{"id":3783,"date":"2021-08-04T19:04:10","date_gmt":"2021-08-04T13:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drsharongrossman.com\/?page_id=3783"},"modified":"2021-08-04T19:04:10","modified_gmt":"2021-08-04T13:34:10","slug":"ep29","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/drsharongrossman.com\/podcast\/optimizeyourlife\/ep29\/","title":{"rendered":"Optimize Your Life Ep 29"},"content":{"rendered":"
[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.8.2″ use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_start=”rgba(0,0,0,0.34)” background_color_gradient_end=”rgba(0,0,0,0.34)” background_color_gradient_end_position=”27%” background_color_gradient_overlays_image=”on” background_image=”https:\/\/drsharongrossman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/rose-5452046_1920.jpg” bottom_divider_style=”curve2″ bottom_divider_color=”#FFFFFF” bottom_divider_flip=”vertical” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” locked=”off” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_fullwidth_header title=”Optimize Your Life” subhead=”Episode #29: What Are You Grateful For?” text_orientation=”center” _builder_version=”4.9.10″ title_font_size=”45px” subhead_font_size=”23px” background_enable_color=”off” use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_start=”rgba(0,0,0,0.14)” background_color_gradient_end=”rgba(0,0,0,0.19)” background_color_gradient_end_position=”28%” background_color_gradient_overlays_image=”on” custom_padding=”80px||180px||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”50px||120px||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” hover_enabled=”0″ title_font_size_tablet=”” title_font_size_phone=”30px” title_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.8.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.8.2″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.8.2″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Hi friends. Welcome back to another episode of Optimize Your Life and today we’re going to talk about something that is so powerful that I don’t want you to dismiss it even though it sounds simple and that is the practice of gratitude.<\/span><\/p>\n Now you\u2019ve probably heard this term before but let’s just start by really defining it so we’re all on the same page. Gratitude is when you are feeling thankful and that feeling comes from a thought about what is going right in your world which leads to a sense of appreciation internally or an expression of that appreciation and some kind of desire to reciprocate kindness to others. Now I know that that is kind of a loaded definition but as you know, I always talk about how your thoughts are the things that fuel your feelings which then fuel your behaviors. And gratitude can be where you feel grateful for things that are happening and then you’re just happy about them. It could be that you are grateful to other people for doing certain things and that’s where the reciprocation may come in. And it could just be that you are grateful to yourself in which case you don’t really need to do anything to reciprocate, you just need to appreciate your efforts or whatever it is that has brought up the thing that you’re appreciative of.<\/span><\/p>\n The thing about gratitude as a practice is that it is really powerful because it focuses your mind on what’s going right rather than everything that is going wrong. You might have heard me say this before, but the truth of the matter is that our brain can really only focus on one thing at a time and so if you are somebody who is having a lot of negative thoughts, who experiences a ton of anxiety, it’s because you’re focusing on the future and on everything that could go wrong. We tend to catastrophize. We tend to look at our environment and try to predict what might happen so that we can keep ourselves safe. And that is all totally understandable and absolutely part of the human experience. And with that, if you don’t want your mind to control you, if you are tired of all of this anxiety and worry, there is something that you can do about that and, like I said, if focusing on that is going to create more anxiety and worry and negativity in you, then refocusing your mind is the trick. And one way to do that is to focus instead on what you are grateful for.<\/span><\/p>\n I’ve already mentioned that anxiety is when you are focusing on bad things happening in the future. To contrast that, imagine that you instead are focused on everything that’s going well right now. So moving from the bad to the good and moving from future tense to the present. That’s how this whole thing works. So instead of saying to yourself — I’m just using example — \u201cMaybe I’m going to miss my flight and then I won’t make it to my destination,\u201d (let\u2019s say you’re going on vacation to Hawaii), you might say, \u201cI am so grateful that I am going on vacation to Hawaii! This is so amazing. I can’t wait!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Do you notice the difference between having gratitude and worrying about something that might go wrong? I know this may sound really simple. I’m not saying it’s easy to do because it is a practice and it’s a practice for a reason. It’s because your mind is used to thinking a certain way. So if you are a worrier then you’re going to worry really automatically without much thought behind it. This is where you need to have a practice in place that really shifts the way that you think from that automatic pilot kind of mode of worrying to something that is more effective. And the truth of the matter is when you look at what the benefits are of this practice, it’s hard to say no because here’s what we know: People who have a gratitude practice experience more positive emotions, improved health, a greater ability to deal with adversity. In essence, it’s the opposite of stress and anxiety.<\/span><\/p>\n Let’s talk about one of the ways in which you can practice this. The idea is that you want to notice the little things that make a big difference, like the person who cooked your meal at a restaurant. And when you use a public toilet and it stocked and clean, you can appreciate that. With a person you pass on the street smiles or says good morning — these are all little moments throughout the day that we sometimes take for granted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Only when we lose the things we are most accustomed to do we notice them. And a perfect example of this is what happened during covid. I was just reflecting on how much of a nuisence it felt like to shuttle my kids to and from school every single weekday. That was until school became virtual and then the kids were home all the time. Then school opened only two days a week and on those days, believe me when I tell you, I was more than happy to drive them to school.<\/span><\/p>\n Or what about the toilet paper? Have you ever been more grateful to find a package of toilet paper rolls in the grocery store? I remember going to the store after store and not being able to find any packages and when I did, I did a little happy dance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n