Changing our Mindsets to a more Grateful, Positive Mindset when your World is in Chaos
It’s no secret that this November is bound to be full of chaos and external stressors, thanks mostly to this rather insane election season. I don’t know about the rest of you but I am taking a week off of the internet the entire week of the election because I just don’t need all that bad energy in my life!
But we are also coming upon a regular season of stress, anxiety, and sometimes chaos with the holiday seasons and all of the stress that brings. There’s the planning of menus, meals, and adventures, traveling across state lines to visit family, difficult family and friends, the list goes on. Then there are all the other stressors of life piled on top of that: house, kids, finances, job security, the list goes on and on.
It certainly can be challenging to grow a grateful spirit, let alone maintain it, amidst the overwhelming tasks and challenges of life. This mix of life’s standard stressors and the extra stress from the holidays can quickly cloud our sense of appreciation. After all, how is one supposed to be grateful when you’re paying bills, answering calls on your lunch break, and you have to listen to Great Aunt Doreen criticize your cooking at Thanksgiving again?
The spirit of gratitude does, however, have so many benefits on our mental and even our physical well being that it’s important that we try and create a mindset of gratefulness and appreciation. There are so many studies that show that regularly practicing gratitude in our lives can reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. This, in turn, can help reduce the impact and inflammation that stress and anxiety has on our nervous system. We don’t get so discouraged or sick to our stomach when life throws curve balls at us. Our bonds with friends and family become stronger. And we’re in a better mindset to take care of ourselves, mentally and physically, leading to an improved outlook on life and an improved state of being.
Well, it’s easy enough to talk about the wonderful effects gratitude has on our mind, body, and soul. But how on earth does one put this into practice? Especially in the midst of turmoil, stress, worry, setbacks, and difficult circumstances?
The first thing to do is to carve out a little time each day for a gratitude regimen, where we set aside time specifically to focus our minds on what we can be grateful for and allow our mind and spirit to shut out the noise of the world for just a few moments. There are lots of different ways that you can do this and you can pick one that feels right for you. You can wake up a few minutes earlier, before the day starts and before anybody or anything distracts you, to sit quietly by yourself. Don’t look at your phone, don’t check your email; in fact, keep your phone and electronics out of this space. This space is just for you, you and your thoughts.
Maybe this would be a good time to go on a walk while contemplating things to be grateful for. Or perhaps you can pull out a notebook and write down 3 to 5 things that you’re thankful for. These little practices can help you develop that sense of gratitude, especially at the start of the day.
These grateful routines can be just as effective in the evening, too. Once again, try to carve some time where you’re by yourself for just a few moments. Leave your phone in the other room, turn off the TV, just sit and be by yourself. Whether you use journaling or meditation, think about things that you can be grateful for today.
When you’re listing things to be grateful for, they don’t necessarily have to be huge, life changing events or even new experiences that you can be thankful for. Give thanks for waking up today, for the blueness of the sky, for the warmth of your coffee. When you can be thankful for these little things, in no time, you’ll find lots of other things to be thankful for.
In fact, being thankful for the little things is a good practice to perform whenever life gets super chaotic. For example, let’s say you’ve just had the worst meeting of your life, you get back to your desk and you’ve gotten a nasty email, and your phone is blowing up with texts from someone about a misunderstanding. Right now, you’re having a crazy, stressful day. This is when it’s good to just shut your eyes, take a few deep, cleansing breaths, and be thankful for one small thing. Maybe it’s for the coffee you’re about to go get yourself, maybe it’s that your office has a door so you can shut everyone out for a while, maybe it’s being thankful that the boss goes out of town tomorrow, maybe it’s for the little bird outside your window. Find something, no matter how small, and say hey, thanks for being here!
Practicing this sort of mindfulness allows us to stay present, even when life feels like a whirlwind. Simple techniques like deep breathing or short meditations can create space for gratitude, reminding us to appreciate the moment rather than rush through it. And the benefits of creating this time and space for us to put ourselves in a grateful state of mind can be life changing for our mental and physical health.
Regularly practicing gratitude can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, promoting a more positive and less stressful outlook on life. When we learn to express gratitude internally, more often than not, we begin to express gratitude more and more externally, improving and strengthening our bond with others. We’re able to connect with our friends, family, and even with strangers on a deeper level and we improve our communication with them. Our stress levels decrease, and I’m all about decreasing stress levels in our lives! We’re also able to cope better with the stresses of life, allowing us to face adversities in a better frame of mind and with better outcomes.
When we’re less stressed and better able to tackle the challenges of life, we tend to take better care of our physical health, too, and we’re more willing to eat better, get in our exercise, and get more restful sleep. Focusing on gratitude can also shift our attention away from negative comparisons as we become more satisfied with what we have in front of us, enhancing self-worth and confidence. This confidence starts to soar and we start to feel happier and more content with our lives.
In short, incorporating gratitude into daily life, whether through journaling, reflection, or expressing thanks, can lead to these transformative benefits in our lives.
