So often we hear about saying what we are thankful for around Thanksgiving because well, it’s the holiday of being thankful.
But what if I said that you can make this simple practice of being thankful to become a daily habit?
In our busy and rushed lives, it is SO easy to forget what we are grateful for. Between rushing to work, soccer practice, the grocery store, everywhere and all the places we go, It’s no wonder we are feeling like we are running low on fumes.
I speak from experience when my natural reaction to life, in general, is to keep speeding up. Often leaving no time for the things that truly matter to me. AND, If you have lost a loved one to suicide, you can often find yourself in a mental fog.
This often leaves you (from my experience), Forgetting about the things that matter most BECAUSE You find that the grief is so heavy at times that everything and everyone can take a backseat in your life.
Please hear me when I say that if this happens, IT IS OKAY! You don’t need to feel guilty, or anything else.
What does this have to do with keeping something like a gratitude journal nearby?
To be honest, I didn’t think it mattered either…Plus, I didn’t quite understand how keeping a daily or weekly gratitude journal would even help me process my sister’s passing? UNTIL Low and behold, I simply started doing it. SHOCKER!
I know, you are probably saying, “Duh! Crystal”
But hear me out… you see it all began when I bought Christy Wright’s Goal Planner for myself for Christmas one year. If you haven’t heard of it, It will change your life!
Seriously! I went from feeling like a chicken with its head cut off 24/7 To calm, Relaxed, and More fun to be around.
Actually enjoying my life and the people that are in it with me, Plus, Having a system in place each week and every month,
So that I didn’t have to feel as if I was completely scatterbrained, And, taking control of my life again.
Let me explain…
When it came to processing my emotions and working to lift the mental fog that I was in, writing down and expressing gratitude and thanks became something that I actually looked forward to doing each week, Because, it brought me back to the present moment. Inside this amazing planner, Christy encourages you to write down what you are grateful for each week. I know that is a whole lot of weeks in a year!
BUT, I wanted to challenge myself and not put something that I wrote down that I was grateful for, more than once. That meant I would have to look back and write something new each week.
Can I say, at first it was easy. as the weeks went by, I found it harder to not “simply fill it in.”
Now, please hear me when I say everyone, including myself, is beyond blessed. I know that I have a whole lot more than most. Yes, I am truly grateful for the blessings that I have. I’m just being honest with you, that so very often I find myself thinking in terms of “big things” and forgetting the small things.
For example, water. We are made up of 75% water. Yes! It is true!
So that means that we NEED water in order to survive. When I am thinking each week about what I am grateful for, Water isn’t usually the first thing that comes to my mind. It is often the “big things.”
Such as… My home, Family, Friends, Animals, Being able to drive a car that gets me where I need to go, and more…
Another interesting fact is when you lose a loved one to suicide, the small things become BIG things.
What do I mean?
The things that I quickly cherished the most belonged to my sister and became BIG things in my mind. Even if they were small. For example, Her cookbooks showed her own writing inside. (She had the most beautiful cursive I’ve ever seen) The shirts that I sometimes wear belonged to her. Books that she had written inside had an impact on her.
These are just a few things that have now become something that reminds me of her and that I’m forever grateful for!
What about you?
Do you have something that reminds you of your loved one?
Something that was theirs but now that they are gone, you are truly grateful to have.
What about the topic of gratitude? Is it easy for you to find things that you are grateful for each week?
Or do you find yourself, like me, repeating the same things over and over again sometimes?
The GOOD NEWS is that starting today, YOU get to choose. Perhaps you write big things or tiny miracles.No matter what you choose, Know that even the littlest thing counts… And maybe you don’t do it each week? That’s perfectly fine!
Again, you get to decide what and when you want to start keeping a record of the gratitude in your life. And I can say from personal experience, That doing this practice, Has transformed my outlook on life. I know that it can do wonders for you as well! (Unfortunately Christy’s planner is no longer available)
BUT, don’t let this stop you from expressing gratitude and thanks in your everyday life. Another journal that has helped me be grateful for my life on a regular basis is The Contentment Journal by Rachel Cruze. If you would like to order the journal that I just mentioned above, grab your copy here!
She also has another fabulous book, “Love Your Life, Not Theirs”. This is as helped me do simply that, love my life and not someone else’s…
If you would like to order your copy of her book, “Love Your Life, Not Theirs,” grab your copy here!
Remember,
There is ALWAYS something to be grateful for. When you start by expressing gratitude and thanks for those you love, and those who have passed on, not just during Thanksgiving (for those of us here in the U.S.) You will begin to notice how this completely can change even your day-to-day outlook on your life.
Love Notes:
- Everywhere and all the places we go,It’s no wonder we are feeling like we are running low on fumes.
- I speak from experience when my natural reaction to life in general is to keep speeding up.
- You find that the grief is so heavy at times that everything and everyone can take a backseat in your life.
- IT IS OKAY!
- The things that I quickly cherished the most that belonged to my sister, became BIG things in my mind.
If you still are looking for more support, please reach out to me at hello@scatteringhope.com or you can visit my Facebook page and Instagram.
Love,
Crystal 💜
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