Occupy Sanity Tool (OST): Gratitude
I woke up in pain this morning. Sometimes that happens. Sometimes it doesn’t.
Many factors contribute to having pain or no pain. For example, my sensitive autoimmune system, my hormones, my reaction to weather changes, my stress levels and my sleep habits. The list is long and sometimes I can regulate all these factors and still wake up in pain. I have several tools to help me when this happens. One of my favorites is Gratitude.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said:
“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you and give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement you should include all things in your gratitude.”
That’s the secret to this OST: to be grateful for everything.
And while that may take a lifetime to achieve, I’ve found that even 5 minutes of expressing gratitude can raise my vibration and energy to shift my focus away from pain and negativity.
In 5 minutes you can complete these three steps to cultivate a gratitude attitude:
Step 1:
Set a timer for 5 minutes.
Step 2:
Finish this sentence ‘I am happy and grateful for_______________.’ Do it as many times as you can in 5 minutes. You can write it or speak it out loud or speak it out loud while you’re writing. The point is to keep going. There’s always something to be grateful for…so seemingly small things can have a profound impact on pain, whether it’s physical, mental or emotional.
Step 3:
At the end of 5 minutes check in with yourself. How do you feel? If time permits, keep finishing the sentence until you note a difference.
I’ve also found that a daily Gratitude Practice has improved my ability to quickly move from a negative state into a positive one. Give this OST a try and let us know how it goes in the Comments below.
Lovely… and it works… thanks for the steps to follow… I’m going to share with my students
Thanks Edie for trying out the Gratitude tool. And what a great idea to encourage your students to create a Gratitude Attitude habit!
Namaste,
Concetta