November is the month of thankfulness or better known as gratitude. If you don’t think about what you’re thankful for any other day of the year, you can be sure that little Sally or Great Aunt Milly will ask you to list something on Thanksgiving as everyone is sitting around the table stuffing themselves. It’s tradition. I’ll even make my family do it this year as usual.
I have written about the importance of gratitude many times before. It’s something I always come back to. I use it frequently with clients in my therapy practice, I personally spend time frequently thinking about what I am grateful for and I am already talking to my children about gratitude and trying to teach them that, yes, they should feel grateful for all the wonderful things they have in their life and no, those things aren’t in everyone’s life but that’s a work in progress… I even wrote a children’s gratitude journal. Clearly, I believe in this practice.
If you aren’t taking a couple minutes each day to think about what you are grateful for, why? Is it that you can’t think of anything (of course you can!), is it that you don’t think it’s beneficial (of course it is, research proves this!)? As I was in yoga this morning and we were practicing our gratitude, I thought of a list of things I was grateful for and opened my eyes and looked around. I noticed there was a woman in class who had her eyes closed, thinking about what she was grateful for with a big smile on her face. It made my heart smile. I wondered what was she thinking about. It could have been very basic like physically being in yoga today or a hot shower this morning or a warm home or loving family or it could have been something bigger and better than that whatever that means. Guys, it doesn’t have to be something huge like a million dollar house or a fantastic promotion. We can all be grateful for waking up every morning and most of us can be thankful for a warm shower, delicious food, someone who loves us, being able to practice a hobby or talking to a friend.
For the love of November, PLEASE try it! Warm your hearts with thankful thoughts. Focus on what you have, not on what you don’t have. Practice loving the life you live in now instead of focusing on the life you wish you had.
**Follow me on IG or FB at theimperfectmamaandtherapist and tell me how you practiced this and how it made you feel after. I promise, it’s worth it!
The Imperfect Mama and Therapist 