So, Lord, I pray for much and more often than I say thanks and I know that is not right. But I am trying hard to be more thankful and enjoy the moment and give God the thanks HE is due.

The whole saying about comparing oneself to others stealing Joy from us is spot on. I see moms on the way to yoga in the morning as I drop my kid off after walking a dog and then going to a job that stresses me out. All I can think of is how lucky they are with their easy lives. It is hard being in an affluent area to not compare and even feel bad about oneself and what is lacking.

I really do try to count my blessings and stay on the positive side of things. But I feel like I have to work so hard to just be at an average financial level and I want things to change, especially career wise but don’t feel like I have enough time to shake up My Life. I’m super blessed with my solid partner in life and a talented kid and gorgeous pet. But I’m so bored and unhappy with my 9 to 5 that it sort of spills over into my chill time.

What I decided to do to combat this is easy to say but hard to practice. I am beginning this now. Let’s practice it together!

1. Pray. Relax your mind and just be thankful and present in positive thoughts whether it be hands clasped kneeling by your bed or listening to headphones on the metro. Not allowing your mind to “go there” and be ungrateful or get into complaint mode is key. If you aren’t the praying type, meditation or journal writing may help or taking a walk along the river and just being quiet.

2. Hope. I am going to practice being hopeful and faithful that I will totally be where I want to be. And that if it takes awhile longer than I wish it would, I will get there. I wished for a beautiful daughter and a great life mate and that happened! Having faith in God, reading the Bible or perhaps going to church is one way to do this. Believing in oneself and saying positive affirmations is another way to practice hopefulness. Different things work for different people. Just speak goodness and goodness will come back. It is difficult, but worth a try.

3. Think Young. When I was a little girl, my biggest fear was losing my stuffed animals and dolls in a fire. My days were filled with fervor and excitement. Of course as adults we have to face reality, but we can always redirect what our focus is on, like not only thinking how to save money for retitement, but also where to travel and what hobbies to take up when we don’t have to work any longer.

4. Take time to enjoy. That can mean flipping through a magazine, talking to a loved one during lunch, writing, singing, trying new things, etc. It sounds so simple but when stressed it can really be hard to get back to just finding happiness in the small things.

5. Just breathe. Breathing is involuntary, but when wound tight it is so important to be mindful of it. Just counting while inhaling and exhaling to calm down during a trying time actually helps a lot. It will not fix the dilemma but can redirect one’s feelings and clearing head space a bit. This could even be taking time to smell flowers and just slow down and appreciate the beauty that surrounds.

Bottom Line. Be Thankful. Whether you’re Christian a Buddhist or a non-believer, if you are reading this post right now that means you have a lot to be grateful for. So much of the world’s population can’t even afford a phone or may not have access to education or technology.  Every time that you think about something that you’re lacking or what you have isn’t shiny and new enough, think about those that have to walk miles to just get H2O. I have to work on this myself. While I am spending 3.50 a day at Starbucks there are people trying to scrape that together to buy a loaf of bread and peanut butter to feed their family. We are all human and have things that we’re irritated about, but for me personally, being more thankful to God for what HE has blessed me with, grounds me every single time.

We all have to change the way we feel about things when we feel blue. As DJ always says to me- You can’t change people and situations always, but you can change the reaction. Hopefully these little steps can help me or anyone who wants to, improve whatever it is that is lacking in their life (or what seems to be so).

What do you guys do to refocus or reimagine or to cope?

~simply

Dee