I’ve been quite ill with the flu these past few weeks and have noticed how easy it is for me to fall into a heap of self-pity. Feelings and thoughts of ‘poor me’ or ‘this will never end’.
I’ve been tracking my thought patterns with some curiosity noticing how easily they can turn into a tsunami of self-pity and spiral me down to a place that I know is challenging to recover from. It’s fascinating to catch that moment of choice where I have enough self-awareness in the moment to know I can either continue this train of thought or I can shift it AND it really is my choice.
I’ve often been using gratitude to make this shift, not denying in any way how ill I am feeling in this moment but rather shifting my attention to what is also right in this moment. The hot cups of tea that keep appearing at my bedside. The book that takes me away to other places. The rest I’m able to take knowing that Authentic Woman is in good hands with Jo and Ruby.
Using gratitude it’s possible to gently nudge myself in the direction of equilibrium and rest there for a while, neither denying that I want things to be different nor forcing them to be different nor falling into that pit of self-pity. Just letting it all be exactly the way it is as best I can moment to moment.
Something very special happens when I focus my awareness on gratitude. My mind illuminates. The tension in my body eases up a little bit. The Now becomes freer flowing and a sense of quiet contentment can unfold.
Studies have shown that a daily practice of gratitude — where you take time each day to focus on what you are thankful for — increases happiness and well-being, and nurtures a more self-awareness and an optimistic outlook. It also reduces the presence of stress and disease in the body.
Gratitude affects every layer of our being in a positive way. Being ill has provided yet another way to discover how precious the practice of gratitude is. Is it possible to feel grateful for gratitude 🙂
Can you relate?
With great warmth
Heather
