Less attitude, more gratitude
Molly Fairclough,
3rd May 2020
Tags:
Life
Blog
Gratitude
Identity
Stress
I love to complain and, given what’s happening in the world right now, it’s pretty easy to complain about everything. But even though it feels good, I know it’s not good for me and it’s not actually helping anything.
I came to the conclusion that, at the end of the day, I need to decide whether I want to complain about my situation, or actually try and improve it.
Given that I’m not a scientist, a world leader, or anything like that, I can’t actually change the global situation. But what I can change is my own situation.
So, how do I actually do that? One word: Gratitude.
Gratitude is a practice.
Gratitude is more than a feeling; it’s a practice. It’s something that you have to work on every day, but the end result is always worth it. After all, if you start the day with thankfulness and end it with thankfulness, it’s pretty hard to feel negative.
There are three main things that help me practice gratitude:
Focus on what you do have, not what you don’t
In an age where social media is getting more and more popular, it can be hard not to get jealous of other people’s lifestyles.
That’s why, when you’re scrolling through Instagram and find yourself thinking along the lines of: “I wish I had that”, “She’s so lucky”, “I wish I looked like her”, it’s important to take a step back and think about all of the things you do have.
For instance, for me, I have a family who loves me, great friends, and a roof over my head. These are the things I need to remind myself of whenever insta-envy takes over.
Write it down
Starting your day by writing down three things that you’re thankful for is a great way to practice gratitude.
I like to do it as soon as I wake up, before I go on my phone, eat breakfast, or even brush my teeth, because it creates a foundation of thankfulness that will help me deal with any challenges I might face throughout the day.
Pray
I know this one might sound weird if you’ve never done it before, but talking to God is truly the best way to practice gratitude. After all, who better to express your thankfulness to than the creator of the universe and everything in it?
God has given us everything, and so it only makes sense that we take a few moments out of the day to thank him for it.
“I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” (Psalm 9:1 in the Bible).
