Change Your Life With This One Thing
It has always amazed me how the Sun has an ability to not just warm my skin, but blanket me in an invisible sense of positivity, joy and gratefulness for being alive.
There are so many small yet significant occurrences that happen around us every day, just waiting to provide a little more happiness, purpose and ease in our lives, if only we’re paying attention.
It’s in these little moments of awareness, attention and acknowledgement, that we find some of life’s precious lessons:
- When a loved one smiles at you and let’s the gaze linger a few seconds longer to reassure you you’re loved.
- When a stranger gives you their parking ticket as you pull up and they’re leaving, with time still left on it!
- When you’re running late but somehow manage to get where you’re going on time…
With modern lifestyles of “gotta do more, be more, have more“… we are often distracted by the external demands of work, bills, requests for our time and the internal conflict of self, relationships and personal fulfilment.
Depression, anxiety, overwhelm and monkey mind make it near impossible to take notice of the small things. Which is why it’s important to adopt Gratitude as a daily practice in your life, and start training your conscious mind to seek out these moments of pleasure, appreciation, perspective.
Gratitude teaches us to be mindful.
In a grateful mind, our conscious focus is on the moment. We are actively looking for and thinking about the positive influences we are exposed to on a daily basis that contribute to our lives in some beneficial way.
Mindfulness is simply an awareness and observation of noticing a moment exactly as it is, with all of our senses.
When we are conscious and paying attention, we are practising mindfulness.
There a thousands of studies and clinical trials proving the effectiveness of including gratitude and mindfulness into our daily lives.
Many of these studies show and explain how the brain responds and adapts to gratitude by gradually integrating new neural pathways.
Neural pathways are tracks of repetitive thinking and behaviour in our brains that have become unconscious default responses over time.
This simple practice of Gratitude enables us to change our perspective, mind and mood towards life, stress and everything else.
How to be Grateful
Where do you start to slow down long enough to notice the small things that make up your life?
It begins with an intention of what you wish to see.
Decide you want to be more aware of your surroundings and notice the sunlight, a refreshing breeze, the colour of the leaves on your favourite trees.
Take note of your senses and follow where they lead:
The smell of a stranger’s perfume that reminds you of a happy memory; the touch of your favourite jumper against your skin as you wear it; the ability to notice when a friend or colleague is struggling and needs some support; and your desire to look outside of yourself in being willing to offer your help.
It’s in these little things that we step outside of our programmed thinking and are challenged to view the world and ourselves from a different perspective.
And something wonderful happens…
When we begin with an intention of seeking gratitude – looking for good things, appreciating the small things – we begin to use our brain in a new way, so that when we continue to consciously use our brain in this new way on a regular basis, our brain begins to notice these positive things more readily.
By practising gratitude, we slowly start to create new tracks in our mind, that when used often, become our new default response.
Our default negative thinking begins to change. We bring our thoughts to light and become more aware of life around us. We not only recognise, but begin to look for, the kindness of others and their contribution to our lives.
Gratitude is a practice of being thankful, heart-full, and aware of what contributes to your state of well-being.
Looking at your life and really taking it in, creates an attitude of gratitude for all that you have, and reduces the cravings, fear or anger of focusing on what you don’t have.
Together this helps to reduce your negative responses, promote positive thinking, lift a depressed and anxious mind, and elevate your mood to a more proactive and accepting attitude.
Start Now!
List 5 things right now that you are grateful for – reflect on them and repeat daily.
Thank you for reading 🙂
I am grateful for YOU.
Viki xo
About Viki
Viki Thondley is a Holistic Counsellor, Wellness Coach, Meditation Teacher, Stress Therapist, and Eating Disorder and Wellbeing Specialist. Recovered from bulimia nervosa and the many years of hormonal imbalances, food challenges and self-sabotaging behaviours’, Viki now provides holistic personalised programs and retreats to inspire self-love, healing, body confidence and wellbeing. Viki’s passion is to help you balance your mindset, body and life to become happy, healthy, confident and free!
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