Sunday, November 27, 2016

Gratitude as a Practice

by Elizabeth Campbell, MS, LPC

For the last four years, I spent a week in a remote village in a developing nation.  Every year I return, touched by the beauty of the families and the community that hosts me and the group I go on the service trips with, and immensely thankful both for the experience and to return to the “comforts” of life.  I am thankful for reliable and safe, hot water that comes on when you turn a handle, healthy and abundant food, a car and safe roadways….the list goes on and on.  A month later I forget everything in the day to day and get lost in the frazzled life so many of us live.  I take it for granted.  I share this not to shame myself and everyone else that forgets daily just how lucky we are.  Instead, I hope to put into perspective how a simple practice of gratitude, not just on Thanksgiving, but everyday can transform many of the daily frustrations and negative feelings we experience.  So often during the holidays our schedules become more crunched and we are more anxious and stressed than ever.  We may feel more disconnected from what grounds us and what we are thankful for.  But it is hard to be annoyed with traffic or at a loved one that ruins the mashed potatoes when your heart is filled with gratitude for having a car, being able to travel, and that a loved one is present and celebrating with you.  This can take on many forms.  One may be a gratitude journal.  Listing things that we are thankful for, big and small, on a daily basis can help us to shift into gratitude.  Another way is to bring the things we are thankful for into our mind during meditation, one at a time, breathing and focusing on each one. For families, sharing something we are thankful for prior to meal or bed times can help everyone make this shift.   No matter what form your gratitude takes, notice what happens in your body during this practice.  Often we feel a lightening, calm, or happiness as a result.  I wish a very happy, thankful holiday season to you and yours.

For more information on Elizabeth Campbell please call 610-757-8163, email elizabeth@elizabethcampbellcounseling.com, or visit elizabethcampbellcounseling.com. 



No comments:

Post a Comment