A gratitude practice has been a transformative part of my spiritual healing written by Gabrielle Kaplan Mayer
Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer https://gabriellekaplanmayer.com/
With Thanksgiving just a few weeks away, November ushers in a month focused on gratitude. In recent years, we’ve learned more about how the act of appreciation has been proven to have benefits for our overall health and wellbeing.
Gratitude practice has been a transformative part of my spiritual practice and healing. As someone who has survived cancer and met my mortality head on, I have learned to release entitlement and expectations and instead to focus on appreciation.
Even when my life circumstances are hard or challenging, I have discovered that practicing gratitude can lighten my load. For example, if I say Thank you, problem X, for giving me this opportunity to grow, it shifts the energy of the experience that I had been perceiving as a problem.
As I integrate gratitude into my consciousness, signs and symbols of love, connection and appreciation come to me in so many fun and affirming ways.
I’m gratefully sharing some ways to start:
Offer some thanks to...
Mother Earth, the natural world and animal friends: Simply noticing the beauty of nature is a wonderful way to offer gratitude.
Make time in November to savor the leaves before they fall and also notice the grace of the bare trees. Taking a short walk or making time to sit beside a tree can be healing. Offer thanks to the wonderful animals who are part of your family and the animals that make up our natural world. Watch a sunrise or set and offer thanks out loud or in your heart for our planet.
Ancestors: Our wise and well loved ones who have passed away before us can continue to play an important part in our lives. I have many photos of my mother and grandparents around me that make me feel connected to them throughout my day. As I get older, I recognize passions, hobbies, humor and other gifts that came from my ancestors...and I thank them often for these gifts.
Art and artists: Imagine your life without your favorite song, book, movie or tv show. Doesn’t it feel bleak? I love all of the arts but especially books of all kinds. When I finish reading a great book, poem or article, I will thank the artist (if they are living) on twitter for their work. It’s really fun to have so many great artists respond back with gratitude!
The ‘invisible’ labor that makes the world run: I worked as a waitress from age 15-23. If you’ve ever worked in any kind of service industry, you’ve seen the worst of humanity–and the
best. I still remember the kind people who went above and beyond to tip me well and how their generosity helped me when I was really broke. I remember customers who wrote personal thank you notes on the bill, too–or stopped to tell my manager how I made their dining experience special. The world is really hard for folks working in hospitals, doctors’ offices, restaurants, schools and other service industries right now. Notice people. Thank them.
Our imperfect selves: What if–just for a day–you noticed how many times that you beat yourself up for something and paused to offer yourself some appreciation instead? Being a human is hard! Practicing compassion towards ourselves can have dramatic healing effects on our relationships with others.
I’m grateful to you for reading and please share a comment to connect me with how you usher in gratitude!
Gabrielle
