Gratitude to eliminate anxiety in times of uncertainties

Happiness cannot be traveled to be owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” – Denis Waitley

I woke up Sunday morning with a million things running through my head of all the things I needed to do, sort out and complete for my moving project. They were things I couldn’t resolve in that instant or even that day and all dependant on other factors. As I tried to read my devotional message I could not stop thinking and so I chose an anxiety release meditation after I journaled my prayers. I laid quietly on my bed trying to calm my mind, listening to the soothing voice of one of my favourite meditation teachers. I focused on her voice and my breath as she guided the session then she asked to remember someone I was grateful for and what that time was. As I remembered the people not person for me, I couldn’t help but smile at the memory of having belly laughs with my mum and sister a couple of months ago. These were the persons I was grateful for and always had in my corner that made a warm feeling wash over me.

As the meditation proceeded to an end I had thought of other things I was grateful for and so after my meditation I picked my gratitude journal and wrote my thoughts down. I wasn’t feeling as anxious as I was when I woke up and so as they day went on, whenever I got this feeling of fear and doubt creeping I reminded myself that right here and now I was safe, I was loved and I had everything I needed in that moment to live a full life.

The day also gave me moments to remember this because when I sat down to write the first doc that was opened on my laptop was the one with the lists I was working on the day before, setting a clear reminder of the things I had to do. I took a deep breath and whispered to myself, I am safe, I am loved and right here and now I have everything I need in this moment. One step and one day at a time. All is well. When my friend called and in the conversation asked about my apartment I felt the bad feeling creeping up but I took a long breath and thought to myself I am safe, I am loved and I have everything I need right in this moment, I then responded by saying everything was ok and I am grateful that at the moment I was chatting with her.

See, we all have moments and times in our lives when the uncertainty is so great that it feels like you can’t survive the next hours but we will definitely survive it, it takes courage and strength not to wallow in fear and our misery. Being anxious is something we all experience from time to time when we worry about the future something we cannot control and sometimes 90% of what we worry about won’t happen but we still worry. Knowing this I have resorted to using gratitude to combat this, please bear in mind when I talk about anxiety here I am not referring to chronic or any form of anxiety related mental illness but the mild form that we all encounter every once in a while.

The one we can control by our sheer will power and change in perspective, this is the type I use gratitude to fight. The type I used counting my blessings and remembering the good times I shared with my mum and sister a couple of months ago to combat. All through out the day I decided to focus on the things I had, the things that I was working on and making progress on and the quality of life that I currently have. Yes I changed my perspective from how can I get this and that, where do I start and what if this and that do not work, to thank God I am healthy today, I am safe today, I am loved today and I have everything I need right now to make my day the best day I can have. I am grateful for this very moment and that is enough for now.

So what are you currently struggling with that a shift in perspective will help? I would love to know your thoughts so feel free to share in the comments.

Affirmation: I am grateful that I am safe, I am loved and I have all that I need to live a full life this very moment.

Images:Gabrielle Henderson, Kevin Turcois, Marco Pauolo, Jared Rice