When life gives you attitude

Give it GRATITUDE

oban gratitudeOk I was feeling pretty annoyed (pissed was my preferred word to be honest) this week as an event caused me some stress and anxiety.   But that’s life isn’t it.   Which one of us has the perfect life where nothing bad or upsetting happens?  Anyone??

Wallowing in my own thoughts it was time to put my ‘self-care’ plan in motion….   I called my ‘go to’ friend.    After lots of chatting, sharing of ideas and hearing it like it is, we both ended up laughing and feeling so much better.     She reminded me to focus on my gratitude instead of the negatives.   Isn’t it hard to feel gratitude when you wallow in ‘life’s a bitch’ mentality but that’s exactly when we need to stop and smell the roses so to speak.    In my case it was stop and smell the smelly dogs!  Phew they need a bath but boy does my heart burst when they look at me with pure unadulterated love at the mere thought of getting walked.    I’m grateful they fill me with JOY.

Most of us, without thinking about it, will have strategies in place to help us through life; a little money set aside for that rainy day, ongoing personal development to keep us growing, a tub of ice cream in the freezer.      What about a strategy for your self-care.   I encourage all of you to get a ‘self-care’ plan.    It might be as simple as writing 3 bullet points and sticking them on the fridge:   1)    Call a friend, one who will not allow you to wallow but will remind you to be positive and find gratitude,   2)   change your environment,  for example walk the dogs and revel in their gratitude for taking them, or smudge your house and invite gratitude in,  and   3)   journal 5 things you’re grateful for.

Your plan can be as simple as 3 points or as long as you want to make it.    Just make sure you action them and move on.    Giving gratitude is easy when life seems cushy, but finding gratitude can change your mindset and bring joy when we need it most.