Gratitude


Here's a quick question: You've got a bad cold. Do you moan and groan about your misfortune, or do you crawl into bed, grateful to be able to pull the covers back over your head and give your body the rest it's asking for?

Probably a little of both, right?

Here's a secret: the more you're able to shift into a perspective of gratitude, the easier life becomes because you move through the stressful parts more quickly.

Let's face it, it's easy to be grateful for pay raises and rainbows and new babies. But the challenge comes when life becomes trying and the natural response is to contract and become fearful.

How can I feel gratitude when it's the last thing on my mind?

Well, if you're in a really lousy place, acknowledge that you're in a really lousy place. Say, "I'm hurting right now." And pay attention to where you feel that sensation in your body.

After you've acknowledged, "What is," take a moment and:

1. Get quiet, close your eyes and breathe deeply,
2. Imagine opening your heart,
3. Invite the frustrations to leave your body. Give them a vile color as they leave and bless them
4. Think of something or some place that makes you happy
5. Then, invite calm and peace and open space
6. Breathe in your favorite color
7. If you're still agitated, just listen to yourselfbreathe.

When you slow down and simply breathe, little miracles can and will happen. You will find yourself amazed by the fact that your heart beats of its own accord and you breathe without any direction.

Your problems won't magically disappear, but by breathing into them I suspect they'll feel less daunting. Is it possible to reframe those problems as opportunities to learn?

Here's a challenge for today: when you lay in bed tonight, before you go to sleep, review the day and think of three more things for which you are grateful. Is it the warmth of close friendships? Good health? Or a soft bed in which to sleep? Say them to yourself and notice how you feel. Repeat nightly.

I do this with my kids every night. Some nights you can hear the scraping at the bottom of the barrel as they try their hardest to eke out something positive from what they've decided was an awful day.

Think of gratitude as little sparkles that surround and infiltrate your life.

Carol Moss, LCSW, Life Coach.


