The Healing Touch Of Gratitude

 

I like to read books on the self-help genre. I have been reading this genre for two decades. These books have helped me to get through a lot of tough times.

In my younger years, I went through these books to get insights on career development, personal growth and creating a good life for myself. I read the self-help genre today too, in my mid-forties, but the purpose has changed.

Many times, while reading these books, a question used to trouble me – what is the point of reading these books at this late phase? I searched for the answer for a long time until I realized it today.

The answer I found is – I read these books today to get through my days.

There will always be tough times in life. The difficulties will come as and when they are meant to. Grief and sorrow are as much a part of life as celebration and happiness. What we need is something that will remind us every now and then about a greater purpose of our life which is, to live it fully despite the many challenges it presents.

We need something in our day – something that will remind us to stay grounded, to breathe and to calm down. Something that will remind us that the present moment, no matter how difficult it is, is just a setback and we have a lot to live for. Something that will add value to our days.

I have found one such ritual that helps to soothe my mind at the end of the day – practicing gratitude.

Every night, after having dinner, I take a short walk in the corridor of the floor where my flat is located. I use this time to think about all the things that happened in the day for which I am grateful. Most books advocate thinking of three things that you are grateful for. The amazing part is, while you might start with just three things, you will find that the gratitude list increases every day.

As a homemaker who is also an introvert and doesn’t have any social life, I initially found it difficult to think about things that happened in the day for which I am grateful for. I mean, what do you think of, when most of your day is spent inside your house and it goes by in household chores and reading and no interaction with the outside world? But on deeper thought, I realized that there are many things to be grateful for. The fact that I woke up and lived through another day; That I got food to eat; That there are books for me to read; That I could write something that particular day! These are just the basic things of everyday life that I can be thankful for. Then there are the special days of my life too - special occasions, happy news from someone in the family, having done something different, tried out a new recipe that turned out well... Why, just the day on which the kid studied or completed his homework feels like a celebration since this is not a regular occurrence!

The point is, the more I practice gratitude, the more things I find to be grateful for. It is a very humbling and grounding concept, this thing called gratitude. Most self-help gurus recommend journaling or writing down the things you are grateful about. This ritual, when done at night, works wonders for the mind. Some nights I write down but most nights, I just think of reasons to be grateful for.

Whichever works for you, do add this ritual to your day and experience for yourself the healing power of gratitude. It doesn’t have to be three things; you can think of more. Start from the very basics, and gradually expand your list. You will find that you will have more to add on day by day.

As I said, there will be tough days. We need to find ways to get through them. We need to find peaceful moments. Practicing gratitude is just one of the many rituals that will give us contentment at the end of the day. Sometimes, that is all we want, right? A contented mind at peace!