Humans are beings of habits and find serenity in creating rituals
One day at a time
A ritual that my daughters and I have created, is ensuring to make time to sit at their bedside every evening. We enjoy these moments and talk about how their day went. They are grown-ups now but we have kept this habit since their early childhood years.
We go over it all, focusing first on the beautiful moments they experienced and what they liked the most. We also talk about any challenges they faced and how they tackled them. We share different perspectives, solutions and ideas. The warm feeling of gratitude fills our hearts each time we do that.
Deep connection
My interest in their daily lives opened their worlds to me, I know what they enjoy the most and what is important to them.
It has created a very strong bond between us, but most importantly, when they focus on the good things that happen daily, it makes them more resilient and accepting of those things that did not work.
Why gratitude?
Feeling gratitude about what is already in our lives and acknowledging it instead of taking it for granted is a sure way to measure our success. It reminds us that we have reached and achieved what was once our dreams and desires.
It is one of the most beautiful positive emotions. Its powerful energy reaches each and every cell of our body instantly, boosting our immune system, increasing our resilience tremendously and counteracting any negative emotion: we simply cannot feel grateful and anxious, or sad, or angry at the same time. It is just impossible.
Does it work?
Counting your blessings rewires your brain in many ways: it increases positivity, overall happiness, and makes you less fragile and more resilient when facing your daily challenges, which leads to a greater sense of meaning in life.
When you end your day on a positive note and share this habit with your children and loved ones, it improves the quality of your sleep and theirs and sets your focus for the following day.
Practiced few minutes only daily and your whole outlook on life will shift completely! Isn’t it a great investment of your time?
A way forward
I invite you to take a few minutes every night to remember, feel and to write down what went well during your day. And please, don’t turn it into a to-do kind of exercise, focus on feeling the emotion, that is the key.
Happy Gratitude practice!