will..." or "My life is hard", etc.
It literally is easier, science shows, to stay stuck in a negative state than it is to rise into a healthier positive state. It takes more energy. Emotions cause different vibrations (y'know, the vibes?), and emotions like anger, hurt, depressed, resentment occur at a lower vibration than joy, peace, happiness, and love.
A gratitude practice is one quick little way each day to put energy towards a healthier emotional state.
I get it, there are seasons when life really kicks a person down, like illness or death. I am not intending to dismiss these. I am instead talking about seasons where life feels more meh, average, mediocre. Focusing on gratitude can bring more joy and contentment to your daily life. And during the hustle and bustle and potentially materialistic attitude of the holidays, gratitude for what we already have is something to keep at the forefront of our minds.
If you have a way of infusing gratitude into your life, let me know!