Now Is The Time: Why practicing gratitude is what you should be doing right now
Grief, sorrow, despair, and frustration contribute to the storms of our life alongside confusion, chaos, and shock. These unique experiences catalyze deeply transformational periods. What we know about these storms is that they churn our soil; our soul; the very foundation we stand on with our beliefs and contexts of the world and life.
Is it not true that churned soil is immensely fertile?
If we look back, we can see how tilled our collective foundation has left us. If you ask people how they are feeling, many words are used to describe this: burned out, disillusioned, etc.
This very moment is opportune for intentional seed sowing and watering.
Our thoughts and intentions are seeds. Yogis might use the Sanskrit word Sankalpa meaning an intention formed by the heart and mind, or a solemn vow, determination, or will. It is a one-pointed resolve to focus both psychologically and philosophically on a specific goal. Neuroscience might call this habit-forming for neuroplasticity. We also might simply call this a beginning, or dawn.
After a storm, there is a sense of calm, safety, and reprieve. Some will prepare for the next storm, some will rest, and others will remain contracted and fearful. We each play a role.
Now is the time to collectively plant the seeds. We must tap in to the resilience tools provided by one another. We must gather in love and connection endowed with all remaining strength and light. This light is enough to share. The energy of sharing is growth and renewal. This light serves as a reminder of what is ahead. When we plant seeds in churned soil, we grow quickly with sun and water. We can nourish one another and we will weave a more beautiful world than ever imagined.
When we gather, we will hold one another accountable. We hold ourselves accountable to remain determined and willful in our heart-centered approach to life. When we pull one another up again and again, day after day, nothing gets left behind. We don’t lose ourselves in fear. Instead, we learn and grow and progress in the most efficient way.
Ann Masten has spoken at length about children who are resilient. What we now know is that children who are highly sensitive who experience trauma usually have two outcomes. They either struggle in life and experience extensive stress, or they receive support and they actually excel beyond average. They become change-makers.
As we move forward in this world feeling raw, sensitive, and uncertain, we have the opportunity to be the support for one another. For one another’s families. For one another’s hearts and souls. It is our responsibility to support one another to become the changemakers needed to cultivate a healthy world. This is the water and nourishment.
If you do one thing in 2022, make it the act of showing up fully for people. When you are growing, or when you need growth. Water one another with love. Root deep through community.
I will continue to show up for you. I will be posting events for you to join on my social media and website as the year goes on. I will be offering collective gratitude practices regularly, which you are welcome to join.
Collective gratitude is a medicinal and proven way to cultivate resilience. It is something we can do that we are in control of in each moment. The seeds of gratitude and neuropathways utilized and strengthened by expressing, thinking, writing, and receiving gratitude promote well-being. Ayurveda calls gratitude a sattvic practice. Medical mediums call it the highway to higher dimensions. Psychologists call gratitude therapy. Yogis call gratitude their practice. Gratitude works with serotonin, which helps us to feel connected. By collectively practicing gratitude, we can create a better world.
May you be well. May you be well. May you be well.
If you need a gratitude journal, the wildflower seed-covered gratitude journal by I AM RESILIENT. is a great option and is being adopted by many healthcare providers who understand the research backing this practice. Buy one here: https://nikitapaddock.com/products/i-am-resilient-growth
Additional Reading and Listening:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.632911/full
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVjfFN89qvQ
https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier
https://positivepsychology.com/neuroscience-of-gratitude/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B978012800285800008X