Turning to Appreciation as a Means of Coping

When you feel down in the dumps or find yourself in a funk, how do you cope?

A gratitude practice can help you shift away from emotions that weigh you down and toward a place of appreciation and joy. It can help you see what you have as enough.

Gratitude turns what little you have into abundance.
Gratitude is so much more than saying thank you.
Gratitude can change your perspective from scarcity to abundance.

But how you can find the positive when everything seems so bleak? It's easy to be grateful for wonderful things in our lives. Let's look a little deeper and find the simple, everyday pleasures that often go unnoticed. Laughter or a hike in the woods with a friend. A call from a friend when you most needed it and didn't know until you heard their voice. A friend telling you how much they believe in you and see your gifts. Whatever these simple pleasures may be, consciously expressing our gratitude for them can help us grow our daily gratitude practice beyond the surface level.

Let's try it now. In this very moment, bring someone into your heart's mind who has brought joy into your life, who has been there for you, quietly or boldly. Who sees and believes in you. And now, breathe into your heart and feel your appreciation for that person, how important they are in your life. And as you exhale, radiate that love back out. Stay in the space for a 5 - 10 minutes.

When you focus your attention on people you are grateful it helps you start to have appreciation for yourself, which in turn fosters even more gratitude. By focusing on the people you are grateful for, you open yourself up to life as a gift.

Who are you grateful for? Call them, send them a text or an email and tell thank them for just being there for you.

Much Love,
Lindsay