21 tips for building resilience 2 - Gratitude

Dear friend

Yesterday I touched on the fact that even when we feel helpless and out of control, we still have a choice in how we react in any given situation. In the face of difficulty and specifically the current context we are all facing, we are probably more than justified to experience default reactions such as fear, feeling overwhelmed, being angry or ready to fight. Or even perhaps defiance and disregard. How for example did you react to the message of the president that we will have to stay inside for 21 days? Please do take some time to think about this and write down a few thoughts.

Now, since the purpose of our interaction here is to focus on building resilience and choosing to actively cope with the challenges we inevitably have to face, let’s start with the concept of GRATITUDE. I am quite certain that gratitude would not be one of the go-to reactions on your list from before and I am also not suggesting that one should be frivolous and pretend that everything is wonderful when it is in fact not true. BUT, within the context that we find ourselves in, we also have to find a balance in where we spend our energy, and this is where being grateful comes in.

When we open our eyes to really SEE what and who we have around us, it is quite a revelation to realise how much we have to be thankful for. If we then also apply the description in the Oxford dictionary where it describes gratitude as: ‘readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness’, it becomes clear that gratitude implies action and interaction. When we are really grateful for what we have received and for what others do for us, it also mobilises us to pay it forward and we make the choice to insert positive energy into a negative space.

Our challenge to you:

Put a ‘Grateful Jar’ in your kitchen or dining room and get every family member to place a daily note on what they are grateful for into this jar, for 21 days. Let us know how it goes..

and THANK YOU