Hello and welcome to this meditation focused on looking for the good.
By building the muscle in our brain that pays attention to the good things that happen,
We can naturally begin to notice the good more and more often.
Our brains are wired to focus on problems or danger.
That can often make us overlook the positive things in our life.
Our brains are like Teflon for the good and Velcro for the bad.
That's just how they work.
However,
By practicing the GLAD skill,
We can train our minds to notice and appreciate all the good things around us.
So let's begin by finding a comfortable position and taking a nice deep.
As you exhale,
Release any tension in your body and allow yourself to relax.
Take a nice long inhale and even longer exhale.
Really take the time to settle into your body in this moment.
Let your eyebrows and eyes relax,
Your cheeks and jaw.
Let your mouth drop open a bit so that your teeth aren't touching.
Let your shoulders drop and continue to scan through your body.
Letting your chest and belly relax all the way down your arms to your wrists and fingers,
Relaxed entities.
Let your hips and thighs relax,
Your calves,
Ankles and feet.
On your next inhale,
Maybe send some energy to help relax any spot that's feeling a little tense or tight in the moment.
The GLAD skill stands for gratitude,
Learned,
Accomplished and delight.
First,
Let's focus on gratitude.
Take a moment to think about something in your life that you're grateful for.
Could be a person or a place.
Could be just a feeling or maybe even gratitude for yourself or for something that you've done really well recently.
Really let yourself feel the gratitude for whatever this is.
Feel the warmth in your heart and the happiness in your body as you appreciate it fully.
Next,
Let's turn our attention to something that you've learned.
Think about a skill or knowledge that you've gained recently,
Whether it's big or small.
Perhaps it's something you learned at work or a new recipe that you tried or just a fact that you discovered.
Maybe you've even learned a new way of meditating.
Hold that in your mind and take a moment to acknowledge your own growth and the value of the knowledge that you've gained.
Moving on to accomplishments.
Think about something that you've achieved recently.
This can be a really hard one for many of us as we often don't give ourselves credit for all the things we accomplish.
Think about everything that you accomplish just by getting out of bed this morning or if you're not there yet just by waking up.
It could be something as simple as completing a task like making the bed,
Brushing your teeth,
Or it could be something bigger like achieving a long-term goal.
Allow yourself to feel proud of yourself for whatever it is that you've accomplished.
There's no harm in giving yourself credit for all of the things that you do.
Lastly,
Let's focus on delight.
Take a moment to think about something that brought you joy recently.
It could have been a moment in nature,
A kind gesture from a friend or even a stranger,
Or something that made you laugh.
My delight is almost always dog-related.
Let yourself fully experience the joy and delight that this moment brought you.
Remember that it's normal for our brains to focus on problems and danger.
However,
By practicing the GLAD skill on a regular basis,
You can train your mind to also pay attention to all the good things that occur.
By taking a moment to appreciate the good things and build that dual awareness in your mind,
You'll naturally begin to see these more and more often in your life.
Take a moment right now to appreciate yourself and the time that you're putting into your own growth.
When you're ready,
Return to the sensation of your body in its seat.
Tune back into the sounds around you.
Take one more deep breath in,
And slowly open your eyes.
Carry this practice of paying attention to good things throughout the day.
Take care.
