When Gratitude is Hard
After having my children, I’ve found myself becoming more and more excited about the holidays. I love seeing their sense of wonder and surprise. However, I haven’t always felt this way about the holidays. For some, the holidays can be a hard time of year. It can be challenging to express daily gratitude when you feel stress or are dealing with some sort of struggle. Perhaps your family is struggling to pay bills, going through a change in the family dynamics, have a family member deployed, missing someone that is no longer in your life, or some other hardship. When faced with a challenge in life, how can we practice daily gratitude?
My Story with Gratitude
For me, I have struggled with the loss of my younger sister. On Christmas 2016, my husband and I found out that we were pregnant with our daughter. The first person that we shared the news with was my sister. A month later, she was killed in a car accident. The weight of my grief and sadness has felt, at times, insurmountable. Completing some of the day-to-day tasks in my life felt almost impossible. If not for the fact that I was pregnant and had my son (age 2 ½ at the time), I don’t know if I would have been able to find the good in my life. I have an immense sense of gratitude for the friends, coworkers, and family members who have helped carry some of this weight and supported me and my family.
30 Days of Practicing Gratitude
Psyched2parent started as an idea around this time last year. Since starting the blog, I have been able to build a website from scratch (talk about a steep learning curve) and, most importantly, connect with so many amazing parents across the country. Y’all are my team! I love being able to be your cheerleader on your parenting journey. This holiday season is a fresh start for me and each of you. This month, I will be hosting a #PsychedAboutGratitude challenge. Each day, you can find me sharing inspirational quotes and daily gratitude. As a member of the #psyched2parent team, I hope to encourage you and that you’ll join me on this challenge this month. You can do this on your own, with your partner, and/or include your children in this challenge too! Ask yourself the questions, “what am I grateful for today? How am I showing gratitude to others and myself?” I encourage you to use the hashtag #PsychedAboutGratitude on Instagram and Facebook. My hope? At the end of 30 days, I hope that we can all experience a little bit more gratitude in our lives.
Free Practicing Daily Gratitude Guide
To make things, easier, I have created a free monthly tracker for practicing daily gratitude.
You can print out this guide and track 3-5 things each day that you are grateful for. Keep it simple!
Be sure to download the guide and use it to track what you are grateful for each day.
Resources and Inspiration for Parents
