Practicing Gratitude And Mindfulness Are Keys To Reclaiming Your Inner Peace
By: Sydni Hatley
In our world, everything is so fast pace. It all started with the Industrial Revolution and somehow we ended up with iphones and social media at the forefront of our progress? Either way, American culture values quantity over quality, work over rest, and expensive lifestyles over good mental health.
With everything moving so fast and a lack of “enjoy-the-moment” culture, losing yourself is easy. Not to mention the fact that you have constant reminders of everyone else’s rapid success in the palm of your hand. We get so caught up in what everyone else is doing, or what the newest product available for clout-consumption is, that we lose ourselves in the process of living.
Too many people walk around feeling depleted and low on confidence, energy, drive, and optimism. The reason for this is because so much of our energy and sense of self-worth is measured by what the next person is doing and what’s happening around us---it is not coming from ourselves. This is where the practice of gratitude and mindfulness come in.
When we as people begin reflecting on and acknowledging all of the amazing things that we do have in our lives, what we “don’t” seem to have becomes futile. Many times we have already achieved so much in life that gets undermined because we are too busy looking at someone else’s life and comparing, thinking what we have is not enough, or we feel we can’t enjoy what we already have because something new is always trending around us.
People also tend to think that reflecting on what they have measures up to material things like money, cars, or clothes, however showing gratitude can simply be recognizing just how lucky you are to have a loving family, and friends that care about you. Giving thanks for a roof over your head, food in your home, and even your health are also ways of showing gratitude for the things we don’t always pay attention to in our culture. Not everyone wakes up every day, or can say they have people that love and care about them. So, instead of focusing on the next person or material thing that is trending, reclaim your life by counting your blessings and not taking the little things for granted.
You reclaim your inner peace and regain control over your life by showing daily gratitude and also by practicing mindfulness. Mindfulness is simply being aware of what you think and which thoughts you internalize. You have all types of thoughts daily, good and bad. What matters is that you feed into the good ones, and let the bad ones pass.
For instance, if you continuously compare your body to someone on instagram and think things to yourself like, “my waist is not as tiny as hers” or “I’m not as good looking as him”, you start to believe you are not of as much worth as that person or the next person to look like them---you have a bad thought, and hold onto it. This causes you to vibrate lower and lose sight of what actually matters in life. Practicing mindfulness means the minute you think something negative about yourself, you release it.
Regard these thoughts as nothing more than negative mentalities that do not serve you, and begin to show yourself love instead. Combat negative thoughts about yourself or your life with positive affirmations like “I am good enough”, “I am smart enough”, “I am worthy”, and more importantly, “I don’t have to look or be a certain way to still be successful in life”. Mindfulness will allow you to slow down and realize your truest value, while gratitude reminds you that all you have is just enough.
The moment you release the need to keep up with the crowd and internalize the social pressures of our society, the more you will put yourself first, appreciate your life, and truly flourish in it. Show love to yourself and your life because you only get one! When you stop to smell the roses and fully appreciate your existence, you’ll see your life is more abundant with goodness than you ever realized.
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