intentional gratitude

Life is hard. There’s no getting around this fact. It’s hard because it’s unpredictable. We can prepare for every imagined scenario and still get blindsided. We can have safeguards in place like life insurance, car insurance, a fat savings account, etc. and life can overwhelm it all in a heartbeat. So how do we keep our sanity in the midst of this unpredictability? We must live and breathe gratitude.

Speaking only for myself, I take things one moment at a time and I live in gratitude. When my thoughts start running into ‘what will I do about this of that?’ I come back to the present moment and remember what’s good in my life. The blessings of the day always overshadow the worries of tomorrow.

I do my best to live each moment in gratitude. It permeates every moment of my life and inevitably leads me to meditate of the goodness in my life--- in the world. I used to make lists in my head, sometimes on paper, of all the things I was grateful for. My imagination was key to me appreciating all the blessings that surrounded me. I would imagine for instance what my life would be like if my car broke down and I had no means to fix it. What if I fell behind on my rent and like many people had to live on the street? I would let myself briefly imagine not having enough food to eat or not having anyone to call on for help. This process put things into perspective for me. I didn’t dwell on the possibility of calamity, but I did remind myself that things can always be worse. As a matter of fact, things have been worse!

This process always leads me to prayer. In these moments it becomes imperative that my higher power knows that I am thankful for what He has provided me. Sometimes I am brought to thankful tears when I think of my early days of recovery when I could barely hold a conversation. Back then I was so overwhelmed by my symptoms that I couldn’t maintain a train of thought. And now, deep in my recovery you can’t shut me up. Things have changed dramatically and I’m grateful.

So, I encourage everyone, not just those living with a mental health diagnosis, to live in gratitude. Start small and acknowledge just one good thing a day. I guarantee that it won’t be long before you have a list a mile long of things and people you are grateful for. Gratitude will energize you and give you strength. It will give you a quiet courage to overcome your struggles. And when you share your gratitude with others, you pass on hope.