Today we are looking at...you guessed it; Gratitude. Or, the lack thereof. In which I look back on a meaningful, mildly provocative article about the challenge of gratitude from four years ago.
So here it is, based loosely around “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” If you’d like, just click the embedded audio recording from my performance (such as it is) including some fancy background shenanigans, or just read on below.
Well, it’s like that turkey we ate yesterday and the drowsy, content feeling we had afterward. The turkey is the delivery mechanism for the chemical tryptophan which makes us feel that way. Gratitude is the vehicle for dopamine and serotonin—it’s like turkey for our brain!
We lost lives, and that grieves me. We lost lifestyles, which hurts as well. But what remained and what grew in light of what science says we could have lost makes me grateful now and keeps my hope stoked for the future.
I know it's in some ways heart wrenching to look at the 'percieved benefit' of the pandemic though some did exist. Let's focus on the idea of a psychological immune system. That's what I was thinking about as I was knocked for a loop with two days of harsh side effects from the vaccine.
As my clients and I consider re-emerging, I’m beginning to notice a set of anxious, even grief-type thoughts and emotions are also rising. Out of necessity I now describe this set of thoughts and emotions as “re-emergence stress.”
“If I were to skip one, this is not the one to skip. This is maybe the most important one,” Jon said, then shocked himself into silence. He came to grips with his answer in pauses. “I need to think about that for a while. Yeah, maybe this is the most important—I don’t want to set the bar to high, Jeez,” he said, smiling at himself.
Today we’re going to focus on how to amp up that gratitude for these trying times. You want that increased happiness, improved health, better sleep and boosted immune system? You gotta fight for it. You gotta weaponize your gratitude.
Understanding and harnessing our growth, not living in the prior trauma, is key to crafting a Yellow life that is safe, enjoyable, and sustainable. Using two other trauma counseling tools; Gradual Exposure and Narrative Therapy we can craft that Yellow life in just three steps.
We must forge a new enjoyable life in the present COVID19 reality. Face it and embrace it—not just endure it—for that lifestyle will foster balanced mental health, a strong immune system and build a better post-COVID future right now.
