There is a famous saying in stoicism.
He is a wise person who does not grieve for the things which he has not,
But rejoices for those which he has.
In this meditation we explore the power of gratitude to increase our mood and decrease our anxiety.
Get yourself into a nice comfortable seat.
Sit up nice and tall and start to pay attention to the world around you.
Now ideally this should be done in your own home,
But if you're not in your own home I want you to close your eyes and think about being in your own home,
In your living room,
In your bedroom,
Whatever you want.
If you are at home then just keep your eyes open and just survey the area you're in.
Look at all of the different items that exist around you.
Look left,
Look right,
Look up,
Look down.
The room you're in is no doubt filled with items that are rich with meaning.
Each one has a story of some description.
How you came about it,
How you found it,
How you chose it,
Who you're with when you acquired it.
Find one item in the area around you,
Your immediate vicinity that really stands out with significant meaning.
Again if you're not at home and you don't have any possessions of yours around you,
Close your eyes and imagine an item that has big meaning for you.
See in my lounge it's a conch from the Bahamas.
We chose it ourselves on a boat trip and it was just such a great day for me and my partner.
So I want you to do the same.
Choose that thing that just sparks a bit of joy in you and once you have chosen this thing,
Close your eyes and keep that item impressed into your brain so that it fills up the entire width of your thinking capacity and as you do just begin by thinking about the context in which you came about this thing.
What were you doing?
Where were you?
Build the scene.
Begin to relive the experience of when you first came into contact with this thing and now start to think about how it felt when you first saw this item.
What drew you to it?
What was your thinking behind choosing it?
And now start to think about why it has become so special to you.
Why does it hold such a fond place in your heart?
Now here's the really important part.
Think about who was with you when you acquired it.
Now you may say you were on your own but of course someone was there to help you acquire it,
To get it,
To purchase it,
To pick it.
Someone was there to help you store it,
To transport it.
Begin to think of the rich web of connections that helped you get this item from where it was into your home and if there was still no one involved in that,
Think about the many people that have interacted with it since it's been in your home.
Think about how it has connected many people in your life.
So as you bring this exercise together,
I want you to enjoy reliving the story behind the item.
The joy that it sparked inside of you and still does to this day.
That warm feeling of happiness and contentment.
And then enjoying the realization of the connection this item has,
Both to you and the way it has connected you and many others.
And for that I want you to bring thanks to this item.
Noticing how it has given you far more than you probably gave it credit for.
And then give thanks to your body for being able to feel all of these feelings.
To help you interact with this item through your eyes,
Through ears,
Through touch,
Through memory.
And then of course think of all the people that have been part of this item.
From its acquirement to its enjoyment.
How it has facilitated a social interaction.
It is more than just a thing.
And while you're doing all of that,
You should know that you are now hacking your brain and initiating what is known as the pro-social network.
An area of the brain which induces happiness and is mutually exclusive to anxiety.
So any time you would like to shift state from being worried to being happy,
I want you to try this exercise again.
Focusing on the joy the things around you bring you and focusing on the connection that they represent.
I have no doubt you have plenty of other things worth examining wherever you are.
Until next time,
Namaste.