More Resources

Getting Rid Of Gallstones Naturally
The gallbladder is a small pear-shaped organ that sits on the right side of our bodies just beneath the liver. Its primary function is to store and secrete bile.
Aromatherapy Favorites - Beautiful Rose Oil
Ah, Wonderful Rose OilIf there's an aroma that more individuals find deeply moving than any other, it is the oil of rose. The scent is divinely sweet, rich, and deeply floral - exclusive to the extract of history's most revered flower.
Herbal and Home Remedies that Prevent Memory Loss
Even a single family member who is senile or afflicted with Alzheimer's is enough to make anyone dread the possibility. Since women have always lived longer than men, the Ancient Grandmothers have a thing or two to tell us about how to keep our memory sharp until the day we die (at 100+).
Mood Stabilizers & Mood Enhancers - A Remedy to Naturally Boost Mood & Alleviate Depression
Depression and mood disorders are very prevalent mental health issues today. In an increasingly health conscious society, more options are being put forth in the realm of natural medicine, allowing people to stabilize and enhance mood naturally, without addictive and often harmful prescription antidepressants.
Some Tips on Stopping Smoking
Are you looking for tips on stopping smoking? And would you like to know what are some ways to help quit? Now let me remind you that when we come to the actual quitting process, that it is not going to be easy. Please do not consider yourself to be superhuman so be ready to get external help if you need it.
Tea Tree Oil
Tea Tree Oil is one of the most useful products in nature. It has been used by some Aboriginal People in Australia for many centuries as one of their most useful medicines.
Alternative Approaches to Pain Relief
Pain. The great leveler.
Not Now, I Have A Headache
Home Remedies - Facts or Quacks?That's what I recently asked myself. Myths and legends often have their basis in a grain of truth.
Acupressure
Developed in Asia over 5,000 years ago, acupressure is an ancient healing therapy that utilizes fingers to depress key locations on the skin's surface to prompt healing withing the body. Similar to acupuncture, acupressure uses the same reference points on the body that release muscular stress; thus encouraging better blood circulation.
Eat Fiber and Avoid Constipation
To have regular bowel movements and escape constipation you need to eat more fiber. Fiber from raw vegetable and fruits is better for you than fiber from grains.
Frequency Specific Microcurrent Offers New Hope For People With Chronic Pain and Fibromyalgia
Approximately 10 million Americans suffer from a condition known as fibromyalgia syndrome. This condition is characterized by widespread muscle pain, extreme fatigue and chronic non-restorative sleep disturbances for more than three months' duration.
Alter Your Perceptions
This article first appeared in The Sept. 2004 issueof The ZoneNet newsletterNo matter how fast we run, many of us are haunted by the urge to look back.
Green Bamboo: Strength in Flexibility
Those who have watched the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" would be familiar with the imagery of bamboo: flexible yet firm, delicate yet strong. These unique qualities make the bamboo fit snugly into ancient Chinese philosophy and endow the health benefits of the bamboo with an air of wisdom and grace.
Citronnelle
Remember the last Dumpling Festival? Did your mother or grandmother hang a pair of small bundle of sweet-scented grass in the morning on top of the door? Did they claim that the grass has the power to dispel evil when you use the water boiled with the leave for bathing? Did you remember the distinct, unmistakable lemon-like fragrance that left you feeling very invigorated? That leaf is none other than Citronnelle.Description of CitronnelleLike lemongrass and rosemary, citronnelle also belongs to the grass family, which is rich in essential oil.
Home Saunas and Kits: Benefits, Pre-Planning, and Purchasing Tips
For quite some time now home saunas have gained massive popularity across the United States. A tradition first followed by the Finns about a thousand years back, the benefits of saunas have caught on in the United States with a lot of acclaim and acceptance.
Kundalini Questions
Alex Wrote;"What is the difference after the kundalini awakens, and how do you know if it did?About 25 years ago I was sitting alone by a creek in the morning, not formally meditating (which I've never done), just watching the water flow.Suddenly there was an extremely intense ball of energy that formed at the base of my spine, buzzed there for a bit, then shot up my spine and 'exploded' in my head and 'out my eyes' and turned what I saw into a sort of mosaic made of the colors of what was there, but not the exact forms anymore.
Tap Away Your Fears
In my workshops we use energy techniques that involve tapping with your fingers on the ends of the energy meridians on your face, upper body, and hands. I would like to tell you why we do.
Heres Hope for Parkinsons Disease
Frank's 85 year-old father was in advanced stages of Parkinson's.Confined to a wheelchair.
The Origins of Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy, which involves the use of essential oils to treat various ailments, has been used by healers for thousands of years. Although its origins are difficult to trace, the use of aromatherapy goes back at least 4,000 years, possibly beginning with the ancient Egyptians, who were known to have used aromatic botanicals in many different ways.
Myofascial Release
What is MYOFACSCIAL RELEASE? Myofascial release is a tender mixture of stretches and massage techniques. A bodywork therapy whereby a therapist directs hands-on touch and maneuvers to the entire body, myofascial release promotes healing and relieves pain.

More Alternative Information:

