| Before you get all caught up in the holiday rush of shopping, entertaining, shopping, baking and more shopping, now is a great time to reflect on and be thankful for all those positive things that have happened in the last 12 months. All too often we get way too busy which results in creating our own world of stress and forgetting about all the good things that occur in our lives every day.
Gratitude is a great balancer for all the anxiety and stress we allow to creep, jog or race into our lives. A grateful heart and a grateful mind leave no room for unwanted negative energy to enter such as stress. Stress is just one of many forms of negative energy chaos we allow into our lives on a regular basis. On the grand scheme of things, chaos is truly the polar opposite of balance. When our lives are out of balance, we are living to some degree, be it large or small, in the uncertain overwhelming unstable state of chaos.
The answer is…
So, just how do you keep all those daily stressors associated with normal activities, work, family and the added tasks of the holidays under control? The answer is being grateful; being grateful for all that you have, for your family, friends and the family pet that is always delighted to see you, for having food to eat and most of all, for the gift of another day. Since every day of your life is a gift you exchange for what you do that day, be grateful for the gift you’ve received and use it wisely. Gratitude not only reduces stress, it adds wonderful positive energy to your life, a much needed commodity with all of the busyness surrounding the holiday season.
“Top Ten”
There is a simple plan to follow, a gratitude action plan that will not only build positive energy for the season but will become a platform for the New Year.
- Make a list of all of the really big things you are grateful for such as being alive, having food in the refrigerator, warm water for your shower, a roof over your head, income … you supply the rest
- Next, make a second list filling it full of all of the people, places, activities, events and things you are grateful for
- Then, go back to each list and rank them in order of importance with No. 1 being the most important
Once you have the top five on each list re-write them and post them in a really visible spot where you will see them every day; the mirror in your bathroom or the refrigerator door really works well. When you awaken every morning and see your list you will automatically smile and start your day already grateful for the ten most important things in your life. You will have not only received positive energy from the list but it has helped you prepare your attitude for the entire day. Remember, when you are in a gratitude state of mind, stress cannot easily sneak in.
The gratitude season is here
With Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and the New Year ahead, the personal blessing of positive internal energy will be increased 10 fold simply by starting and maintaining a gracious grateful attitude throughout the next several weeks. You will find the holiday season to be filled with more hope, peace and joy within instead of anxiety and stress. Be sure to keep your “Top Ten” gratitude list visible at all times so your gratitude energy shield will shine brightly and deflect all of the usual stressors of the holidays.
Once the season has come to a peaceful joy filled close, re-visit your “Top Ten” list. Are they still the most important ones or have you added some new ones to replace some of the old? If so, create a new “Top Ten” list. This will become your gratitude attitude road map for the New Year. In the world of Feng Shui it is the use of positive energy that brings about desired results. In this case, the desired result is to remove stress from the holidays and all year long. You can do that by replacing the negative energy of stress with the positive energy of gratitude.
The world around us is filled with chaos and negative energy; we don’t need to allow it to enter into our own lives and create more. The plan is simple, replace the negative energy of stress with the positive energy of being grateful not only for the next 6 weeks but for 52 weeks a year. Make your personal gratitude list, frame it if you wish and be sure to look at it as often as necessary to provide you the wonderful uplifting energy of gratitude.
© Pat Heydlauff, all rights reserved
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