Answering the daily shine Monday, June 6
S: Mondays can be a lot. You are maybe
diving back into the work week or the hustle of whatever your day today is….
but I like to think Mondays are a great day for gratitude. Because even though
we can't know what the week holds we can be grateful for this chance to show up.
We can be grateful for this opportunity to see what happens and we can be grateful
to take on this week alongside people we care about.
Studies show that writing gratitude letters
can improve our own mental health and if you give it to a person you write
about, it can help them feel good too. It creates a positive ripple effect. So
today let's try writing a gratitude letter together.
K: I find it very difficult to communicate
with anybody today and have felt this for a long time. So as usual I'll be
ready to letter to myself until I can get rid of this all-encompassing
bitterness.
S: Now think of someone you would like to
show appreciation for. It could be someone who's made an impact on your life,
or it can be a friend or a family member who makes you smile. or maybe you
would like to appreciate yourself. It works to take a moment to think about who
you're grateful for and start your letter addressing it to this person
K: OK I'm going to start by addressing the
letter to myself.
Dear Kathy……
S: now
think about how this person has impacted your life. Like how you met and
reflect on meaningful words phrases or lessons they've shared. Or fun memories
that stick out in your mind. Orr how they've shaped your life for the better.
if
you are writing a letter to yourself, think about one of your shining qualities,
you're proud of. Or a moment where you showed strength and courage. I'll give
you a few minutes to write and no there's no right or wrong way to do this just
see where this exercise takes you to let gratitude be your guide. I'll let you
know when you have 30 seconds left but you can always hit pause if you want
more time
K: OK today was a tough day in the morning.
I was crawling around trying to get my head straight in figuring out what I would do. I knew I wanted to go out for breakfast, but I somehow got
muddled and distressed as to figuring out where. Luckily, I got to go to my
favorite restaurants on Saint Lawrence Street. I arrived there and I realized
the whole bloody street is closed. That means I would have to walk about a mile to
get all the way home. This would take too much energy for me to get home. that
would mean I would be useless after the walk. so, I was thinking of going
downtown to an expensive store and just picking up my stuff and taking
advantage of the more expensive bus schedules and not having to worry about
walking too much. I was thinking about which direction to go… should I go east
or west north or south. But as luck would have it, I finally hit the thrift
shop and I was glad I did I found 1000 things. One good thing was I found an
ice cream scoop. if I would have gone online to my favorite store, I would have
to pay 1000 times more for the ice cream scoop. I found all sorts of stuff. Things
worked out well because I found a faster way to get home as well. You just must
use your mind; I just must use my mind. sometimes you must just sit down and
think it through and this time I did it.
S: or reflect on your gratitude now I want
you to imagine the receiver. Or you are opening the gratitude letter. Think
about their response facial expressions and body language. Maybe they're
smiling and beaming at your letter they could also feel overwhelmed and excited.
On a separate page in your journal write down a couple of words you hope they
feel.
K: I hope that I think of this and that I feel
proud and pleased that the **** in my head is somehow getting together. often,
I am muddled and confused (I also feel down that my portable Blender doesn’t
blend- I was so looking forward to my breakfast smoothie). but also, I have times when if I sit down and
quietly think I figure out what to do and they get things done. This is new and
this is rewarding.
S: Amazing work today. Gratitude is an incredible self-care and community care tool and know that you can always turn
to it. you can keep this gratitude letter as a reminder of all you're grateful
for or if you feel comfortable giving it to a person who wrote about it, I
encourage you to do so just extending kind words and the surprise of a
handwritten letter is enough to make someone’s day
¨Place both your hands on your heart.
connect to this place where your gratitude lives… where your most caring self
lives… and repeat after me: I am filled with gratitude.
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