There’s a lot of hype about practicing gratitude. Truth be told, I buy into it, hook, line and sinker because it works for me.
But sometimes when life brings lemons – it’s super hard to feel grateful. Instead of putting a happy face on, crawling under the covers seems like a better alternative.
There’s also the pressure to feel grateful because we live in a culture where it’s “in”. If we aren’t feeling it, we feel like a big, fat phony. We wonder what’s wrong with us. Some part of us wants to be grateful but another wants to stick its heels in. We then ask: how can I not feel grateful with so many hungry and homeless people in the world??
Major guilt trip. Massive self-judgment. Monumental self-loathing.
You don’t have to push yourself to feel something you don’t feel. You only have to acknowledge how you do feel. Take a deep breath and allow your feelings to be in the room – with you. Maybe you’re feeling disappointment or a whole lot of fear. Or something else altogether. Ditch the judgment and accept how you feel right now.
Sometimes to get gratitude, you gotta give yourself permission to feel exactly how you feel. Then things will shift – I promise.
Wishing you grace and ease this Thanksgiving holiday.
