Happy Holidays from Inside a Global Pandemic
Why gratitude should be at the top of your Christmas list.
Even though so much of our world changed this year, we are hoping to be settling in for some necessary downtime with our families. This is one of my favorite times of the year because I’m constantly reminded of how much I have to be grateful for: my faith, my family, people I love, my home, my health, and so much more.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the tidal wave of news, negativity, personal losses, and fear of the unknown, but the truth is that — believe it or not — there are bright spots in the overhanging net of darkness. If you only spend your thoughts on negative things, more negative things come into your life. If you wallow in being depressed, it will only worsen. But if you focus on all the good, on gratitude, and on productivity, you can cultivate a more objective and optimistic mindset for you, and those around you. It’s always a choice. YOU have a choice.
In a world of constant change and facing the unknown more than ever, I like to make sure I remind myself daily what I’m most grateful for, right when I get out of bed even. Sometimes they’re small things and sometimes they’re huge. Getting into a habit of daily gratitude practice is so incredibly important for your spiritual, mental, and emotional health, and it can be as easy as writing down 3 things you’re grateful for, and committing them to memory while building upon them each week. This is also a great bonding activity to do this holiday season with your loved ones as quarantine continues.
With the materialistic nature of society being challenged this year more than ever before, it should be humbling for us to see just how fortunate we are even with what we consider everyday privileges. We should hug our families a little tighter (safely!), pick up the phone, and make a call more than once a year, serve the community often, among many other things. Make commitments that we will actually keep. Will 2021 truly be a New Year of gratitude for us or will we still maintain old habits and selfishness? Only time will tell.
