How To Be Grateful When You’re In Pain
When you’re in pain, it can be hard to stay positive and appreciate the good things in your life. This can make the healing process longer, so try to practice gratitude despite your physical suffering. If this sounds impossible to you, read on for some helpful advice on how to do it.
Finding gratitude amidst the struggle
It’s natural to focus on what’s not working, but today I challenge you to turn your attention toward what is working. Practice gratitude by focusing on five things that are going well and allowing yourself to feel thankful for them. Whether it’s a sunny day, delicious food, or a good conversation, force yourself to find a way in which everything—even if only just slightly—is going according to plan.
One way to start is by counting your blessings
Be thankful for what you do have, and not focus on what’s missing. But sometimes even thinking of a blessing is too much work. I get it; it’s hard to see that there are reasons for gratitude when life doesn’t seem so great. However, if we can look past our immediate experience, we can often find things to be grateful for.
List three things for which you are thankful
If there’s one thing for which I am extremely grateful, it’s a good friend. A friend is someone who shows up for you through thick and thin. It doesn’t matter if it’s last minute or inconvenient, a good friend will always help out. I also greatly appreciate my parents who have worked hard their entire lives and still continue to support me even now that I am married with kids of my own. Lastly, I am thankful for my husband who has stuck by me through thick and thin as well. He has been a huge source of comfort during some difficult times in our marriage and he continues to show his love every day by doing little things like mowing the lawn so I don’t have to do it or taking care of our son while I take care of myself.
3 Ways Gratitude Improves Your Life
Gratitude isn’t just a buzzword, it’s a truly transformative force. No matter where you are right now—whether you have every reason to be happy or are struggling with life—gratitude can change your perspective. It’s an essential tool for living well and feeling good about yourself and your circumstances. Here’s how gratitude will help change your life, according to leading scientific research.
1. You’ll Have More Energy According to recent studies, simply counting your blessings has significant health benefits: People who regularly practice gratitude may experience more energy than those who don’t, reports Dr. David Almeida of West Chester University in Pennsylvania.
2. You’ll Improve Your Physical Health In addition to improving mental health, practicing gratitude is linked to better physical health as well: Expressing thanks is linked with higher levels of positive emotions and social support as well as lower levels of depression and stress.
3. You’ll Feel Happier When we feel thankful for what we have, we feel happier overall: When you feel grateful for what you already have in life, not only do you become happier but others around you become happier too.