Grounding into Gratitude

When we are experiencing difficult times such as this, it is too easy to slip into the habit of focusing on what we don’t have, rather than what we do. One of my good friends is particularly guilty of this, and since being confined to his own home he has found everything wrong with his situation. His parents are annoying him, he can’t go out and do the things he enjoys like surfing or socialising, he’s bored and lonely and he hates the government.

The ironic thing is that all of the frustration and anger that he is feeling wasn’t forced upon him by anyone other than himself, and that the situation is only worsened by him placing anger on something that he has no power to change. The spiritual leader Wayne Dyer said in his book There Is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem, ‘When you forgive […] you choose not to be impacted in a negative manner.’

This also applies to Covid-19; a virus which we actually need to forgive if we are going to stop it from affecting us negatively. There are of course people who have been directly affected by the virus, but for the vast majority of us who are safe and healthy (like my friend), we must accept the virus for what it is so we can avoid being needlessly affected by our own anger, frustration and resentment.

It doesn’t help or change anything, it just makes us feel shitty.

One of the things I find helpful when I’m trying to allow things which are out of my control is expressing gratitude for what I do have. Many on social media have already caught onto this practice by creating lists and graphics that display how the planet is benefiting from a global pause, how we as humans can use this time indoors for self-betterment and how the virus has caused us to connect with each other in ways we never did before.

By focusing on what is wrong with our lives, we will only see more of what is wrong. Alternatively, by shifting our focus onto what is positive and what we are lucky to have, we bring in a new consciousness which makes our outlook that much more enjoyable. This higher consciousness and positive attitude means we will continue to notice more of the good stuff, and light will be shed where before there was bleak darkness. It's your choice.

As a practice, I recommended to my friend that he write at least three things every day that he was grateful for. He found that he was actually very grateful for his family and his dog, his university work that keeps him occupied and for the good weather. Once he had started looking for them, he found there were far more than three things he was grateful for.

Grounding into gratitude practice

1) Close your eyes. Take three deep, mindful breaths to ground into the present moment.

2) Place your hand on your heart and ask yourself, 'What am I grateful for?'

If you’re in a headspace that makes this tricky to answer, start by looking at the room you’re in and seeing if where you are or what you have in front of you is something you can be grateful for.

3) Write down at least three things that you notice make you feel grateful. Take a moment to say 'thank you' for these.

By guiding your mind to focus on the positives, you are shifting your entire perspective of life. I recommend doing this practise daily at whatever times suits you (I do it in the morning to set the tone for my day), to really distil the habit of grounding your mind into gratitude for greater happiness.