My mood has been dark lately. I miss my dog. I feel alone. It’s been a tough couple of weeks. I received  an email yesterday, which was actually my sister’s newsletter. It was entitled Attitude and Gratitude. At the top of the email it actually said thanks Jamie. Truthfully when I first saw it I really thought she personalized it just for me. I honestly thought that even though it was her newsletter, for her business, that the subject matter was dedicated to me.  What’s crazier still, I needed to hear what was in her newsletter.  I needed to refocus my thoughts. 

Gratitude is one of the quickest ways to combat feelings of sadness and stay ahead of negativity bias (our pre-conditioned tendency to marinate on negative thinking). When we can shift our thinking into what we are grateful for we immediately “climb the ladder” into more positive thoughts and we start to feel better. https://mailchi.mp/barikoral/following-up-on-the-beckers-weebinar-taking-the-next-step-1587662?e=a6d55ac86d

I know this stuff but I was so immersed in the dark side. When was my last gratitude post? My sister’s suggestion in her email:

Here is an action challenge. Spend at least 2 minutes a day staying in gratitude. This can be for small or big things- everything from a cup of hot coffee in the morning, to your health and family.

So today I’m starting my day with the things I’m grateful for.

• Marshmellow my wonderful French bulldog who taught me the true meaning of love, loyalty and affection. He was my shadow from the day we brought him home. He gave me 11 years of happiness. My heart expanded having him join our family.
• My family I say this often but I really have a great family. All my family immediate to extended. I can’t imagine dealing with any of my life’s challenges without my family’s support. They make dealing with a sucky disease like multiple sclerosis a little more tolerable.
• I love my condo. I love how it works perfect for me and my disability. I love my view. I really, really love my view. I love the layout, size and ease of the condo. I love my home.
• Good ideas. I thought I needed an entire new closet door to replace the mirror I broke the other night. I took measurements and started looking at options on The Home Depot Website with my mom. Looked like this mishap was going to cost me over $650 just for the new doors. There was no way to get only one replacement door. Then my mom in her wisdom said “have you tried a glass company to see if they could replace the mirror”. Sure enough they could and for 1/4 of the price of new doors, they are fixing my one door.
• Zoey because she is such a sweet dog, loved by everyone. She has the cutest face and the gentlest disposition. She is like a small version of my Boomer just a good girl.
• My resilience I exercise 5 days a week every week regardless the stage my disability. I‘m now in a chair yet I still am doing all I can for my health. It might not help me be thin and as toned as I once was but as always I refuse to let multiple sclerosis dictate my life. As tough as this disease is, I do everything I can to keep my body strong despite what the scale says.
• Positive changes. I worked very hard to change how I see things. It certainly wasn’t an easy process. I may need my own reminder every now and again to put me back on the right path but I’m able to recognize when those reminders come. Like when my sister’s email came through. I realized pretty quickly that she didn’t send this specifically for me but maybe in a way the universe did. This was exactly what I needed at the exact time and I was ready to do something with the information. I can’t say I would have had the same reaction if this email was sent on Friday or Sunday. Yesterday is when I needed it and yesterday is when it came.
  

The more we can get into the “habit” of feeling good, the more tomorrow will be bright. We will come to expect a brighter tomorrow and that will also make us feel better right now.