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How Gratitude Will Change The Way You Think About Life

Writer's picture: JoAnn Bouda, M.A.JoAnn Bouda, M.A.

How can being grateful during this stressful time help me, my children, my family and our organizations enhance the feelings of bonding and connection, boost our immune system and build deeper relationships with others?

“Gratitude ‘in the moment’: to gently incline the brain to look toward blessing.” – Maria Nemeth, PhD

The Learning Laboratory

On a recent morning outing, before this Pandemic shut us all in, I tried a Gratitude Experiment. From the time that I backed out of my garage until I finished running errands, I began to express how thankful I was for everything I connected with from inside my car.

I became mindful of the beauty of the sun, the green of the spring grass, for the roads and the people who keep them smooth and pot-hole free. I began to see shops and restaurants opening and was grateful for all of those who prepare meals, organize groceries, and receive and sell clothing & gifts. I felt my heart connect through gratitude with all of it; the nature, the road workers, the cooks and store clerks. I even saw gasoline being delivered and thought how grateful I was for the long roads the driver traveled to deliver it to my city, my neighborhood and elsewhere that I have access to this essential item.

As all of these “thankful thoughts” filled my mind, I monitored how my heart, body and brain responded to all of this gratitude! It was magnificent! I felt full, like love fills your heart. I noticed I could not stop smiling. I was in awe of how connected I felt to everything and everyone that I attached gratitude to along the way.

Gratitude

Coaching Tips

Point is, no matter what’s on our life’s journey in the moment, it is up to us to find the things we are grateful for. This immediately brings a calm, sweet energy to yourself. I know my pulse was even and calm, my breathing was sweet and easy, my mind was not focused on anything that could take away that beautiful sense of blessing. I knew I felt blessed, and I was sending blessings to everyone I thought of who were making my life so good and blessed.

All of this begins with what we are interested in seeing and inclining ourselves toward blessing.

As one of my incredible clients boldly state two years ago during one of our training sessions: “what we choose to focus on becomes our reality”. And it is ever so true!

That is what I say to myself each day. It is how I choose to begin my day now, and I can begin at any time to express inwardly and outwardly how blessing is shared and absorbed.

Since days are quite different right now, what if you tried to focus on the brave new flowers who are exploding out of the ground, the tiniest blooms on trees and bushes just popping out their heads to begin to bless you with new spring beauty.

Incline your own brain to look toward blessings and enjoy!

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