Wrapping Up 2019 With Gratitude...

Well, that happened fast! 2019  is coming to an end and as we say our farewells to this last year (and decade!) I invite you to pause and take some time to reflect on all that’s gone well in your life this last year. Why not infuse this last year of the decade and the beginning of the next one with a big dose of positivity? 

One of the most surefire ways I know of to shift your mood and energy into a more positive state is to pause and acknowledge what’s going well in your life. 

Thanks to the field of neuroscience, we now know that our brains are hardwired to hone in on and focus more on the negative events occurring in our environment. As Rick Hanson writes in his book, Buddha’s Brain, our brains are like “teflon to the positive and Velcro to the negative.”   We might go to a party and have a wonderful evening, but if someone spills a big glass of red wine on us right before we leave what do you think we’re going to be focused on during the drive home?  

The good news is: we can train our brains to focus on the positive. There are a number of practices we can work with to shift our focus to the positive events and relationships occurring in our lives, and one of the easiest ways to do this is through practicing gratitude.   

I’m sure you’ve heard about gratitude practice and maybe even tried it yourself.  But how does being thankful and expressing gratitude actually make a difference? The research overwhelmingly shows that people who practice gratitude are more optimistic, have lower stress levels, greater resilience, they sleep better, and exercise more consistently. Yes, please!  

And here are five simple ways you can begin as the new year gets underway: 

1)  Do a gratitude brain dump! Set a timer for ten minutes and then write down every single person, place, animal or experience from 2019 you can think of that you feel grateful for… and  keep your pen moving until the timer goes off. Feel free to keep going after the ten minutes are up if you have more you want to write down!

2)  Make a gratitude collage.  Print out images of the people, places, animals and experiences that represent what and who you’re most grateful for from 2019. Or you could even include the whole last decade if you’d like. I made one last month and keep it by my morning meditation spot so each day I have this great visual reminder of my gratitude! 

3)  Write a thank-you letter to someone who’s done something kind for you this year. The co-worker who showed you the ropes in your new job. The neighbor who brought you a meal when you were sick. The good friend who was there to support you during a challenging time. After you write your note and address it, consider it your “end-of-the-year” love deposit when you drop it in the mail! Send it off with the intention that it brighten the day of your recipient and bring a little joy to their heart. 

4)  Take a little time to reflect on all the good things that happened in your life in 2019. If it helps, get out your day planner or your calendar to help you remember things.  Pause to remember how you felt during each of these events as they happened and savor those good feelings again as you recreate the events in your mind. You might even look for the silver linings or the growth you experienced from the challenges in your life. For instance, I’m actually grateful I got really sick this last June because it helped me see how I was pushing my body too hard at the time.  I became much more clear about what I said “yes” and “no” to the rest of the year.

5)  Begin a gratitude journal. Write down five things each day that you are grateful for and notice how this shifts your awareness and attitude.  As you do this, you become a  “detective for goodness” and start to pay attention more to the positive things that happen throughout your day.

I want to end by saying that I know that 2019 was a challenging and intense year for many of us and I’m not asking you to forget about or minimize the difficulties you experienced. I believe it’s important to acknowledge these as well and honor the ways in which you showed up and met these challenges.  

But let’s also remember and be grateful for all the good things that happened in 2019 because… what we focus on has a tendency to expand!  And who wouldn’t like a little more goodness in their life, right?