Finding yourself confined to the four walls of your home months at a time starts to affect the psyche in ways that you could have never imagined. Having time to focus on all the things you find yourself without, has a way of creating that “poor me” mentality, when in reality there are so many people that have it far worse. When we have too much time to focus on all the things that may be lacking in our lives, all the good things seem to be forgotten.

I am a person that likes to have complete control of my life. When I suddenly no longer have that ability, things like self doubt and negative self-reflection have an easier time coming into the mind. Not taking the time to be grateful for the good things, causes us to focus on the bad far more than we should. Luckily, my recent meditation on gratitude was exactly what I needed.

During the meditation, I was reminded of the importance of giving gratitude for even the simplest things that we often take for granted. Our lungs that continue to breath the air of life into our bodies without asking anything in return. Our hearts that pump blood twenty four hours a day without us even thinking about it. A roof over our heads and food in our stomachs so that we may stay safe and nourished. Things that are part of what keeps us alive that we often never take the time to stop and be grateful for. Which means that we often need a reminder.

In my meditation, it was mentioned that it is a good idea to keep a gratitude journal. A little booklet that you can keep by your bed and each evening write down the things that you were most grateful for that day. Each night when you go back to bed, read what you previously wrote before you write that days entry. Soon, the constant focus on all the things you are grateful for in your life means there is little time for the “poor me” mentality to take hold.

The reason I say gratitude with attitude is that gratitude has to become a part of your attitude every day. For it to truly keep the “poor me” mentality at bay, the focus has to be on that for which we should be grateful, rather than that which we are lacking. When we can master that, only then can we live a grateful life.

#morningswithron