Despite our childhood, it is important to come through with gratitude. Make gratitude your default. It can change your life in more ways than you’ll know.

Gratitude

Gratitude is something we may ignore, but something we should adopt if our lives are to become more peaceful, if we’re going to become more self-assured, or give ourselves the chance or opportunity to meet with success. Gratitude simply put, means noting the small pleasures and acknowledging what we have, everything we receive and looking for understanding in the things not meant for us.

Our understanding of gratitude

Gratitude also means looking at what we do have, being thankful for those things and not looking for more. It helps us understand and look for the positive where our experiences have been less than positive and helps us live in the moment. Gratitude helps us shift our focus from what we lack, to the abundance we have, that we’re not seeing that is already there.

Gratitude doesn't get others off the hook

Gratitude doesn’t get others off the hook, but it does help us look beyond our experiences, to where we are presently and to help us build on our strengths. Gratitude makes us happier, more resilient, reduces stress and increases our health.

Being grateful for the roof over our head, waking up with our health not having to fight another day. Gratitude allows us to put our life into perspective. It also teaches us not to assume, but to work hard for what we have. We should ask ourselves questions and choose to look for the lessons.

Make gratitude your default

Making gratitude your default means that good or bad you will always want to see and look for the positive in all situations.

Ilana Estelle is a mental health and wellbeing advocate who combines educational insight with her personal experience of living with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities. She holds diplomas in Counselling, Diet and Nutrition, Nutritional Therapy, Psychotherapy and Counselling, and Stress Management. Through her writing, Ilana supports others in navigating their emotional, mental, and physical health challenges. In addition to writing for The CP Diary, her work has appeared in healthy lifestyle magazines. Ilana is also the author of three books: Cerebral Palsy: A Story – Finding the Calm After the Storm, Spirituality, Healing and Me, and Survival: The Covid Years – Time for Change.

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2 comments on “Make gratitude your default”

  1. I only have to see a t.v. advert from a charity, asking for donations to appreciate and remind me that I am grateful for the safe and relatively abundant lifestyle that we enjoy in the west. It's easy to take it for granted.

    If gratitude helps us to put our lives into some perspective and helps us to see things from another's viewpoint, then that is a pretty good default.

    Reply

    1. Thanks, yes it's easy to take things for granted. We seem to have mastered the take things for granted skill well.

      I think if we learned to live and think about gratitude every day, how much better our lives would be, and how much better we would be with each other.

      It doesn't take a lot of effort, but it's well worth the effort when with gratitude we learn to give back. Isn't that fundamentally why we're here?

      Reply

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