Suz @ Real Well 😘

Mar 17, 20203 min

In Trying Times...Gratitude Needs to be a Pantry Staple

Updated: Nov 17, 2020

You inventory what's in your kitchen cupboard and take measures to shore up you supply of must-have items. Similarly, you should consider taking stock of your mental and emotional stores.

Having these psychological reserves will bolster you during the dark periods. They'll keep your lows from being so low, so frequent, so hard to recover from. They'll guide you toward focusing on the sweet things that recall lighter days. They help you identify your priorities, organize some of the chaos, and start thinking up creative solutions to various challenges.

They can be buoys or lifeboats. Reflections or calls to action. [Thankfully] It's all good.

A Gratitude Practice is finding open windows when doors close.
See, really see, and be thankful for the beauty and wonder and good stuff in life.

And if this post is too long for ya to read right now, check out the TL;DR highlight video. You can come back to this post for more detail later. When you have time. Oy, life! 😉

My Personal Perspective

For me, Gratitude with big "G" is many things. It's noticing and delighting in the small things — often thought of as "simple pleasures." It's pleases and thank yous and demonstrating courtesies to others. It taking a beat to appreciate life, my life, so that I don't take stuff for granted. It's trying to reframe things to the positive and banish the negative.

I Have a Little List....

Ok, here's 50 things I'm grateful for right now. Like RIGHT NOW. It's pretty random, but then so are many aspects of life. So it's fitting, perhaps.

Anyway, I can't pick favorites and coming up with the list items was a serious stream-of-consciousness escapade. So I just organized it alphabetically to neaten it up a bit. (Maybe all this is a bit obvious?)

  1. Ability to do to yoga/TRX/spin classes

  2. Amazon deliveries

  3. Bada Bean snacks

  4. Beautiful desktop/browser tab wallpaper images

  5. Being my own boss

  6. Calls to/from loved ones

  7. Coffee

  8. Comfortable, safe home

  9. Conveniences (like dishwasher and W/D!)

  10. Cozy beds

  11. Creative outlets

  12. Diverse work experience

  13. Eating out once in a while

  14. Epsom baths with essential oils

  15. Exposure to many cultures

  16. Flexible work/life

  17. Free — and really kickass amazing — stock photography

  18. Funny coffee mugs and t-shirts

  19. Great childhood

  20. Having lived abroad

  21. Healthy, tasty food

  22. Hobbies

  23. Iridescent sparkly nail polish

  24. Learning opportunities

  25. Lots of great content online/TV (articles, blog posts, shows, videos, podcast, etc.)

  26. Magnetic bookmarkers

  27. Mentors, partners, collaborators

  28. More daylight hours/light out when I get up

  29. Music and playlists

  30. My peeps (family, friends, clients, etc.)

  31. Natural beauty of my area

  32. Opportunity to follow dreams

  33. People reaching out, taking care of each other, connecting in virtual-but-personal ways

  34. Really hot showers

  35. Relative abundance (food, clothes, etc.)

  36. Relative good health

  37. Sarcasm/snarkasm

  38. Seeing others enjoying themselves (like kids running around at the playground)

  39. Sense of curiosity

  40. Someone to love

  41. Sprouted lentils

  42. Stardust

  43. Sunny days

  44. Support from loved ones

  45. Tea

  46. Traveling

  47. Walks to the park to see the duckies

  48. Webconferencing tools

  49. YTT

  50. YouTube channels

What's your Gratitude Pratice look like?

An Open Invite

In the most heartfelt way, I invite you learn about and do your own Gratitude Practice. There are tons of ways to do it: dot or guided journaling, meditation, visionboarding, vlogging, etc.

Find an approach that resonates with you. It may take a few (or several) false starts to hit upon a method that's comfortable, authentic, and sustainable.

But, no worries. This is an exercise just for you. (So be sure it's also something you find fun and relaxing or cathartic.)

Need More Inspiration?

Check out this wonderful 8-minute meditation on Insight Timer. It's relaxing, yet empowering. And, the guide's voice is balmy and soft. By the end, perhaps you'll be in the frame of mind to do your own gratitude exercise.


 Stay Tuned

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