Be grateful everyday and write it down!

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Nothing beats a warm blanket, a hot cup of tea or cocoa and a book to read. Oh, bless life's small pleasures

- Kathleen Sleigh

Part of my recovery and healing involves being in the present moment such as being grateful for the small pleasures in life; all the good that comes so freely into my life. Whenever I find myself focusing on negatives, stresses or problems in my life (what 'The Power of Now' refers to as 'life situations') I always go back to being grateful for what I have and not what I don't. 'The Power of Now' has made me realise how important it is to live my life and not my life situation. I could sit here and worry about my life situations that cause me pain and discomfort but that does not serve me. Being grateful does because it allows me to be in the present moment and not focus on the past or the future.

I must admit, practicing mindfulness and being in the present moment was really hard in the beginning because I am normally a very impatient person. When my counsellor ran me through this concept I just did not have the patience to simply be. I didn't have time to stop and focus on my breathing or my space in time, and how my body was in touch with my emotions. And even when I tried it it wasn't working. What I didn't realise is that this process takes time to adapt naturally and let it become second nature. I can now proudly say that I have adapted to being in the present moment quite well. I find time to stop and breathe and focus where I am and how I am feeling in that present moment. I also meditate which helps keep me calm and in the now.

One of my favourite things to do to focus on being in the present moment is journaling every morning and night about what I am grateful for. I have looked back on older journals and noticed how short my list was because at that time I didn't have the patience to stop and appreciate what I had. Now I find myself writing two pages worth of things I am grateful for and it is amazing how good reading them make me feel, it makes me realise I am being present and also brings good memories and positive feelings.

Being grateful over the simplest of things might seem silly at first because the simple things come so easily and are so normal. For example, a lot of the things I am grateful for are very simple and I write these things repeatedly, they don't always have to be different things everyday. If it is something I am grateful for on that particular day, I write it down. Things like being warm in bed at night, my bed socks, waking up and looking out of the window, walking, having my arms and legs to exercise and eating. All these things are so simple but when I actually take the time to write down that these are things I am grateful for, I realise how much goodness they bring into my life and how much I appreciate them.

I also journal the bigger and deeper things I am grateful for such as my dad, friendships, interactions I have with people and my travels, to name a few. These bring me so many positive memories and make me realise how lucky I am for being surrounded by such positive human beings and experiences. There is just simply no time to be focusing on those who we have lost or we have walked away from, or those situations that have brought us pain because thinking about them isn't being present.

It is also important to me to be grateful for experiences that have brought me pain. I don't like to live life having regrets because pain and suffering is inevitable, it is how we react to those experiences that truly matters. I write down being grateful for the painful experiences I have gone through because they have all taught me a lesson and allowed me to learn something about myself. They also give me the chance to do something more positive in order to move forward. So rather than focus on the past and feel angry, blame myself and whatever other negative feelings come with that, I remind myself how grateful I am for being strong enough to endure those experiences. And for being strong enough to turn those experiences into something positive.

So ladies and gentleman, whenever you are obsessing over that ex, that f**kboy or even f**kgirl, that asswipe and that unavailable boy or girl, remember that you have so much to be grateful for. Remember those small pleasures in life that come so easily to you, you are so lucky to have them. Not everyone is as unfortunate as you so remember that. These exes and asswipes mean very little when you realise how much you actually have.

So I dare you, journal what you are grateful for everyday. It will be hard at first for those of you who don't practice this. But I promise you, being grateful becomes second nature and you realise each day how much more there is to be grateful for. Because the world, its people and the experiences that come with that are so much more than the situations and the people that do not matter.

Be grateful. Be present. Just be.

#selflove #grateful