ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE AND BEING PRESENT

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Last night I woke up in the middle of the night and started thinking about things. I had some emotions coming up and was feeling worried and down. I couldn't get back to sleep, so I practiced a gratitude technique which always helps me relax and fall back to sleep quickly. This technique can help you return to peace if you're feeling worried.

Just start thinking about things that you're grateful for, all the good things in your life. By doing this you'll stop focusing on what is worrying you, and you'll start to feel more relaxed, calm and peaceful.

When we worry, our thoughts are based on outcomes that may never happen, or things that have already happened which we can't change. While you worry, you can't enjoy whatever you are doing there and then. That's what living in the present means. While you worry about the future or the past, you miss out on the present moment because your mind is elsewhere. You could miss out on a smile from a friend or stranger in the street, seeing something beautiful like a seal or dolphin in the surf, noticing how lovely the sun feels on your skin as you're walking. You miss all of this because your mind is thinking about the past or future and is not in the present moment, enjoying what's happening right now. And right now could be a wonderful moment of peace if you just noticed it.

To bring you back into the present, you can use the gratitude technique. This is how it's done. Start listing in your mind anything and everything you are grateful for. Look around you and see what's worth giving thanks for. Start each setence with 'I am grateful for.....

Here's the sorts of things I was thinking last night to help me relax, bring my mind back into the moment and get me back to sleep:

I am grateful for my bed.

I am grateful for how warm and cosey my blanket feels.

I am grateful I have a roof over my head and a safe warm place to sleep.

I am grateful for my beautiful home.

I am grateful for my beautiful garden.

I am grateful for the beautiful view of Mt Keira from my backyard.

I am grateful for my job, which I love.

I am grateful for the meal I had for dinner.

I am grateful I have food to eat and clean water to drink.

I am grateful for the challenges in my life which are helping me to grow as a person.

I am grateful that my body is healthy.

I am grateful for the beautiful beaches near me.

I am grateful for the amazing nature all around this area.

I am grateful for........etc

As you think of all the good things in your life, you'll relax, you are opening and healing your heart chakra and the worry will melt away.

Within minutes I was asleep.

But it takes some practice - when I first started thinking of things to be grateful for it would take me a while because I hadn't done it before, but over time, it became really easy.

This is one of the main spiritual teachings I have come to understand through experience - learning how to live in the present moment. It's one of the most challenging but exciting things I've learnt how to do on my journey to becoming a therapist, and it's brought me great peace and relief as I used to worry about people, events and things all day, every day!!!

So give this a go and see how you do. Once you get used to thinking of things to be grateful for, you'll want to do it every day because it feels so good! ❤❤❤