Related Articles

10 Simple Ways to Naturally Increase Your Energy
1. Eat protein at every meal: One of the most important ways to keep your blood sugar balanced and energy levels high is to include protein at every meal, breakfast and snacks included.
Mindfulness and Pain: Just Say Ouch
What's the best way to manage pain?Just say ouch.That's a simplified description of the role of mindfulness in reducing the experience of pain.
About ADD ( Attention Deficit Disorder ), its Symptoms
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a condition that is usually characterized by behavioral and learning disorders. ADD generally diagnosed in children, mostly affects the boys than the girls.
Acupressure
Developed in Asia over 5,000 years ago, acupressure is an ancient healing therapy that utilizes fingers to depress key locations on the skin's surface to prompt healing withing the body. Similar to acupuncture, acupressure uses the same reference points on the body that release muscular stress; thus encouraging better blood circulation.
Independent Research Proves Effectiveness of Magnotherapy Wristbands
"Magnetic bracelets reduce the pain of osteoarthritis." Those are the findings of a scientifically peer reviewed clinical trial published in the British Medical Journal (Dec 17 04) The trial used specially designed 'Bioflow' magnets which use Central Reverse Polarity? made by Cornish company Ecoflow Plc.
A Stitch In Time Saves Nine - Prevention not Cure
It is a sad fact that most people pay little attention to their health until it is at risk. It is only then that people truly realise that health and wellbeing is far more important than money, and that all the money in the world cannot always buy health.
How Can Green Tea Benefit My Family?
No doubt you've heard of Green Tea and the health benefits you can experience from drinking it.Are you giving your family this powerful antioxidant daily?Here is a refresher on some of the benefits you can experience with Green Tea.
Chelation and Clathration
Chelating is the process of removing toxic materials, metals and minerals from the body by use of certain chelating agents. These are substances that bond with the toxic materials resulting in capsulation of those toxic materials within the chelating agent that then flashes away through the natural excretory process of cleaning the body waste.
The Mechanics & Effects of Smoking
So exactly what does happen when you smoke?Every puff on your cigarette delivers, via the lungs to the brain a small dose of nicotine that actually acts more rapidly than a dose of heroin an addict may inject into his veins.Because nicotine is a quick-acting drug the levels in the bloodstream drop quickly to about half within a half an hour and a quarter within an hour of finishing a cigarette.
Herbal and Home Remedies that Prevent Memory Loss
Even a single family member who is senile or afflicted with Alzheimer's is enough to make anyone dread the possibility. Since women have always lived longer than men, the Ancient Grandmothers have a thing or two to tell us about how to keep our memory sharp until the day we die (at 100+).
How to Prevent Snoring?
Snoring is noisy breathing through the mouth and nose during sleep. It can occur when you are breathing in or out.
The Origins of Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy, which involves the use of essential oils to treat various ailments, has been used by healers for thousands of years. Although its origins are difficult to trace, the use of aromatherapy goes back at least 4,000 years, possibly beginning with the ancient Egyptians, who were known to have used aromatic botanicals in many different ways.
Nerve Pain: Try Using Visualizations And You May Get Some Relief
"Neuropathic" means nerve damage and refers to nerve pain. So far there's very little that science can do about it.
Body Calling: All Natural Cures
Natural remedies can heal and have been around for centuries. They are affodable cost wise: vitamins, minerals, calcium supplements, digestive enzymes and essential oils.
Constipation: A Serious Health Concern
How often do you go to the bathroom and have a bowel movement?I realize that this question may seem odd, but it the most basic sign of good digestive health. Over 95% of health problems start in the digestive system and constipation is certainly a culprit in many of these maladies.
The Fine Art of Smudging
An Aboriginal Canadian friend of mine who teaches at the Whispering Lodge in Toronto was explaining to me how physical or emotional healing cannot take place until the person is cleansed of any of the following conditions:1) Emotional conditions such as resentment, bitterness, envy, jealousy and guilt2) Negative thoughts about others or one's past or future3) Negative emotions such as grief, hatred, desire4) Bad or evil spirits5) Attachments or negative energy sent to us from other peopleIn most Aboriginal traditions, a sweat lodge, basically a tent or teepee or cave filled with smoke and heat, is used to remedy the sick person of these conditions. In ancient Rome, buildings called purgatoriums were used for the same purpose.
Evolution of Aromatherapy
The Origin of AromatherapySince the beginning - from the time of the ancient civilisations, the knowledge of the effectiveness and use of aromatic essential oils has handed down from generation to generation, and across different communities. Aromatherapy is a manifestation of humanity's profound wisdom.
History of Essential Oils
Extracted from botanicals, that is, from plants and trees. They are part of the plants immune system processed by distillation but others such as the citrus oils may be extracted in different ways.
Iridology: A Natural Health 101 Article
What It IsIridology is the art of discovering weaknesses in the body through examination of the iris of the eye. Apparently based on an ancient Egyptian diagnostic method, modern iridology as we know it dates only to the mid-19th century.
The Secret Weapon To Beat SARS Is In Your Head
Just when you thought you had all the fun you could possibly handle with Saddam Hussein, North Korea, Al Quaeda and the winter that just won't die, along comes SARS - severe-acute respiratory syndrome.I recently fielded a call on this subject from one of my biggest fans: "You moron.