You’re probably asking yourself how can gratitude help me through this crisis, and you may even be saying to yourself, I’ll need more than gratitude to help me right now! And you are right. You will need more than gratitude. However, cultivating the habit of experiencing gratitude is scientifically proven to improve the way your body functions, improving things like brain function, blood pressure, and energy, and decreasing anxiety, which will help you to deal with any crisis.
The Institute of HeartMath have spent 25 years studying how your heart functions and how it affects the rest of your body. What they have discovered is miraculous and not really understood by society. Their research has proven that when you experience a state of love, care or gratitude, the rhythmic beating pattern of your heart changes, to what is called coherent. This coherent heart rhythm is sent to your brain, which helps you to feel less anxious, and more energetic, and lowers your blood pressure.
There has never been a time in our recent history where we are collectively experiencing so much stress from things like rising prices, food shortages, covid, and war. The flow-on effect for many people may be poor health, loss of income, disconnection, loss of faith, and hope, and a sense of despair. I would like to encourage you to do one thing that will help you deal with whatever is happening in your life right now and that is to cultivate the habit of gratitude. How do you do that?
The gift of gratitude
Cultivating the habit of gratitude is like any habit: you have to consciously choose to make it a priority and keep doing it every day, until it becomes a habit. You do it by consciously asking yourself what are you grateful for. I would encourage you to buy a cheap exercise book and start writing down what you are grateful for. I love my gratitude diary. I now have about 10 exercise books filled with what I have been grateful for in my life. I write in it every day and write things like:
I am so happy and grateful that I had a great sleep.
I am so happy and grateful that I had a yummy breakfast.
I am so happy that I went for a walk.
I am so happy and grateful that I have wonderful children and grandchildren.
I am so happy and grateful that I caught up with a friend.
I am so happy and grateful that I can write and connect with so many people
This morning, while I was on my hands and knees cleaning up a mess on my floor, I said to myself, I am grateful that I can do this, as one day I won’t be able to. There are so many things we take for granted in our lives, that we can be grateful for. It could be your mind, personality, family, ability to make friends, ability to create, ability to love, and make a difference. You are more likely to make gratitude a habit if you write it in your diary every day. So enter it in your phone’s calendar and press repeat every day. When you look at your diary for the day, it will remind you to commit to five minutes of writing down what you are grateful for.
Gratitude is a state of consciousness where you are more likely to feel peace, lower your anxiety, increase your energy and optimism and deal with whatever is in front of you with greater clarity. I have used gratitude when I have been at very low points in my life to help me deal with it and it always helps.
I wish you well and welcome any comments, reflections or feedback.
In love and gratitude
Chenelle Lee Hitchcock
