Gratitude.

So… I’ve been thinking about the contents of this blog and wondering what to write about. I’ve had a bit of a mental block since my last post and no new ideas have come to mind. This has made me slightly panicky and I even started to project about never having anything to write about evER AGAIN! And, as I’m sure you can identify… the more I thought about what to write, the less I could think about what to write ARGHHHHH!

Then, it came to me. Obviously. When I’m struggling and projecting about a terrible future, what do I need to do to ground myself in the here-and-now?

Get some gratitude.

So I am taking my own advice and inviting you to join me in adopting an attitude of gratitude. If you’re not sure what I mean or how it can help, try the following exercise:

Get a pen and paper (or a laptop and a blogpost) and write a list of everything you are grateful for, for example, I am grateful for –

My recovery, my health, my partner & family, my friends, my freedom, my home, my car, my work, my possessions, my sense-of-humour, my partner’s sense-of-humour! The sun is shining today, the birdsong, all of the animals I work with and care for and all of the beautiful people I have had the pleasure of meeting so far this lifetime!

OK, so now I’m sitting typing with a big smile on my face, thinking about the great people in my life (past & present), the gorgeous animals I have around me, my fulfilling work, how funny my partner is etc etc etc. It really is a great tool for getting out of the negative and into the positive. It also anchors me into the centre of my life and gives me an amazing opportunity to appreciate what’s around me.

You can make these lists as detailed as you want to; a good variation is to write a list of all the people in your life you are grateful for and 10 reasons why you are grateful for each person.

Well, I am certainly feeling more positive and less panicky about things than I was 20 minutes ago, so if it can work for me. no doubt it can work for you too.

Thanks for reading – I’m very grateful for you!