When Gratitude Gets Difficult

“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” ~ A.A. Milne

We are now halfway through our Season of Inviting Gratitude. Each day, we have reflected on a different prompt to inspire thankfulness. I hope you have been blessed and positively impacted by this daily practice. But what happens when gratitude gets difficult? 

I’d like to share a practice with you that may be helpful on days when gratitude feels less authentic or just downright impossible. On the tougher days, it’s important to acknowledge the very real challenges you face. Whatever these obstacles look like in your life, whether “large” or “small,” they are impacting you on a personal and professional level. It’s okay to give space for this in a productive way. I invite you to try this journaling approach on a day when thankfulness feels hesitant:

Name a struggle you are currently dealing with. Acknowledge: This is challenging and real. Then write: BUT. And then add something related to this challenge that you are thankful for. Claim: This is positive and also real. 

Here are two examples:

Professional: [Student A] has never once cleaned up or fixed my classroom after tearing it apart when he got mad. This makes me feel angry, anxious, and sad about going to school tomorrow. This is challenging and real. BUT for the first time all year, [Student A] apologized to me when he passed me in the hallway. This is positive and also real.

Personal: My anxiety feels out of control and I don’t know how I can balance everything life expects of me right now. This is challenging and real. BUT I talked with my friend last week for over an hour and it felt so good that someone took the time to just sit with me. This is positive and also real.

Day #15: Share an article of clothing that you’re thankful for and why.