Hello and welcome to the Gratitude Breakfast Club,
A quick morning meet-up to help you jump-start or maintain your gratitude practice.
We'll make it quick because we know you have things to do on this beautiful day.
Hello,
Beautiful ones,
And welcome back to the Gratitude Breakfast Club.
One of the things that can sometimes derail a gratitude practice is how difficult it can be to focus on gratitude when times are challenging.
It feels forced and unnatural,
And that's because it is.
When experiencing a challenge,
Jumping immediately into trying to find the silver lining or into gratitude isn't healthy.
It's toxic positivity.
And whether you are imposing toxic positivity on yourself or others are imposing it on you,
The negative repercussions compound.
Not only do you not get to feel the authentic feelings that are real for you and from which you can learn,
You then often have to contend with feelings of shame or guilt that sap your energy,
Undermine healing and growth,
And derail your inner wisdom.
There is a way to mourn and rage and fear and feel the whole gamut of emotions to which we are prone and to still walk with a mindset of thanksgiving.
We just need healthy strategies for doing so.
The strategies that come to mind are mindfulness,
Acknowledgement,
Letting go of repression,
And timing.
The need to mourn is just as important as the need to celebrate.
Whether you're mourning the loss of someone you love,
The loss of a relationship,
The loss of a job,
Or the loss of an expectation about how things would be in the future,
It is important to acknowledge there was something we had or thought we would have in our lives that we now know will no longer be there.
How you mourn and how long you mourn,
Or experience anger or confusion or anything else we might want to label as negative,
Is up to no one but you.
It only becomes problematic if you feel stuck and want to move on but can't.
But when you are ready to move on,
That's when you can check your toolbox and determine what tools you want to use next.
Whether it's gratitude,
Meditation,
Journaling,
Therapy,
Physical movement,
Exercise,
Crying,
Listening to music,
Napping,
Reading,
Or reaching out for help.
So today,
I'd like you to think of a time when you were able to sit with your feelings for as long as you needed before moving on.
And then I'd like you to take the time to appreciate that you gave yourself that gift.
If you can't think of a time,
Think back to an occasion when it would have been nice or helpful to sit longer with your feelings and appreciate that you're acknowledging that now.
With love,
Appreciation,
And gratitude,
This is Karen.
