When the turkey has been carved and the table is filled with yummy treats, it's hard to think deeply about gratitude and blessings. And it is such a small window of opportunity to feel really good about your life. Why not take the next three weeks and bathe in gratitude?
Each day of the week, do one of the following, and on the weekend, create an extended gratitude experience (while soaking in the tub, gardening, taking a long walk, etc)
"The feeling of gratitude opens the heart more than any other emotion except, perhaps, love. As we practice feeling gratitude, we expand our heart’s capacity to experience and express love and joy."---Rachel Harris, Ph.D
(1) Mondays: complete this sentence, "Today, I am grateful for_______" and list at least five things. Start a gratitude journal, or find some way to keep the lists together. They will be great to pull out on bleak winter days.
Do a mental version of this exercise when you first wake up in the morning. Notice if it seems to set the tone for the day. If you notice that you felt better (happier?) during the day, try it as you are falling asleep.
(2) Tuesdays: Try this brief meditation--decide for a few minutes to think about everything in your life (even the problems) as a gift that will bless you in ways you can"t even imagine. In fact, consider the idea that everything you experience is actually designed to bring you closer to what you want most.
Ask yourself what gift is hiding behind a challenge you face. And write your insight in your journal! You may need to re-read that insight often.
(3) Wednesdays: in your gratitude journal, write about someone special to you. Express your gratitude for having this important person in your life. Try to think of several "gifts" he or she has brought into your life.
(4) Thursdays: spend time in nature (or bring it indoors if it is too cold), drinking deeply of this delight and taking note of everything you appreciate about it with all of your senses (like golden sunlight on the leaves, the crunch of snow, etc).
(5) Fridays: share the gratitude with others. Send a note or email to someone you care about, thanking them for being a part of your life.
Another idea is to create placecards for Thanksgiving dinner, and add a "thank you" note to the inside of the card. Or, you might buy a journal for someone else, and write a note inside about what you find special about that person. Or, a calendar, and attach a post-it note to each month's page expressing your gratitude for them.
"Feeling grateful becomes a spiritual practice when we can truly express gratitude even when our lives are not going well. This is a far more difficult time to give thanks or express appreciation. It's actually a deep, spiritual decision of how you want to relate to life. I want my attitude toward life to be independent of the inevitable ups and downs."--Rachel Harris, Ph.D
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, filled with gratitude!
Jeanine Byers is a healing coach who helps women discover and nurture their soul purpose and life mission. For the holiday season, she is offering a free holiday stress relief exercise so that your experience this season will be calmer, steadier, more centered, more grounded and more abundant. She also offers 3 Days of Transformation (free) to remove the blocks and resolve the issues that keep you from creating the life you really want--just in time for a new year of delight. For more information, visit her website at http://pages.ivillage.com/healingjourney
Celebrate Thanksgiving with a Daily Gratitude Mini-Retreat
