Gratitude

What are you grateful for this morning?

I know, it’s an odd question – but it’s worth stopping for a moment to answer it.

This weeks dose of mental sunshine is all about gratitude

Feeling gratitude can help us to feel more positive emotions and to enjoy good experiences.

It’s so easy to get into the habit of just focusing on the less-than-ideal things that happen throughout the day.

Like the traffic jam on the way to work, the coffee we spilt, being late for a meeting.

But with a little effort, you could also bring to mind the positive things.

The little things that you can often take for granted

The person who let you out into a stream of traffic, the stranger who held a door open for you, the barista who remembered your coffee order. The red traffic light, giving you time to pause.

Taking a little time to think of the things we are grateful for – big and small – can help to train our brains to search out more positives in any situation.

Some of things I’m grateful for today are

The early morning sunrise and longer days – meaning summer is on its way

Seeing the bluebells back in bloom in our local woodland

An impromptu cuddle from my daughter

Look around and spot the little things you can be grateful for…

You might scoff at this idea, thinking it’s silly

But if it makes you feel a little better in the longer term, then why not?

It’s not about ignoring the stresses and strains of daily life;

It’s more about recognising and appreciating the little everyday things

There’s always lots of things to be grateful for;

You just have to find them and say Thank You…