As we heal from trauma, we often feel emotionally unbalanced. It may even feel like we are being led by our circumstances instead of having the power to create our day.
We often hear about the power of gratitude, but when one is going through tough times, it can be hard, and may even feel annoying, to attempt a gratitude practice. However, gratitude can be a great tool to create a small shift in your internal state. Each small shift adds up – soon you find yourself in a different space, with your life moving in a more positive direction.
As you focus your thoughts towards better-feeling thoughts, you begin to feel a little bit better each time.
One thought triggers more thoughts on the same vibration. If you can allow yourself to think a better thought than the previous one, you can slowly shift yourself away from spiraling downwards and move into a more manageable space.
Your emotions let you know what thoughts you are thinking and what vibration you are on. When you are in a dark place and your thoughts are heavy, have a song, an audio file, a mantra, or anything that you can easily access and press pause on the way you are feeling. When you feel down, you cannot immediately move to feeling good, but you can stop yourself from feeling worse. From this space, you can begin to think about things to be grateful for.
The trick to finding the feeling of gratitude is to think about things you are truly grateful for, not those things that you think you should be grateful for.
When you cannot think of anything to be grateful for, start with your heartbeat – close your eyes, place your hands over your heart and feel the steady rhythm beneath your hands. Put your hands on your waist and tune into your breath – feel the expansion and contractions of your lungs. Look around you, listen to what you can hear – does anything spark a feeling of gratitude? You could even feel gratitude for something delicious you ate. What sparks your gratitude is irrelevant. It is about creating a space for yourself within, that feels better with each thought and each moment.
With practice and conscious effort, we can all find things to genuinely be grateful for. Do this often enough, and it becomes a habit so that when you look at your life, it will feel more hopeful and filled with possibility.
You don’t have to walk this path alone. I have been on this journey and, having the support of a healing community who truly understands what you are going through, is powerful. Join me in my Trauma to Triumph community and let’s walk together into healing.
Many Blessings,
Santa
