40 Days of Gratitude

Not everybody practices the rituals of the Lenten season. Lent is observed by catholics and many Christians, and is a time to reflect and make positive changes in their life for the better, through prayer, fasting and charity.  Lent means "spring" or "new birth."  No matter what your spiritual belief, spring is a time to start fresh.  The sun comes out, we tend to feel better and we are compelled to clean house…whether literally or internally.   

It is so often that we “give up” something for the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Holy Thursday, and then we go back to the same routine.  Not this time. 

This season,  I offer you a state of mind that reduces stress and anxiety, blood pressure, helps you sleep better and helps you maintain a more positive disposition.  You may be thinking this sounds like a new diet or exercise regimen, or maybe you think it sounds like the results of getting 8 hours of sleep each night.  Yes, all of these things offer the same benefits.  However, the daily ritual I am speaking of is gratitude. 

The mind, body, spirit is connected.  Studies show that we can create a new normal for our mind.  We can bounce back to a positive state more easily once we have established a new peaceful and positive “baseline”.  We bounce back to our new normal faster and deviate from it less. Practicing gratitude, in essence, is no different from what physical exercise does for our muscle strength and mind.  It is no different from what a healthy diet provides in mental clarity and a healthier physical state.  Gratitude is no different from what eight hours of sleep offers in terms of clarity and mental capacity.  It makes us feel good and helps us focus on what is working in our lives.

Like any other habit, one must practice it until it becomes automatic.  This Lenten season, I am in, with my family, for 40 Days of Gratitude.  Do it with us!    

40 Days of Gratitude:

• Each day/night either privately in your personal journal, or share with your family, 1-3 things you are grateful for 
• In addition to those things, add the WHY you are grateful for them. This creates more meaning 
• Do this for the 40 days of Lent 

Whether you are planning for your spring renewal through Lent (begins February 10th this year) or in your regular spring ritual, play for life this time.  Practice gratitude for 4o days and you will create a beautiful ritual that makes you feel good, brings you peace, helps you handle stress better, and takes not extra time, money, or energy.  As a matter of fact, you will have more energy and peacefulness.   Gratitude is powerful.  It makes you stronger, it broadens your perspective and opens your mind to possibilities.  That is for the greater good.

Health Inspires. 
Gratitude:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ7SEAnGRD0

---