It’s not exactly controversial to say gratitude is a good thing, right? Especially as the holidays really get rolling, we start seeing a whole lot of messages about how important it is to be thankful. To be grateful for what we have. To be sure to count our blessings. We hear it so often that the message can get a little eye-rolly. (Is that a word? Let’s make it a word.) It starts to sound a little like “you look prettier when you smile.” Yuck.
For me, gratitude is not just a good thing, it’s the thing. It’s the thing that quite literally keeps me going. Since I can’t be the only one who finds daily life a little overwhelming sometimes, I thought I’d share why practicing gratitude is so important to me. I hope it might help you, too.
Put simply, gratitude is important to me because it works. Gratitude works to keep my mind from getting on the hamster wheel, it helps me keep my psyche strong and it truly connects me spiritually to something greater than myself and whatever I’m feeling or experiencing in the moment.
For example, when I get scared riding (which I do more often than I’d care to admit) I literally say “thank you and I love you” — out loud — to Socorro. Look, I know this is cheesy. But it reminds me that being able to ride and to connect with this animal the way that I do is a great privilege. And that it’s something that lights me up inside. In some ways it would be easier to just freak out. (It takes less effort!) But this little practice of stopping and reminding myself of the blessing of being able to connect with my horse stops a freak out in its tracks. It keeps me focused and thankful.
Gratitude also works when I’m freaking out about my business, or the weather, or traffic or any number of things over which I have very little control. In those moments, I start listing — again out loud — all the things I’m thankful for. Sometimes I’ll write them down, too. I cannot stress enough how effective it is for putting the brakes on full-on panic. It gets my mind back to a better place.
I’ve shared with you previously about how a severe bout of childhood anxiety left me hospitalized. And how my horse Lovey was a huge part of my healing. I’ve accepted that anxiety will probably always be with me. And rather than denying anxious moments, I try to stop, listen to them and let them know I see them. Then, with gratitude, I send them on their way.
Like houseguests, negative emotions will stay as long as we give them space to feel comfortable. Gratitude helps me by stepping in, turning on the overhead lights, turning off the music, tidying up the dishes and sending a clear message: time to move on!
I think that about sums it up. The only thing I would do is expand it to say that gratitude functions like warmth: it doesn’t gloss over negative emotions but merely steps in to let them know they can move along now.
One final note: I’m grateful to you. For reading this, for being a part of my community, for being a customer or someone who follows me on social media. It’s really an honor to run a business I love and I’m grateful to all of you for being a part of it.