Dear friends,

I know that live presents us with many opportunities, every day, to feel down, depressed, and overwhelmed. This aspect of life is natural, and is something we all go through; life is challenging. Knowing this to be true, there are simultaneously so many things that we can be grateful for, even in the difficulty. So this week, I wanted to send you all a helpful note about the importance of gratitude.

Sometimes I get stuck in really negative mind games with myself. I think we all do, right?  Sometimes we have bad days. Maybe we spend too much time watching the news, or on the Internet comparing ourselves with others.  Or, maybe we’ve eaten poorly, or we have received bad news at work.

Whatever the situation may be, we’ve all been there when our mind runs amuck, and takes us down a rabbit hole to a pretty negative place. It’s not the nicest place to be, but over time, I’ve learned how to get myself out. That’s been my saving grace, especially in these really dramatic days. 😫

The world we live in gives us a million reasons why we should think our lives are in shambles, or why we should think we aren’t good enough, and this is really unfortunate. Good thing for us though, there are tools that we can use to combat this. One of the most powerful practices for overcoming the comparison, depression, and rabbit-hole thinking mind game is gratitude.

So what is gratitude exactly? I’m sure by this point you’ve heard the word a million times on lots of other websites similar to this one. This is my definition: “Gratitude is being present to what is, honoring the present moment, whatever it may contain, and accepting it. Gratitude is saying thank you and being truly appreciative for the privileges of your life. Gratitude is also paying it forward and showing kindness to someone else. It is acknowledging life in ourselves and others in each breath. Gratitude is never taking for granted anything that we rely on every day to survive.” 💛

So, how can we remember to be more grateful, every day?

I’m glad you asked!

Here are some fun ways to incorporate gratitude into your daily routine:

―Wake up, open your eyes, and say thank you for another day of life.

―Every time you go to eat, silently bless your food.

―When walking down streets, thank your body for the ability to move with ease. If this doesn’t apply to you for physical reasons, you can use other parts of your body instead.

―Randomly select a loved one each week to text (or better yet call) to tell them you appreciate them in your life

―At the end of each day, take a few moments to recap your day, say thank you for all that you experienced, and all the breaths taken.

Remember gratitude is the positive attitude we all can use daily!

I hope this little list serves you. Keep me posted in the comments below!

xo, Michelle