When I decluttered my room, I felt much lighter than before. I was so proud of myself for my efforts, and I learned more about myself. But afterward, instead of trying to feel grateful for what I had, I found myself thinking of what else I could do to try and live the picturesque, minimalist life I imagined I was living, instead of the life I actually am living. Since then, in the past month, I’ve still been stuck at home of course, but I’ve realized that the time in my life that I felt the most at peace was when I reflected on each day, and when I was grateful for each experience I had.
Gratitude is the best way to realize your place in the universe and to begin to appreciate what you have rather than what you don’t have. It’s so common today that we feel like we should be staying busy almost all the time. A lot of people aren’t happy, and feeling this constant pressure to throw yourself completely into each thing you work on definitely doesn’t help. Taking just a moment of time to stop and breathe, and being grateful for the things you experience, no matter how big or small can help to rewire your brain and allow you to live a happier and calmer life. Once you start noticing and appreciating the little things and acknowledging the things that make you happy, it can be easier to rid yourself of the things that don’t make us happy.
Gratitude for the things around us allows us to connect with the world, and meditation connects us to ourselves — which allows us to feel gratitude more easily. My advice is to find something that is both calming and exciting. It could be anything, like going for a walk among nature in the rain or sitting peacefully with the calming smoky scent of burning sage. Take some time away from screens, and try to get to know yourself.
