The Best Medicine For Stress ( A Daily Dose Of Gratitude)

There is one sure fire medicine that cures all difficulty and opens the way for your greatest good. It allows you to sleep well at night, wake up refreshed and filled with enthusiasm. Obstacles evaporate and wonderful possibilities appear. This medicine is abundantly available, has no side effects, can be taken in large or small doses regularly. You need no one to prescribe it and the more you take, the sweeter it is. The medicine is a good dose of gratitude, taken daily, at least three times a day.

For example, if you are having difficulty in your relationships, a strong dose of gratitude will help a lot. Depression and thankfulness cannot exist in the same mind at the same time. When you are continually aware of the good you are receiving, complaints, resentments and demands become a thing of the past.

As we go through our day it is easy to focus upon what is wrong - when things do not go our way, we become upset, criticize others, demand what we want and sometimes even start to push others around.

Very few stop right where they are and begin to think of what is going right, what they have to appreciate and then offering thanks. But the very best medicine for stress is a grateful mind. Here are some simple steps to take a dose of gratitude today.

Step 1: When stressed, immediately stop and see what is going right today.

The more stress we feel, the more we find things wrong. We can nip this at the bud and begin to consciously look and see what is good about the day. By taking your attention off the negativity, you are taking the energy and power away from it. As you change your focus you change your life.

Step 2: Give thanks

Make a list of each person in your life you have to thank for something. Then, stop, take a few minutes, call one person and offer thanks. Offering thanks is powerful. We forget about ourselves and think of the other. Not only is it uplifting to be in touch with them again, but the fact that we've focused upon giving to them and offered thanks to them, will turn your day around. (And theirs as well).

Step 3: See a problem person in a new way.

Usually, when we are stressed, we feel some person is causing to it. Find something valuable about the person who is bothering you. Remember the times they helped you, or cared for you. Think of ways they've made a contribution. Realize that your upset belongs to you, it is not necessarily because of them. Let them be who they are. Realize they are doing the best they can.

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This article is based upon Dr. Brenda Shoshanna's new book Living By Zen (Timeless Truths for Everyday Life), http://www.livingbyzen.com Dr. Shoshanna is a psychologist, therapist in practice for over 25 years, a speaker, author and long term Zen practitioner. Her work integrates Zen and everyday life. The relationship expert on i.village.com, she is the author of She is also the author of Zen Miracles (Finding Peace In An Insane World), Zen And The Art Of Falling In Love, (Simon and Schuster) and many other books. She can be contacted at topspeaker@yahoo.com. Personal website is http://www.brendashoshanna.com