Having a Bad day? Be Grateful!

Are you having a bad day? Maybe it's a bad week, month, or year. Being grateful can help. Now, I don't necessarily mean being grateful for whatever is troubling you, (although you could be, I'll save that for another post). I'm talking about being thankful for whatever little thing you can find to be thankful for. We all feel anxious, sad, angry, or frustrated at times. Look at everything going on in the world, not to mention all the stress of our daily lives. It's no wonder we aren't always happy. And it's no wonder we don't always feel grateful. I know there are days when it seems impossible to find something to be thankful for, I've had those days. But I have found that being grateful can help pull you out of the funk. I'm going to tell you how gratitude can help you, and some simple ways to start a gratitude practice.

Finding anything to be grateful for can start to change your thoughts, feelings, and ultimately your brain chemistry. If you believe in the law of attraction, you know that we attract what we focus on. And if you don't believe in it, here's another way to look at it. I know when I'm in a bad mood, feeling frustrated and like nothing is going my way, and I just keep thinking about how everything is wrong or blocking my progress, I can be assured more bad things will happen. Did you ever notice how you stub your toe or hit your head on something when you are mad? Or the only time your clothes get stuck on a handle or chair is when you are frustrated? Like attracts like! By changing the way we think, we can change our perceptions and change the way we feel.

Practicing gratitude can put you into a positive frame of mind. Studies have shown that people who are optimistic and have a positive attitude feel less stress, are happier, healthier, and live longer. It can decrease your stress, which leads to better sleep, which leads to better physical and mental health. When you are feeling better, you have more energy, which means you can handle life's problems better and reach your goals quicker. Being in a better mental state allows you to see solutions to your problems and the extra energy makes it easier to implement them. All these things start a cycle of positive thinking leading to positive actions, leading to positive results, leading to more positive thinking.

If you are feeling negative, for any reason, it can be hard to see the positive or feel there is anything to be grateful for. With a little effort, you can start. And when I say a little effort, that's what I mean. Just think of one thing you can be grateful for. Maybe you woke up today, or it could be your fur-baby, or that first cup of coffee or tea in the morning. I'll give you a minute to pick something.... Ok. Now that you have it, think about why you are grateful for it. Think about it until you smile. I bet you are already feeling a little better, maybe even lighter. This is something you can do anytime, anywhere when you start feeling down, or overwhelmed. You can also start every day by acknowledging what you are grateful for. Start with one or two things. Remember, you should also think of why you are grateful for that thing. Once it becomes a habit, you can start expanding on your gratitude practice. You could start a gratitude journal. Writing down what you are grateful for every day. You could post one thing a day on social media that you are grateful for, (I've done this and it helps others feel grateful too). If you are artistic (or not) you could start a collage, or you could sketch or paint things you are grateful for. The possibilities are limited only by your creativity. This is also a great practice for self-care. Taking a little time to be grateful can not only help your bad mood, but it can also help to improve your life in many ways. Right now, I'm grateful you took the time to read my blog. Have a great day!