GRATITUDE

Gratitude is not just about being grateful for the things you have in your life but being grateful for the often unrecognised gifts the universe or your higher power has given you.

What that means is there are a lot of things to be grateful for that sometimes we may miss.  It takes mindfulness practice to be aware of what’s going on around you and to notice the little things often overlooked.

When you go for a walk, for instance, notice the cool breeze brushing accross your face. Notice the smell of fresh air, the feel of the ground under your feet. Look up notice the chimney pots on the roofs, the sky, is it grey or bright blue?  Are there clouds?  Do you hear the birds singing?  Are they flying or on the ground foraging for food?

Practicing mindfulness allows you to be grateful for the little things that sometimes go unnotice.  It has nothing to do with what you have, or what you do, the more you practice mindfulness the more grateful you become.

You're grateful for the long deep breath you take during mindfullness or meditation or the heavy rainfall because it waters your plants and replenishes the earth.

You are thankful for all the good that happens in your life.

Practicing gratitude is not just good for your mind, but it’s also good for your physical body.  Researchers at the National Institutefor health (NIH), found that gratitude triggers higher activity levels in the hypothalamus.  The hypothalamus is responsible for an array of our essential bodily functions which include body temperature, thirst, tiredness, fatigue, sleep and plays a huge role in metabolism and stress.

This is significant because the relationship between the body and brain become a great deal clearer.  What you think and feel may have a lot to do with your actual physical health more than you realise.

Gratitude is a major component of our overall happiness.

The benefits of practicing gratitude daily are really endless and I myself try to practice every day. It's really seems to help people who regularly practice gratitude by taking time to notice and reflect upon the things they're thankful for experience more positive emotions, feel more vibrant, alive, sleep better, express more compassion and kindness to others and even have stronger immune systems.

So yes today as I think of some of the worst times in my life, over 40 years worth, I still find this present time difficult to cope with, even getting through childhood trauma, children's homes, foster homes, homelessness, domestic violence, relationship breakdowns, bereavement, pet loss, to chronic illness, redundancy x3, job loss and bereavment grief, to burglary and house moves, Marriage breakdown, to traumatic child birth, baby loss, loss of a parent, road accidents, single parenting, spinal injury, career loss, corporate rat race, business closure, all those sorrows, to be able to think of your losses and all your deep sadness and then remember that here you are able to remember them, that you had those terrible times and made it through some of the worst times of your life, you got through all that trauma, you got through the trials, tribulations, you endured the temptations, you survived the worst of relationships, you made your way out of the darkness several times and to still be thankful is still hard to grasp I know. You finally come to a time when your so happy everything is going so well then something ruins your karma, your inner peace rocked again!

But yes you did that, yes all that you did it again and you can do it all again! You can get through anything hang in there...

It takes alot everyday to keep getting up, to keep going, alot of soul searching alot of self care, journaling, mindfulness, kindness and gratitude practice to be able to remember the bad things, put them down to experience, then look to see where you are now, still here and I say to myself every day Thank you I'm still here getting up, still here moving on, still here to help others through their bad times and to tell my story, for this I'm grateful so Thank you.

Try this useful link to start your practice today: https://www.proflowers.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/ways-to-practice-gratitude-IG.jpg?ref=organicgglunkwn&prid=pfseogglunkwn