Being grateful
A lot of my friends seem to be going through some really rough times right now emotionally, which got me to thinking about what kinds of things I do to try and keep from sinking into some kind of horrible depression. Well a lot of it for me is second nature by now but wasn't always. I have learned how to see the good in almost any given situation and it really seems to just come naturally. I was one of those people that just built walls to keep the feelings out but I really don't do that anymore. Anyway now that I've rambled I do know of one thing that really does help. When I was going through a really rough time a few years back my therapist mad e me do these things that at the time I thought were totally silly but looking back I think they worked. The first one was to look in the mirror every day and tell myself something positive about myself, which was really strange and seems silly but it works. The second thing was to write in a journal everyday a list of five things I was grateful for, I didn't realize it at the time but I was learning the most important skill I have. You can repeat entries but it's better to try and find new things every day. I really believe this silly task taught me slowly how to find the good in the bad so to speak. Maybe it's the answer to the much asked question... how do you do it? I stopped doing this a long time ago but I think I'm going to start again, so here goes nothing.
1. I am grateful that I was in a position to be able to stay and be here for my father when he needed me most.
2. I am grateful for the love I have found in spite of myself and the fact that I didn't think I believed in love anymore.
3. I am grateful for my best friend who just always seems to know how to make me smile.
4. I am grateful that I have dreams.
5. I am grateful I am me.
As the days go by the list seems to include much smaller things but even those are just as important. I'm a bit rusty at this but that's it for today ;)