Attitude for Gratitude
We are entering the month of Thanks. As I reflect on the year what has been accomplished in the short amount of time for You First Now just amazes me... Or does it? See, there is an internal critic that all of us have that drives us to do better or it can debilitate us. It only operates when we are outside of gratitude. I found myself sinking into a hole last month. What happened?
There are so many things to be grateful for. Instead, complaining was on the rise, comparison, and judgment became the forefront of my thinking, colors became dull, fun was not being had, and the attitude for gratitude was showing up in empty words exiting my mouth, not attached to the energetic, high vibration my body is familiar with when I feel gratitude.
One of the key components of best self-care practices is having a healthy support system. My support system is brutally honest with me and I love it. Let me rephrase that, I hate it AND I love it. I got called out, I didn’t have an attitude of gratitude. I sounded like a victim with all the excuses in the book of why I needed to stay thinking the way I was thinking. I call it stinkin’ thinking.
This happens to the best of us and when it happens to me, I go back to the foundation. Starting from the ground up. You’ve got to root yourself in gratitude. You can’t just speak it. You gotta feel it, act it, surrender to it, know it, live by it. How do you do that?
Think Small
Find gratitude in the basics. I’m grateful I can breathe with ease. As I breathe in slowly and deeply, I notice the temperature and smell of the air. I notice my lungs expanding wide. I try and “amaze” myself by thinking of how miraculous our body is to breathe oxygen. I don’t move on to anything more until I can feel gratitude in my body.
Reason for Season
What if that doesn’t work? Is there something wrong with me? The answer is NO. Become aware of your seasons. Just like the Earth, we also have seasons internally. “OMG, Mom I’m telling you, I’m worried I’m going into a dark place again,” I cried on the phone. She reminded me that I’m like this every October. She was right! I started to review years past and just like clockwork, October shows up and my body and mind started playing tricks on me. I’m finally getting a routine from summer break and the holidays are around the corner (though exciting also bittersweet for me as my husband travels a bunch adding to my stress levels).
Higher Frequency
I hear you. You’re saying “Nope Elizabeth. It is NOT either one of the first two aforementioned.” I’ve got you covered! My favorite reiki master, Morgan Schultz, shared this message with her circles held at YFN Studio.
“So everyone has moved into different lessons and phases for this next year, October-October. Which will bring up new emotions. As we shifted into this we also were experiencing an intense and powerful lunar eclipse. This started in November of 2021 and just finally closed on October 27/28th. This is a time when people are experiencing “heavier & darker energies, their shadow self.” On top of all of that, the Earth is receiving a ton of solar flares. This means we are getting blasted with higher frequencies and our bodies are trying to adjust and attune to this higher frequency we are receiving. Now is the time to look at what keeps surfacing so you can clear it physically and energetically as January approaches.”
In plain English, it’s time to do the work and stop standing there waiting for something amazing to happen.
Therapy Works
What if you don’t believe in energy? Book an appointment with your favorite mental health counselor to help you decide what path to take to treat your flat, ungrateful, and/or depressive mood. Therapy is like a beacon of light in the night. Clears my mind, checks my stinkin’ thinkin’, and sets me up for success.
Spirituality Breakthrough
In addition to all of the above, I chose to be a student once again. I asked a fellow Master Practitioner for a spiritual breakthrough. After the personal history (I call the emotional dump) and Mental and Emotional Release®, this experience kicked me into high gear with the feeling of gratitude. I walked away with a sure connection to the Universe, a knowingness of how freaking miraculous we all are, and I will ALWAYS trust myself and my intuition over my inner critic. Nonnegotiable. There are many different options and strategies to help you lift your spirits. Choose one or all that work for you to live your best life.