Something I decided to practice is regularly listing things I’m grateful for. I do it before I open my eyes every morning then before I fall asleep every night. It doesn’t take any time and I don’t have to search for a pen and paper. To keep it simple, I just think of as many things as I can. It’s a mental exercise.
What I’ve found is that this helps me start my day in a better mindset. Not that things don’t happen throughput the day or that I remain grateful no matter what. I still become dis regulated at times, but now, I don’t go into my day or to bed in an exaggerated dis regulated state. Thankfulness makes the hard things smaller and the good things bigger. Believe it or not this makes a big difference in the overall quality of my life.
It’s easy to forget or take for granted the good things in life, especially when problems are big or many, or I get busy and caught up, or upset.
I’m not trying to be Polly Anna, or maybe I am. She had some tough circumstances and chose quite deliberately to find things to be glad about anyway.
Gratitude is many things. One important thing for me is that it’s regulating. Also, if I’m having trouble finding anything to be thankful for, it’s a sure sign that I’m in a dis regulated state. Sometimes I’m so dis regulated, I can’t tell. I try to slow down and pay attention. I’ve been working on this for years, thanks to yoga. I hope I’m getting better at it, but life still gets me wound up.
I’ve also been a student of gratitude since I first read the above quote. I know it can be helpful in a very powerful way when I use it.
One more tool in my toolkit. Habits take time and focus. Good habits have worked to my advantage, especially long term. Good habits like regular gratitude, have put me on the right track for a more regulated life. Since I’m not searching for constant happiness, I’m super grateful for more and more regulated calm confidence and peace. More content happiness is a welcome by product (which I’m thankful for).
Peace Kit 