The holidays at the end of the year are a time to reflect on the year past and give special consideration to the good things in life. Words like celebration, joy, peace, faith, and gratitude fill the air. Though there is plenty to be grateful for every day of the year, the holidays offer extra emphasis around the world to count your blessings and practice gratitude.
Life does happen and life does not always happen in a way that we feel we can find gratitude for. Holidays can be difficult when you have trauma or loss this time of year or if the holidays bring up reminders of that trauma or loss. If you are going to treatment fo the first time, the holiday season can feel more difficult than seasons in the past. Whatever your challenge to finding gratitude this holiday season, there is a way to overcome them and dip into the richness of life which gratitude provides.
Make gratitude visual
We don’t have to go looking for gratitude. If we surround ourselves with visual reminders of gratitude, we can see it everywhere we look. Put up pictures, souvenirs, post-it notes, flowers, and any other kind of visual cue you can think of to stimulate a thought of gratitude for yourself.
Check into resentments
Looking into your resentments and the negative experiences which caused those resentments might not be your first idea of gratitude, or even your second. However, finding a way to create gratitude for even the most negative parts of life will shift your perspective and benefit your wellbeing. For every resentment you discover, try to find one or two positives about the situation. If nothing else, you can be grateful that the experience gave you a reason to look for gratitude in the first place.
Make a list, check it twice
First thing in the morning, and last thing before bed, make a list of what you are grateful for. Find anything you can, from the weather to what you ate. In the beginning of your practice, it might be difficult to find more than five things you are grateful for. Gratitude is contagious. Once you start making a list, you will find that there is more and more to be grateful for.
The Guest House Ocala welcomes you with open arms to our private, concierge style treatment programs for trauma and related issues. There is no time like the present to seek treatment and change your life. Everyone has a story. Change yours today.
Call us today for information: 1-855-483-7800