I went on a walk the other day with a friend who I was just getting to know. She said, “You have six kids, right?” I told her that yes I do, and that it’s fun and crazy. She replied, “You’re so lucky. I wish I could have more kids. You’re living the dream.” It surprised me and was humbling to be reminded of how really lucky I am to have this sweet little brood of mine. I am grateful for her comment and gentle reminder.
We went on to talk about what her family is up to — they’re building a house, and her daughter told me excitedly that they’re getting a pool. This friend went on to say how she sometimes pinches herself and asks, “Is this really my life?” She feels so lucky and so blessed to be getting to build a house and have a pool and be where they’re at. She said people ask her if she’s so frustrated at how long the building is taking, and she just says no because she’s just so amazed that it’s happening at all.
I LOVE her perspective! I’ve heard many people (myself included) complain when things take longer than they’re expected to, or when things don’t go exactly as we’d planned or wanted them to. But perhaps we’d all do well to take a page from this friend’s book and take a second to realize how lucky we are to even have this opportunity to be frustrated in the first place 🙂
I heard Brooke Castillo give this recommendation as one strategy for dealing with depression, and I think it is an excellent strategy for all of us, any time. This can help someone who is struggling emotionally because of a head injury or for ANY other reason. (I will include the link to listen to the entire podcast — it’s quite good.)
Do “a rampage of appreciation and positivity — fill up a page, force your brain to look for positivity. When you’re depressed, your brain is on the lookout for danger and ugliness — that’s what it’s doing, it’s in a spiral. You need to force it out of that spiral by expecting it to see positive things and wonderful things and lovely things in the world. Even though you may have the thought that everything’s hopeless and nothing’s good, there’s still electricity, and there’s still puppies, and there’s still babies, and there’s still fresh water and homes and beds with blankets. … Forcing your brain to notice the things that are positive, even though you may not feel cheery about those things…telling your brain what to think about is a very powerful exercise.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcVInlgIq_g
It is powerful — seeking to find the things to be grateful for is a great exercise for the brain and for our emotional well-being. As another friend often says, you can’t be ‘too’ grateful — there’s no such thing as ‘toxic gratitude’ 🙂