Gratitude: The Perfect Way to Calm Your Heart

by Sarah Hoopes on February 16th, 2019 | 3 Comments »

Have your heart ever felt so tight that it was hard to breathe? I am talking about the feeling that keeps you up at night or stressed during the day. The loss of a loved one…the marriage that has built up resentment and you don’t know how to go about making it better…the relationship that ended and you are broken from the breakup…financial trials that are teaching you way more humility than you asked for…raising children and hoping they will turn out alright in spite of your parenting skills…you know, the fear, doubt, anxiety, frustration, anger; all those feelings that take the peace away from your heart and soul.

A few months ago I found a solution for my aching heart. I was wishing and hoping things would go away and they were not budging. They were very much so present and thriving in my life. It was hopeless. Then I decided to try a true principle that I had used halfway all the time. Call me crazy, but I did it and it worked!

I was elated! Since then, I have shared it with my friends and clients and those that used it, have found great success. They have shared it in their circles and have found quick results.

It is simple and powerful. Deep gratitude.

You might be saying, “there is nothing to give thanks for in what I am dealing with;” “You are kidding me, I can’t be grateful for this?!” “There is nothing good about this, therefore, there is no gratitude.”

Here are some of the examples of what people were able to give thanks for.

A marriage that was building resentment and anger instead of love and care (gratitude for the awareness of the problem and fresh eyes to look for a solution.
Gratitude for the ups and downs of marriage and for the desire to hang on to what you have.
Gratitude for the hurtful words that were said, even though they hurt, they brought things to light that need attention and change.
Gratitude for caring enough and loving enough to want something better;
Gratitude for the trials, because after the trial, the people will be stronger, the marriage will be better and you can be in a better place…).
How about gratitude for the wrong friends in a child’s life (grateful for them because they are showing your child the opposite of what you taught them.
Being grateful because your child gets to see how unhappy they are without having to do it themselves.
Being grateful that friend is telling them all about of how miserable one can be when they choose that path.
Being grateful that for whatever reason, that friend has to be in their life right at that moment, so you can be there to pick up the pieces and help to put them back together when they come to you.
Being grateful for the lesson in the journey.
Being grateful everyone is healthy and able to make new choices every day). How about the loss of a loved one or the end of a relationship (gratitude for having had them in your life.
Gratitude for all the love you got to experience because they were in your life.
Gratitude for the memories you were able to create while they were still with you.
Gratitude for what you’ve learned from them and the things you were able to share.
Gratitude for how much better your life is because of that smile, that touch, that way to say ‘I love you’.
Gratitude for the many things you got to try for the first time with them.
Gratitude for the many laughing moments; gratitude for the embarrassments you shared;
Gratitude for the shoulder you had to cry on or the shoulder you had to offer them in their hour of need.
Gratitude for the fact that you are forever changed to have had them in your life).
The financial trials that so many of us are experiencing right now in this nation (gratitude for learning a new skill – budgeting; gratitude for adjusting and learning to set new goals.
Gratitude for the ability to find ways of doing things that you didn’t know were there.
Gratitude that your family has learned the value of things, not their price.
Gratitude that the family pulls together to make things happen.
Gratitude when people are generous and help you out without being asked and without the need for recognition.
Gratitude because the thing you need is on sale when you needed it.
Gratitude for the $20 that you find in your coat from last winter,
Gratitude for more appreciation on your part for the many things you have; gratitude for hope for a better tomorrow).

Can you see the level of gratitude I am talking about here? How did I get there? Sometimes it is too painful to say thanks for the things that hurt.

Ignoring it won’t make it go away, actually most of the time it will add anxiety, anger, resentment, and frustration and all that ‘good’ stuff that we are ever so familiar with, they don’t calm the troubled heart.

I am here to tell you, deep gratitude is a tried and true principle; it helps us to focus, let go of what we can’t change and be in a better place with the things we can. Giving thanks in the midst of the trial will allow us to see the good in them.

How do you like to show deep gratitude?

Picture courtesy of Flickr

Sarah Hoopes is a writer, a beginner blogger, and an empowerment coach among other things. She married the love of her life; together they have 4 amazing kids. Sarah was born in Brazil and moved to the U.S. at the age of 17. She loves to travel, write, create delicious things to eat, quilt, sew, learn, read, and she is a beach bum at heart.

Sarah is passionate about empowering people and helping them to find the good in everything. Life is meant to be lived, not to be survived. One bite at a time we can do anything. You can read or hear from Sarah at her blog, and her Facebook page, or she can be contacted at [email protected].