Being that it is Veterans Day and Thanksgiving is just around the corner, talking about gratitude seemed to be apropos for this weeks blog. When you take time to think about it, there are many things to be grateful for.
Our Veterans
Let’s start with our Veterans. If you are a vet or someone in your family is a vet, or actively serving in the military, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have given the greatest sacrifice there is, for the protection and freedom of our country. Not only do you fight for our country. You fight for the freedom that each and every one of us take for granted.
Freedom
That being said, how about being grateful that we live in the country that we do. I am making an assumption that most of the readers of this blog live in a country where we don’t have to fight for our basic necessities. I once heard in a lecture, that if you were born in the United States, you hit the genetic lottery. Again, we often take for granted that we have the things that we do because of the country we were born in. We don’t suffer the same atrocities that people born in some other countries do.
Health
We can also be grateful for things in our everyday life. Are you healthy? I hope so. It seems many people appreciate their health only when they are sick. What about taking the time to be happy and content that at this point in time you are healthy? How about your loved ones? Add them to the gratitude list if they are all healthy. If not, my heart goes out to you. Practice gratitude for the family members that are healthy.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Are you familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? There are 5 levels starting with your physiological needs; food, water, etc. Then comes safety, belongingness and love, esteem needs and self-actualization. As long as needs are met in the lower levels, you can move to the higher levels.
Do you have above and beyond the basic necessities of food and shelter? If so, how about being grateful for the things above and beyond what you need? Be thankful that you have things in abundance. This is not about comparing ourselves to others; it’s about recognizing the riches that you do have.
Love
What about love? Do you love someone and someone loves you? This doesn’t need to refer to a partner. It can refer to children, family members, friends or pets. Love is one of the greatest gifts there are. And best of all, it’s free.
Happiness
What about happiness? Are you happy? Perhaps a better word would be content. I think happiness is overrated. How often are we in a constant state of joy? My guess is not very often. But if you are content most of the time, then that is wonderful.
Mental Health
How about your mental health? Is it relatively stable? If so, that is wonderful. Celebrate that you are OK. How about your loved ones? If no one else is suffering that is a gift. Or perhaps it is one day at a time, and you are grateful that they are OK this day, or this hour. Practicing gratitude is something that helps with depression. It is difficult to be grateful and depressed in the same moment.
How to practice gratitude
How do you practice gratitude? There is no wrong way or right way. Perhaps it’s saying a silent prayer for the riches that you have (not necessarily monetary).
Some people keep a gratitude journal and write things daily that they are grateful for. You may want to share these with your family members or close friends.
I’ve heard of others having a gratitude wall where they post little sticky notes on the wall for things that are going well in their life. Then when life isn’t being so kind to you, you can look at the wall and perhaps be inspired.
If you are creative you can do something like paint a tree trunk and branches on the wall, or get a tree decal. Then you can use little post it notes shaped like leaves and write what you are grateful for. Or cut little pieces of paper that are leaf shaped and do the same thing.
Being grateful in daily life
There are many simple things that occur in our day that we can be grateful for, such as someone holding the door open for us if our hands are full, someone lets you cut in traffic, our pet sitting next to us or on our lap, or a smile from a stranger. If you think of it, we can be grateful for many things.
If you or someone you love is struggling with life or relationships, please give me a call at 713-304-6554 and we can help them get back on track.
Take care,
Debbie Grammas, PhD
