Love this idea of counting blessings and cultivating gratitude in the process. I've been seeing many of my awesome friends doing various things to raise awareness for mental health, like running, and push ups. And I'm inspired to do something too, only a lot less physically demanding due to my limitations. I walk in the mornings as often as I can, and my walks are contemplative times when I often process something on my heart, give myself a pep talk, say a little prayer, argue with God, or even shed a tear or two... and all the while I am soaking in the beauty that I see all around me. It's therapeutic and healing, as is gratitude.
Gratitude is really the best attitude to have because it puts things in perspective, is the springboard to contentment, and opens the heart to others. When we are grateful we are far less bitter, much more at peace, and possibly even happier. But it takes practice to build a habit of gratitude and to cultivate it as an attitude, and apparently it takes 21 days to do this. Well, starting from 1st October I am initiating 31 days of gratitude. Build the habit and knock on 10 extra days for good measure, to ensure "muscle" memory is truly intact. Just in case I need a little extra rewiring due to less than ideal habits.
My month of gratitude might seem trivial on some days to some, as I can find joy in a leaf without much difficulty (I love leaves!) and I've been asked in the past if all I do is watch butterflies and birds in my garden. I wish! Best thing ever!
I hope to rewire my brain to be thankful and content with what I have around and in me, and to encourage others to do the same by posting my reflections on gratitude daily. It's a small step in the larger picture of cultivating mental health and strength, priming ourselves to be resilient and to thrive under duress, and in and through tough times. Find the silver lining, and hang on. Tough times will always be around the corner, we have to be ready to face them.
If we can learn to be grateful for all that we are and have, perhaps some day we can even be grateful for the tough times too. When we can say "Thank you for the good and the bad in my life", then we can face anything that comes. Stay tuned, dear friends, A Month of Gratitude (AMOG) is around the corner! Feel free to join me if you wish.
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