Oh boy, what a year so far! Who could have predicted the onset of Covid 19 and the way the world has had to respond? It has been a challenging time for everyone in different ways and the future is uncertain from many perspectives. One thing for sure is that we won’t return to exactly the same way of being.

I have encouraged my clients to embrace gratitude practices during this time of uncertainty, if they aren’t doing so already – and I have become even more conscious of the benefits during this time too.

Gratitude is good for your brain and body

Gratitude is a highly studied area and one which an increasing number of people are adopting as a daily practice. True gratitude improves mood, calms worrying and increases feelings of social support. It improves dopamine activity, boosts serotonin, enables improved sleep and physical health in other areas, so it sure is a good activity to bring into your life.

Gratitude helps overcome negativity

Gratitude can be a life saver for negative feelings because it doesn’t necessarily have to be about your personal woes and limiting beliefs.

You can be grateful for sunshine in the sky yet not have two pennies to rub together, or grateful you have an income even if you hate your boss. You may be negative about not having much money or having a poor relationship with your manager, but it doesn’t stop you stepping out of your situation to focus your attention on areas that could bring you joy.

My family Sunday ritual

Practicing gratitude is something I have done with my family for years. On a Sunday evening at dinner, round the table we share at least one experience or thought from the previous week we are thankful for. It can be anything, even seemingly materialistic “first world” things, like Sky Plus or working wifi, or comforts like a warm bed or a cup of tea, or a way of expressing love like being with family or (I even heard from one of my daughters – once) “I am grateful for my brother”!

Comparing to others

I had a client who surfaced a deep-seated emotion of envy through the coaching conversation. He found this very challenging to discuss as it flew in the face of his core values and he was upset with the character that emerged in his mind. When he started his gratitude journal it was clear he was in the habit of comparing himself to others. Further work revealed that he lived in a world where he perpetually measured himself against others and assessed his worth on multiple comparisons against people he both liked and disliked. It was an exhausting and toxic way to live.

Gratitude is about your own situation

Realising that other people are worse off than you is not the essence of gratitude. Comparisons with others less fortunate than you does not have the same benefits as being thankful for what you have. Gratitude requires an appreciation of the positive aspects of your own situation. Sometimes noticing what other people don’t have can help you see what you can be grateful for, but you have to turn it around and show appreciation for what you do actually have, for it to have an effect. It does not matter what other people do or don’t have.

Journaling

I believe the gratitude journal can be a huge catalyst for people to move forward and make positive changes in their lives. Towards the end of our formal coaching time together, the client I mentioned above wrote a gratitude letter to his former self, detailing why he was thankful for his experience of being stuck, for entering the world of envy so he could look it in the eye and renounce it wholeheartedly. He recognised it was holding him back and he didn’t need it anymore. It was a powerful experience for him to share and one he says he still believes was a life changing turning point.

What are you grateful for today?

(POSTED JULY 2020 DURING THE COVID 19 PANDEMNIC)