Being thankful in the darkest of situations

I am thinking about being thankful and the title of this blog post came to me, inspired by a Harry Potter quote:

“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” – Dumbledore, The Prisoner of Azkaban (J.K. Rowling)

In my newsletter this week I was talking about how easy it is to be thankful when it’s all going well but what about when it’s not?  What about if you are going through a crisis of some sort. How many of us even want to be thankful if we have been made redundant, if we (or someone we love) are ill, or if life is really hard right now? Even if life isn’t traumatic we still forget to be thankful for what we have.

If you listen to or read the news at the moment it seems there is very little to be thankful for…which brings me to another quote:

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” – Fred Rogers

So what’s the point of looking for reasons to be thankful?

Well, being thankful can be a brain changer and should be treated as an important part of our day because appreciation contributes to our genuine happiness. When you are grateful, it helps you to be more positive, receptive, peaceful, and grounded, especially during difficult situations.

This isn’t about seeing the glass as half full or ignoring the situation. We all need to acknowledge the challenging situations we find ourselves in; to accept them so that we can learn. Being thankful is part of that learning journey, part of building resilience and help us grow.

How many times in your life can you look back at a difficult situation and be thankful it happened – even if it was truly awful at the time? I have a friend whose life to date has had many major events – none of which you would wish on anyone as one off situations, let alone experiencing several in a short space of time. When I hear my friend talk about her life thus far I often wonder how she stays so happy – the truth is, she finds something to be thankful about, even in the darkest of situations. I commend her for that.

It only takes a moment

By taking a moment to find something to appreciate will create a sense of encouragement and calm. It can put things back in perspective and bring you back to a more mindful space.

So as we start the month I am going to challenge you to find 3 things a day to be thankful for…pop over to the discussion group and share them with us if you want to.

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If you are finding life challenging at the moment and can’t see anything to be thankful for, get in contact with me. I can provide you with space and time to talk and ensure you feel listened to. We can work together to find a strategy that works for you to transition through this time in your life.

 

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