Leaning in to Gratitude During Seasons of Stress
During periods of high anxiety, our protective parts kick into overdrive to help us feel more safe and in control of our lives. While the protective parts of us mean well, it can make it more challenging to connect with the present. We miss the feel of the crisp autumn air, the crunch of the leaves beneath our feet, and the brilliant blue sky because our minds tell us that to be safe, we must know what to expect. It's a cycle of stress that continues as we worry and hyperfocus on the unclear parts of our lives.
Cultivating a gratitude practice offers our protective parts a chance to feel calm and more at ease. Our minds exist to keep us safe, to ensure we eat, sleep, and avoid real threats, such as a speeding train and perceived threats like the unknown. Learning to recognize and acknowledge the things we are grateful for reminds us that we are safe in the present moment, and it allows us to feel more grounded in the positive aspects of our lives. Allowing the sun to shine warmly on your face or removing distractions to be fully present does not mean you are ignoring your fears and worries. Still, it offers a much-needed respite during seasons of overwhelm.
All of us experience anxious feelings at some point, but it can still feel lonely and scary not to know when we will feel safe and secure again. Gratitude helps to reduce these stressful feelings by allowing us to take inventory of the parts of our reality that we are grateful for. For example, we might feel isolated in our emotions and worries, but a call to a friend a few states away might remind us that we are not alone, and have people who see us, understand and love us. When our protective parts feel safe, we feel less restless and hypervigilant, allowing our minds to think logically and lean into our creativity.
Our protective parts don't like it when we feel sad or anxious, and sometimes, they will hyperfocus on trying to make us feel okay again. Sometimes, that looks like our minds telling us, "We should be grateful for what we have," or "Things could be worse."
These ideas don't help us feel more grateful because they invalidate our feelings.
We task ourselves with focusing on the positive without holding space for our real feelings. Practicing gratitude allows us to strengthen our genuinely positive emotions without denying our reality.
Journaling is one way to practice gratitude and reflect on what we appreciate about our day. Actively reaching out to people we are happy to be around is another way to show thanks. Being mindful creates small but consistent opportunities to recognize new things we are grateful for, like the golden hues of the sunset or the ability to pause and take a deep breath. Please share with us some ways you like to practice gratitude.
