“Gratitude is not only the greatest of the virtues but the parent of all others.”
–Marcus Tullius Cicero
Desert Rain
Concept:
As with Laughter, gratitude is an emotion that once you reach that state, it becomes very difficult for a negative state to replace it. Try feeling grateful and anxious or angry at the same time. If you enjoy reasonable health, have shelter, clothes and know where drink of water or next meal is coming from, then you have grounds to be grateful.
Benefits:
A famous comedian once remarked he was getting on a flight to find out he was on a flight with wi-fi available. Imagine that, he was sitting in comfort in the sky, enjoying a drink of choice, going to an amazing place watching whatever media he wanted to watch.
The next time he was on a flight enjoying the same experience, he heard a message over the tannoy that the wifi wasn’t working and would not be available for the flight.
His first reaction was “this is s#@t!”. What kind of world do we live in when we cannot even get wifi on a flight.” Any sense of wonder and gratitude had passed to a feeling of resentment.
How quickly we forget how truly “blessed” we all are. We live in a world of self-driven and unhelpful comparison.
Todays gratitude is tomorrows happiness
No down side
No facebook envy, green eyed monster
You cannot feel depressed in a state of gratitude
You cannot feel angry, bitter or depressed
So there is more to it…..its the right path….it’s a state we are meant to be in…explore.
It is nearly impossible to feel depressed or angry or anxious and express feelings of gratitude at the same time.
The truth is we may not have all that we want, but we have all that we need. Once that is understood, then the world belongs to us.
Skill:
Take a deep breath, change your physiology and get grateful if only for the air that you breathe.
What am I happy about in my life right now?
What am I excited about in my life right now?
What am I proud of in my life?
What am I grateful for in my life?
What am I passionate about in my life right now?
What am I committed to in my life right now?
Who do I love? Who loves me?
What am I going to give today?
Action:
Do
Difficulty:
Easy
Speed:
Fast
Other Compatible Coping Skills
How many stars would you award this coping skill?